AdventHealth Rink at Kia Center in Orlando has become a familiar spot for the Tampa Bay Lightning [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning], and the team will visit the arena again for a pre-season game in September. The Orlando Solar Bears [https://thehockeynews.com/echl/latest-news/solar-bears-head-coach-to-pursue-ahl-opportunity], ECHL affiliate of the Lightning, will welcome their parent club to their home at AdventHealth Rink at Kia Center when the Lightning host the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers]in NHL Pre-season action. The game will take place Tuesday, Sep. 30 at 7 Pm ET. “We are thrilled to welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning back to the Kia Center for their preseason contest against the Florida Panthers on September 30,” Solar Bears President Chris Heller said in a news release. “We thank Julien BriseBois and the Lightning staff for being terrific partners and look forward to another fantastic experience hosting an NHL game.” Tickets for the Lightning’s preseason game at Kia Center will go on sale to the public at a date to be announced. This will mark the Bolts’ seventh exhibition game at Kia Center, home of the Solar Bears and the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and 11th appearance in Orlando overall. The Lightning’s most recent game at AdventHealth Rink at Kia Center was Sep. 25, 2024, an 8-7, last second victory over the Panthers on a goal by Connor Geekie. Solar Bears alumnus Jaydon Dureau tallied three assists in the game for the Lightning. The Solar Bears have been the ECHL [https://thehockeynews.com/echl/]affiliate of the Lightning since the start of the 2018-19 season. Since the beginning of the affiliation, 42 players have appeared for both the Solar Bears and the Syracuse Crunch, Tampa Bay’s American Hockey League [https://thehockeynews.com/ahl/]affiliate. Prior to that, the Lightning held ECHL affiliations with the Adirondack Thunder [https://thehockeynews.com/echl/game-day/ergangs-spectacular-pro-debut-the-difference-in-adirondacks-overtime-win-over-mariners]for the 2017-18 season, the Kalamazoo Wings [https://thehockeynews.com/echl/latest-news/k-wings-to-bring-back-street-hockey-camps-this-summer]for 2016-17, and the Florida Everblades [https://thehockeynews.com/echl/latest-news/everblades-celebrate-partnership-with-sports-memorabilia-platform]from 2010-13. The Lightning's very first ECHL affiliate was the Louisville Icehawks during the Bolts' inaugural season in 1992-93. (Photo Courtesy of the Orlando Solar Bears)
