The Idaho Steelheads [https://thehockeynews.com/echl/latest-news/steelheads-to-host-nhl-pre-season-game]and head coach and director of hockey operations Everett Sheen announced Tuesday that the club has signed defenseman Jeff Baum and forward Robbie Holmes to ECHL [https://thehockeynews.com/echl/]contracts for the 2025-26 season. Baum, 29, enters his fifth professional season, first in North America, after spending the last four seasons with the Belfast Giants of the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL). During his tenure with the Giants, Baum captured the EIHL Regular Season Championship and was an EIHL Cup Champion three times (2022, 2023, and 2025). The 5-foot-11, 185-pound left-shot blueliner served as an assistant captain last season, notching 18 points (5-13-18) in 51 games. Across his first seasons with Belfast, Baum appeared in 239 career games. During that span, he accumulated 68 points (15-53-68). Prior to turning pro, Baum played three seasons of collegiate hockey [https://thehockeynews.com/ncaa/]at American International College (AIC) from 2018-21, helping the Yellow Jackets to three American Hockey Association (AHA) Regular Season Championships and two AHA Tournament Championships. He spent the 2017-18 season at Providence College. After two seasons in the North American Hockey League (NAHL) with the Wichita Falls Wildcats from 2014-16, Baum spent his last year of junior hockey in the United States Hockey League [https://thehockeynews.com/ushl/](USHL), serving as an assistant captain with the Dubuque Fighting Saints in 2016-17. The 26-year-old Holmes enters his first professional season after spending the last four seasons at Mount Royal University (USports). He appeared in 88 career games there, notching 78 points (41-37-78). The 6-foot-2, 202-pound left-shot forward played one game with the Kansas City Mavericks [https://thehockeynews.com/echl/latest-news/former-kansas-city-mavericks-assistant-joins-cyclones-staff]during the 2020-21 season after playing four full seasons in the Ontario Hockey League [https://thehockeynews.com/ohl/](OHL). The Sarepta, AB native skated in 231 career OHL games, totaling 114 points (51-63-114) playing with the Regina Pats and Everett Silvertips from 2016-2020.
