Solar Bears gain reinforcements

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Solar Bears have announced that defenseman Dmitry Semykin has been reassigned to the club from the Syracuse Crunch by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Additionally, forwards Steenn Pasichnuk and Kyle Topping have been loaned to Orlando from the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League. The Solar Bears have also signed defenseman Pavel Vorobei to an ECHL Standard Player Contract.

Semykin, 21, has appeared in eight games with Syracuse this season.

Pasichnuk, 26, has four points (3g-1a) in 12 games with the Solar Bears and has appeared in one game with the Barracuda this season.

Topping, 22, has five assists in three games with Orlando, and has collected two assists in eight games with San Jose.

Vorobei (voh-ROH-bay), 24, skated in 25 games during the 2020-21 for Vityaz Podolsk of Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League, where he recorded three points (1g-2a).

The 6-foot-3, 209-pound blueliner has skated in 118 career games in the KHL for Vityaz, HC Sibir Novosibirsk and HC Kunlun Red Star, producing 23 points (7g-16a).

The native of Minsk, Belarus has also produced four points (1g-3a) in 15 games for the Lahti Pelicans of the Finnish Liiga, and has added 15 points (6g-9a) in 21 games in Russia’s Supreme Hockey League.

Vorobei has also represented his homeland on the international stage, helping lead Belarus to a gold medal at the 2017 IIHF U20 Division 1A tournament with four points (1g-3a) in five games, leading all defensemen in tournament scoring and earning Best Defenseman honors.

NEXT GAME: The Solar Bears host the Jacksonville Icemen tonight for Mental Health Awareness Night, presented by AdventHealth, along with a Thirsty Thursday featuring $5 domestic draft beers, at 7 p.m. at the AdventHealth Rink at Amway Center.