ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Solar Bears, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Tampa Bay Lightning, announced the team has agreed to terms with captain Tyler Bird on a contract for the 2025-26 season. 
Bird, 28, returns for his seventh season with the Solar Bears after scoring a career-high 20 goals during the 2024-25 regular season.
The Andover, Massachusetts native is the Solar Bears all-time leader in games played (361), shorthanded goals (10) and first goals (15). Bird is also second all-time in Solar Bears Penalty Minutes with 308 and has only missed two regular-season games over the last three seasons with the Solar Bears.
Bird has appeared in 406 ECHL games over seven seasons with Greenville, Reading, Wheeling and Orlando, scoring 199 points (95g-104a). Bird has also appeared in 13 American Hockey League games for Syracuse and San Jose, scoring three assists.
Prior to turning pro, Bird played four seasons of collegiate hockey for Brown University, where he recorded 35 points (22g-13a) in 120 games for the Bears. Bird only missed four games during his NCAA career and was named an alternate captain for his senior season.
Bird was a fifth-round selection (137th overall) of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
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