Solar Bears claim Kenny Johnson, sign Jamie Rome and Ottoville Leppänen to ATO contracts

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Solar Bears have claimed defenseman Kenny Johnson off waivers and agreed to terms with forwards Jamie Rome and Ottoville Leppänen on Amateur Tryout Contracts (ATO), Head Coach and General Manager Matt Carkner announced today.

Johnson, 24, has appeared in two ECHL games with the Wheeling Nailers and two collegiate games at Penn State University this season. 

The Ann Arbor, Michigan native is the younger brother of Stanley Cup Champion defenseman Jack Johnson, who is an NHL veteran of over 1,000 games. 

The 6-foot-4, 230-pound defenseman played his collegiate hockey at Penn State University from 2019-2023, appearing in 40 games and scoring five points (1g-4a). 

During his Junior season, Johnson was named 2021-22 Academic All-Big Ten Honoree. 

Rome, 24, appeared in 30 games for Western Michigan University this season, scoring 16 points (9g-7a). 

The Cochrane, Alberta, Canada native appeared 104 NCAA games over five seasons (2018-2023) scoring 27 points (12g-15a) 

Twice in his collegiate career, the 6-foot-2, 211-pound forward was named to the NCHC All-Academic Team in 2018-19 and again during the COVID-shortened, 2020-21 season. 

During the 2017-18 season, Rome led his Victoria Grizzlies team in scoring with 70 points (22g-48a) in 55 games, putting him in second in scoring in the entire British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL).

Leppänen, 24, joins the Solar Bears from Merrimack College, where he tallied 25 points (6g-19a) in 38 games this season. 

The Espoo, Finland native spent the previous three seasons at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) scoring 63 points (17g-46a) in 111 games from 2018-2022. 

The 5-foot-10, 185-pound forward played junior hockey for his native Blues U18 and U20 teams from 2014-2018, captaining the Blues U18 team during the 2015-16 season and serving as an alternate captain for the U20 team during the 2017-18 season. 

NEXT HOME GAME: Orlando wraps up the home schedule on Friday, April 14, when they entertain the Jacksonville Icemen on Fan Appreciation Night. The puck drops at 7:00 p.m.