The Orlando Solar Bears agreed to terms with goaltender Ryan Bednard on a contract for the 2026-27 season. The Orlando Solar Bears are an ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Tampa Bay Lightning.
Bednard, 29, spent the 2025-26 season with Düsseldorfer EG of Germany’s second professional league, DEL2. Before that, he helped the Nottingham Panthers win the Elite Ice Hockey Championship and IIHF Continental Cup during the 2024-25 season. The Macomb, Michigan, native is listed at 6 feet, 5 inches and 209 pounds.
Bednard brings seven seasons of professional experience
Bednard has played in the American Hockey League, ECHL, EIHL and DEL2 since turning professional in 2019. He has made 169 professional appearances, including 151 ECHL appearances with Greenville, South Carolina, and Wheeling. In those ECHL games, he has recorded 77 victories, a 2.83 goals-against average, a .911 save percentage and nine shutouts.
Bednard’s best professional season came with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits in 2020-21, when he went 20-6-8 with a 2.43 goals-against average, a .917 save percentage and four shutouts. He has appeared in 18 career American Hockey League games. With the Grand Rapids Griffins in 2022-23, he recorded a 1.67 goals-against average and a .946 save percentage in five games.
Bednard’s college career and preseason roster listing
Bednard played three seasons at Bowling Green State University before turning professional. During the 2018-19 season, he posted a 20-8-4 record, a 1.77 goals-against average, a .927 save percentage and three shutouts while helping Bowling Green State University win a WCHA regular-season championship. The Florida Panthers selected him in the seventh round, 206th overall, of the 2015 NHL Draft.
Bednard is listed as a goaltender on the Orlando Solar Bears’ 2026 preseason roster. The forwards listed are Camaryn Baber, Tyler Bird, Connor Eddy, Massimo Lombardi, Aaron Luchuk, Keegan McMullen, John Parker-Jones, Kobe Walker and Luciano Wilson. The defensemen are Jarod Crespo, Tony Follmer, Dustin Geregach, Colton Kammerer, Kade Landry and Ethan Szmagaj.
Source: Original report