The Orlando Solar Bears [https://thehockeynews.com/echl/latest-news/solar-bears-name-new-head-coach-and-general-manager]have added to their coaching staff. The club has hired Adam Dauda (pronounced DOW-duh) to join the Solar Bears as an Assistant Coach for the 2025-26 season. The 30-year-old Dauda heads to The City Beautiful after one season as Assistant Coach of the Greenville Swamp Rabbits [https://thehockeynews.com/echl/players/finlay-o-reilly-headline-swamp-rabbits-player-signings]during the 2024-25 season. Previous to his ECHL [https://thehockeynews.com/echl/]experience, Dauda was Head Coach of the University of North Carolina Tar Heels ACHA hockey team, leading them to an 18-7-1 record, ranking them #14 in the entire ACHA, the best ranking in program history. Before arriving at North Carolina, Dauda was Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator for two seasons (2021-23) with Manhattan College (NCAA Division III [https://thehockeynews.com/ncaa/]). As a player, the Bratislava, Slovakia native played parts of three professional seasons in the ECHL, Slovak Extraliga, FPHL, and the AIHL. In 62 ECHL games with Newfoundland, Kalamazoo [https://thehockeynews.com/echl/latest-news/grizzlies-acquire-left-shot-defenseman-in-trade-with-kalamazoo], and Jacksonville [https://thehockeynews.com/echl/latest-news/icemen-sign-rookie-forward-for-2025-26], Dauda tallied 30 points on 14 goals and 16 assists. In his one season in the Australian League, Dauda tallied over a point per game and lead the Sydney Bears to the AIHL Championship. Prior to his professional playing career, Dauda played four seasons of College Hockey at Colgate University (2016-2019). He recorded 51 points (22-29-51) in 116 games and led the nation in faceoff win percentage during the 2016-17 season. Academically, Dauda majored in Economics and graduated from Colgate in the summer of 2019.
