Bardaro returns to Solar Bears

Action photo of Anthony Bardaro of the Orlando Solar Bears

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Solar Bears, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Tampa Bay Lightning, announced that forward Anthony Bardaro has agreed to terms on a contract for the 2025-26 season.

Bardaro returns to Orlando for his second season, following a 41-point campaign last year, finishing 16th in ECHL rookie scoring and fourth on the Solar Bears roster. The Delta, British Columbia native also tallied eight points in the 2025 Kelly Cup Playoffs, tying him with Tyler Bird for second most on the team.

The 32-year-old began his professional career with a splash, recording 56 points during the 2017-18 season and broke out in the playoffs with 23 points in 14 games to earn Most Valuable Player honors in the Alps Hockey League with Asiago. The next season, Bardaro recorded a career-high 68 points (31g-37a) in 40 games and was chosen to represent Italy at the IIHF World Championships in 2019.

Bardaro then joined top Italian Club, Bolzano of the ICE Hockey League, for the 2019-20 season. After two seasons with Bolzano and two seasons with HC Pusteral, Bardaro elected to join Angers in France for the 2023-24 season. In total, the 32-year-old has played in 360 professional league games, scoring 321 points (140g-181a).

Prior to his professional career, Bardaro played four years at University of British Columbia, leading the team in scoring in three consecutive seasons from 2014-17. In total, Bardaro tallied 102 points (36g-66a) in 110 games over four college seasons. He earned USports West Second Team All-Star honors following the 2016-17 season.

Bardaro’s junior hockey career spanned five seasons in the Western Hockey League (WHL) from 2008-2012, where he scored 190 points (90g-100a) in 266 regular season games with Spokane and Prince Albert.