As December comes to a close, it is time to check in on the Orlando Solar Bears, the ECHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Orlando-based club has had a relatively strong season thus far and is on pace to make it to the playoffs. With plenty of strong performances from Lightning prospects, there is a lot to be happy about with the Solar Bears this season.
Solar Bears Season Overview
At present, the Solar Bears are sitting at 15-9-1-1, which is good for 32 points and a 0.615 win percentage. That puts them in third place in the southern division and fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The top four teams in each division make the playoffs, so they are well in the hunt for a playoff spot. Even if they are not sitting in the most secure spot right now, it is worth mentioning that they have played fewer games than both of the teams ahead of them in the southern division.
The Solar Bears have a game in hand on the South Carolina Stingrays, who have 36 points, and three games in hand on the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, who have a conference-leading 40 points. Meanwhile, the Solar Bears are holding a meager one-point lead over the Jacksonville Icemen (although the Solar Bears have a game in hand on them, too). It is going to take a team effort to hold off the competition for the remainder of the season. Luckily, it looks like the team is finding its groove. They ended a two-game skid on Dec. 16 and have now won five straight contests. More importantly, in the last few weeks, they have earned victories over both the Stingrays and the Swamp Rabbits. It is really night and day compared to October.
To start the season, the Solar Bears lost three straight and six out of their first seven games. In November, they played at a reasonably higher level and found themselves with seven wins and six losses during the month. Playing just above the .500 mark might not be ideal, but after an October in which the team recorded three wins to six losses, that is a turnaround that any fan should be pleased with. That, of course, brings us back to the current month, where the upward trajectory has continued. There is still a lot of runway left, and this team could be ready to take flight.
Top Players for the Solar Bears so far
Michel Hoelscher is currently leading the team in scoring with 23 total points. He is tied for the lead in goals with 10 as well as with assists, of which he has 13. The forward has .88 points per game so far this year and has led the team with five power-play goals. Sitting at second in team scoring is Jesse Jacques, who has six goals and is tied with Hoelscher for most assists on the team with 13. His goal production is only fifth-best on the team, but his assists have set him apart from the rest of the pack. Beyond those two forwards, there are three that are tied with 16 points. Among them are Steven Jandric, Aaron Luchuk, and Brayden Low. Jandric has been putting the puck in the back of the net the most out of the three, with 10 goals (two of which have been game-winners).
As for the defensemen, there are two blueliners that are in the double digits for point production. First up is Ben Carroll, who has a respectable 17 points. It’s worth noting that only two forwards have more points than him. Behind him is Jimmy Mazza, who has 10 points. He holds the distinction of being one of only two defensemen who have scored a game-winning goal.
So far, the team has mostly relied on a tandem in net, with there only being three games that were not started by either Colten Ellis or Brandon Halverson. Ellis has gotten the most starts with 16 and has recorded nine wins. His goals-against average sits at 2.26, and so far, his save percentage is .926. With Halverson, the number of starts comes out to 11, and his win total is six. The goals-against average for the netminder is at 2.74, and the save percentage is .910. It cannot go without saying that these two goalies (along with the defensemen) are a big reason why the Solar Bears are in contention right now. The margins between making the playoffs and missing out are very thin, and so far, these goalies have kept the puck out of the net more than most of their competitors.
Strengths the Solar Bears Have Over the Competition
The best way to judge the Solar Bears performance in the 2023 portion of the season is to compare them to the competition that sits ahead of them in the southern division. When looking at the statistics, there are two things that really jump out. The Solar Bears have a comparable penalty kill to the Stingrays and Swamp Rabbits, and they are much better at keeping the puck out of the net. The penalty kill for the Solar Bears is at 84%. By ECHL standards, that is very good. The Stingrays hold the same percentage, while the Swamp Rabbits are two clicks below at 82%.
The only area that the Solar Bears really have an edge in is the total number of goals that they have given up thus far. As of today, the Solar Bears have only scored 75 times. Only a handful of teams in the conference have been better in that regard this season. The Stingrays have scored slightly more, with 79 goals given up. The Swamp Rabbits have a bit of a different story, with 91 goals against. It should be no surprise then that Ellis has a lower goals-against average and a higher save percentage than any goalie getting a significant number of starts for the two rival franchises. The solid defense and goal-tending are what are really keeping the Solar Bears in the race for a division title.
Weaknesses the Solar Bears Need to Work on
Offense is where the Solar Bears are slacking a bit. Their power play is at a meager 15%. That is 5% lower than the Stingrays and 10% lower than the Swamp Rabbits. It really is not any different at all. The Solar Bears have scored a modest 81 goals this year. That is right in the middle of the pack for the Eastern Conference.
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The competition, unfortunately, holds the top two spots in the conference. The Stingrays have scored a very impressive 98 goals this season. The Swamp Rabbits are even better, though, and the first Eastern Conference team to cross the century mark with 102 goals. It is apparent that while the Solar Bears’ offense is not lackluster, it is a step behind the top teams in the division. Compared to the Solar Bears’ defense and goaltending, the offense is very average. If there is any area that the team needs to work on in January, it is their scoring.
The Road Ahead for the Solar Bears
If the Solar Bears want to get closer to moving up in the standings, they will have a chance to do so very soon, as they are taking on the Stingrays on Saturday. The team will have plenty of matchups against both the Stingrays and Swamp Rabbits in the coming months, so this playoff race could get pretty heated. The Solar Bears will have every opportunity to take over the first-place spot if they are determined to do so and find a way to get more out of their offense. While this team might not be putting up any crazy numbers, they are doing what it takes to contend, and sometimes that is all you can really ask for. When April comes around, look for the Solar Bears to be ready to go to the playoffs.