There was not a prouder moment for the Orlando Solar Bears this season than Nov. 30, 2015. It had nothing to do with the ice at Amway Center.
The Solar Bears’ starting goalie during its Playoff run in 2015 had climbed the long ladder up to the NHL. On that day, Garret Sparks made his NHL debut, shutting out the Edmonton Oilers. He has only played five games this season and still bounces between the NHL and AHL, but it was the exact kind of moment the Solar Bears and the Maple Leafs’ program was designed to create.
There is still a difficult balance between winning and development occurring at the ECHL level. From the parent club Toronto Maple Leafs’ perspective, the Orlando Solar Bears is a mine to dig out talent and give players in their system playing opportunities and chances to grow and develop.
It is an important part of the Maple Leafs’ farm system and growth plans. Toronto Marlies general manager Kyle Dubas, a former general manager in Canadian junior hockey, reiterated that in a recent interview with MapleLeafs.com:
MapleLeafs.com: How does building a team at the AHL level – where you have players in vastly different stages of their careers – differ from building a junior hockey team? Are there parallels there?
Kyle Dubas: I’ve found it very similar, especially this season, to my time in The Soo. The players don’t have a set expiration date like they have in junior, but I think they realize once they get to that age where they’re past that entry-level deal, and then they get a second contract and get past that and they’re not in the NHL, they’re wondering where they might fit, much in the same way we dealt with overage players in Sault Ste. Marie.
In terms of building a team here, obviously we know what we’re going to have in terms of players who are signed, drafted and contracted. So it’s about ensuring we have depth that our players in (ECHL) Orlando are developing, that we’re doing a good job and are prepared for when players are recalled. If a player is recalled or injured with the Leafs, that influences us and it influences Orlando. We’re in the middle of it – we’re trying to get everyone to the Leafs as quickly as we can, and to make sure the players coming in here are developing and that we’ve done a good job of identifying players that can come in here and develop with the team.
The Solar Bears are not supposed to have a ton of players who stay with the team for very long. That would be a good thing if players move on and move up through the Maple Leafs’ farm system.
So far this year, six players for the Solar Bears have bounced back and forth between the two teams — Eric Faille, Rob Madore, Ryan Massa, Jack Rodewald, Ryan Rupert and Brett Findlay.
While it can be somewhat distressing for the Solar Bears to worry about which players they will have on their roster at certain times — they often only carry one goalie while the other one is in Toronto, for instance — the opportunity to play in the AHL and climb the ladder is a clear goal for the team too.
Solar Bears coach Anthony Noreen has praised Dubas and the Marlies on numerous occasions for their communication with him and letting him know when and for how long the Marlies might call up players from or send down players to the Solar Bears.
Orlando is firmly ingrained in Toronto’s system at the moment.
