Former Green Bay captain Jarod Crespo signs with Orlando Solar Bears

Jarod Crespo’s road from Green Bay to the pro game took another step on July 8, when the Orlando Solar Bears signed the 24-year-old defenseman to an ECHL Standard Player Contract for the 2026-27 season. For the former Green Bay captain, the move is less a surprise than a clean handoff from USHL responsibility to a first full professional season with Orlando, the ECHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Crespo’s value was built in Green Bay, where he played 100 games over three seasons with the Gamblers and wore the captain’s letter after being named to the role on September 22, 2021. His USHL line finished at 36 points, including 11 goals and 25 assists, with 143 penalty minutes, a mix that fit the way Green Bay used him: active enough to contribute offense, heavy enough to handle the defensive grind, and trusted enough to lead a junior lineup. He had already shown that profile in 2020-21, when he appeared in 35 games and posted three goals and five assists, then took a clear jump in 2021-22 with a career-best 28 points and 82 penalty minutes.

That Green Bay track record matters because Crespo was not simply moved along on reputation. He developed the kind of all-situations habits that travel well, from playing through contact to logging meaningful minutes under pressure. The captaincy year in particular showed the USHL’s value as a proving ground for players who have to learn how to anchor a blue line before they can be asked to do it at the next level.

Crespo carried that progression to Penn State, where he played 141 NCAA games and totaled 42 points, including 12 goals and 30 assists. He finished his college career as an alternate captain in 2025-26, earned Big Ten All-Star Team honorable mention and the Big Ten sportsmanship award, and became just the second defenseman in program history to record a hat trick. Penn State missed him only 11 games across four seasons in Happy Valley, a durability mark that helped make him a dependable veteran.

His first taste of the pro game came late in the season with the San Jose Barracuda, where he skated in two AHL games and picked up two points. On April 18, 2026, he scored his first professional goal, and it was an overtime winner against the Bakersfield Condors in San Jose’s 4-3 season-ending victory. Orlando is betting that same blend of edge, reliability and late growth can carry over again, this time into a full ECHL role.