ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Solar Bears, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Tampa Bay Lightning, announced rookie forward Thomas Belgarde has agreed to terms on a contract for the 2024-25 season.
Belgarde, 22, joins the Solar Bears for his second professional season and first in North America. The St-Georges-de-Beauce, Quebec native played for Tours of the second France professional league (Division I) during the 2023-24 season, scoring 26 points (12g-14a) in 26 regular-season games.
Prior to his professional career, he major junior hockey in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. Over four seasons with Chicoutimi, Acadie-Bathurst and Victoriaville, Belgarde tallied 124 points (58g-66a) in 177 regular-season games and added eight points in 21 QMJHL playoff games. In his final season of junior hockey, Belgarde notched career-highs in all scoring categories with 47 points (25g-22a) in 47 games with the Victoriaville Tigres.