MAITLAND, Fla. – Over the long and winding road that is the ECHL regular season, most coaches will tell you that finding a roster that works is a lot of trial and error. It is a rare exception that finds the players on the game sheet in October, the same ones that appear in March. Even though the season is just four games old, Orlando Solar Bears head coach Drake Berehowsky has been spending as much time on the phone and his laptop as he does on the ice. His goal of course, is to build a championship team – even if it means making the locker room door busier than the turnstiles at the local theme parks. “We’re always looking to see if we can get better,” Berehowsky said about his ever-evolving roster. Coming off a very successful two-win weekend that included the franchise’s home opener (a victory that came in the 12th round of a shootout), one might have thought that Berehowsky could have been content to leave the roster as is for another couple of games. He did not, spending part of Monday making a trade in which the Solar Bears sent defenseman Simon Danis-Pepin to San Francisco for forward Keaton Turkiewicz. Turkiewicz, a rookie, played in two games with the Bulls, picking up three assists in the process. The first reaction by fans was to wonder why Danis-Pepin, who had scored a goal in Saturday’s contest, was dealt so soon. Berehowsky said the big defenseman was caught in a numbers game. “We had an opportunity to get a kid (Turkiewicz) who played in the OHL and he put up good university numbers at the University of Western Ontario which is a good hockey program,” Berehowski said. “It was a hard decision to trade Peps. One thing that I never want to happen on my team is guys sitting out, just wasting their talent and not being able to participate and play. I wouldn’t want to do that to Peps, so I tried to find him a place where he could play and contribute and keep growing as a player.” Tuesday came with more news on the roster front, some of it expected. The surprise was the signing of defenseman Bryce Lampman. A 2001 draft choice of the New York Rangers, Lampman has played ten games with the Rangers and a whopping 386 in the American Hockey League, including 54 in Peoria, while Berehowsky was behind the bench, and five with the Houston Aeros. Throw in more than 70 games in Germany and a couple of handfuls of contests in the KHL and he brings a whole lot of experience with him. “He hasn’t played much in the ECHL, but he’s played a lot of games in the AHL and he’s played some NHL games. He was a workhorse in Peoria for us three years ago and I expect the same thing from him here,” Berehowsky said of Lampman. “He’ll bring some experience to our lineup. He’ll be able to help out the young kids.” Houston general manager Jim Mill knew of Lampman from his short stint there and encouraged Berehowsky to bring him onto the team. “Jim and I talked and he thought it would be a great move for us to get him. Number one, he can be a call-up guy if Houston needs a veteran. He can also help out the young guys,” Berehowsky said. “He’ll be a good teacher, a good leader out on the ice. We’re pretty fortunate to get a player of his caliber.” The final new piece of the puzzle is goalie Mike Brodeur. Brodeur was set to be assigned by the Aeros to the Solar Bears, but an injury delayed his arrival. The doctors, and more importantly Brodeur himself, are sufficiently confident that he has recovered. He will join John Curry in the lineup. With Brodeur’s arrival, Berehowsky and the Solar Bears are blessed with two netminders who have seen the bright lights of the NHL (Curry in Pittsburgh and Brodeur in Ottawa) and possess the skills to be AHL-caliber or higher goalies on a consistent basis. It is a luxury that any coach would appreciate. “It’s going to be awesome. I think both guys are great goalies, both guys are great kids. They’re great in the (locker) room. They’ve taken on leadership roles,” Berehowsky said. “I can’t wait to see Mike play. John’s done a great job for us, but they’ll be able to split the duties right now. They’ll probably go back and forth until I guess one of them takes over. I have confidence in both of them. I’m pretty lucky that I have two great goalies.” With two goalies like Brodeur and Curry fighting for playing time, it would be easy for one to be jealous if the other gets more playing between the pipes. Berehowsky said that thankfully both of his netminders understand that the team is more important than individual stats. “I’m fortunate that they understand that they’ll probably be splitting games right now. They get along and have a friendship,” he said. “I’m very fortunate to have them.” All of the moves come with a price. Goalie Brooks Ostergard and forward Ian Watters were released to make room. Additionally, forward Alexandre Imbeault was traded to the Alaska Aces for future considerations and forward Brett Lyon was put on the reserved list. Wednesday afternoon Berehowsky announced that Lampman and Turkiewicz would start their time in Orlando on the reserved list. In their place, defenseman Ryan Blair and assistant captain Kevin Baker will dress Thursday night at home against South Carolina and Sunday afternoon versus Greenville. For Baker, who has been nursing an injury, it will be his first game action of the season. “Hopefully the guys will have some energy and we’ll have a well-rested guy in Bakes,” Berehowsky said. “I’m looking forward to seeing him play. It should be fun.” Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com
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