Less than 24 hours after the 2018-2019 hockey season officially ended, the ECHL and its 26 teams, including the Orlando Solar Bears, released their 2019-2020 schedules. Orlando’s second season as the ECHL affiliate of the Lightning begins at the Amway Center on Saturday, October 12th, at 7 PM against division rival South Carolina.
First, let’s look at some key dates on the schedule, including promotional nights:
Saturday, October 26th: A light month of October ends with the first visit to Florida for Orlando since the Everblades knocked them out of the 2019 Kelly Cup Playoffs.
Tuesday, November 5th: The Solar Bears host Jacksonville at 10:30 AM for the annual School Day game.
Wednesday, November 20th-Saturday, November 23rd: For the first time in two seasons, Orlando heads to the Mountain time zone as they visit Idaho and Utah as part of a five game road trip.
Friday, November 29th & Saturday, November 30th: It’s Kids Weekend at the Amway Center, as the Solar Bears host South Carolina for a pair of games. The weekend will also feature Marvel Superhero Night and Star Wars Night.
Saturday, December 7th: Orlando will hold its annual Teddy Bear Toss against Atlanta.
Tuesday, December 31st: The Solar Bears finish off the 2019 portion of their schedule in Estero against the Everblades.
Saturday, January 25th: Orlando will hold its annual Military Appreciation Night as they host Greenville.
Saturday, February 29th: The Solar Bears will host the defending Kelly Cup Champion Newfoundland Growlers in their only matchup of the season. It’s also Hockey Fights Cancer Night.
Saturday, March 14th: The annual Guns n’Hoses Charity game will precede First Responders Appreciation Night, as Orlando takes on Florida.
Friday, April 3rd & Saturday, April 4th: The regular season comes to an end with a home and home series against—who else?—the Everblades.
Orlando will face a total of 13 opponents in the 2019-20 season: Florida (13 games), South Carolina (12), Jacksonville (12), Atlanta (10), Norfolk (8), Greenville (7), Utah (2), Brampton (2), Wheeling (2), Idaho (1), Kansas City (1), Cincinnati (1), and Newfoundland (1).
Out of 72 regular season games, only 10 are against opponents outside of the South Division.
The Solar Bears have a weekend heavy schedule, with 24 games each on Friday and Saturday nights, and just 5 Sunday games. Nineteen games will be played during the week: seven on Thursday, and 6 each on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Orlando’s longest road trip is 6 games, from January 10th-19th. They play a pair in Norfolk, then head south to Atlanta for two, then single matchups against Jacksonville and South Carolina. The longest homestand is also 6 games, from November 26th-December 7th, against four of their South Division foes.
You can find the full schedule here. These dates may be subject to change several times before October once the Orlando Magic, who share the building with the Solar Bears, release their 2019-2020 schedule later in the summer.
