On Wednesday August 19th, the Orlando Solar Bears announced the signing of Canadian forward Kylar Hope. The Solar Bears continue to bring in rookies to bolster their roster for the upcoming season. However, Hope brings experience to Orlando, having served as captain of the Alaska Nanooks.
Throughout his 127 career games with the UAF Nanooks, Hope totalled 61 points with 26 goals along with 35 assists. He also accumulated 158 penalty minutes. During the 2019-20 season, Hope recorded 10 goals along with 10 assists for a total of 20 points. He also led the Nanooks to their first winning season since 2014-15.
Prior to his time with the Nanooks, Hope shined in junior hockey for the West Kelowna Warriors of the BCHL. As assistant captain, Hope played 58 regular season games while scoring a scintillating 74 points. He did so off of 28 goals along with 46 assists.
During the BCHL postseason, Hope led the entire league with 24 points in 24 games. 15 of those were goals while adding another five totalled in assists. Hope’s heroics led his team to the RBC Cup Championship in 2015-16.
Given the addition of Hope, the Solar Bears are looking for the leadership qualities that he exemplified during his time with the Nanooks and Warriors to translate to success in the ECHL. While Hope may not set the world ablaze with his scoring touch, his propensity for clutch plays might just be what Orlando is looking for. It appears that the Solar Bears may have found their ray of Hope to lead them to the Kelly Cup Playoffs in 2020-21.