Defenseman Patrick Wellar Assigned to Reading

Ninth Year D-Man Has Been A Member of Three Championship Teams

Reading, PA – The Reading Royals of the ECHL, affiliate of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League and the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League, today announced that defenseman Patrick Wellar has been assigned from the Bears to the Royals. In a separate transaction, the Royals released forward Tyler Gron from his ECHL contract. Wellar (6’3/219) (28), a ninth year pro from Carrot River, Saskatchewan, has played one game for the Bears this season, registering seven penalty minutes—which included a fighting major—in Hershey’s home opener last Saturday against the Rochester Americans. Wellar has played all—or substantial portions—of the previous four seasons in Hershey, racking up 196 total games with the Bears, during which he has recorded forty points (6g-34a) and 407 penalty minutes. Over that time period, Wellar, third round pick of the Washington Capitals in 2002, has played to a cumulative plus-19 (+19) with Hershey. This will mark the second season that Wellar has appeared in a Royals uniform. In 2008-09, he recorded eight points (1g-7a) and forty-seven penalty minutes in twenty-five games with Reading. In his last game as a Royal, on February 7, 2009, Wellar exploded for a four point night that included scoring the overtime game winner in a 6-5 victory over the Trenton (then)-Devils. Shortly thereafter, he was re-called to Hershey and, on March 7, 2009, Wellar’s ECHL rights were traded from Reading to the South Carolina Stingrays for forward Ryan Toomey and future considerations (which later proved to be Mike Curry). Wellar was then re-assigned from Hershey to South Carolina, where he would go on—along with another former Royal, goaltender James Reimer—to win the 2009 ECHL Kelly Cup Championship. That was actually Wellar’s second championship season in the ECHL, as he was an integral member of the 2006 Kelly Cup Champion Alaska Aces. Wellar, who’s played 514 pro games—242 in the AHL, won his third pro championship when the 2010 Hershey Bears captured the Calder Cup. Gron, a first year pro from Spruce Grove, Alberta, did not appear in any games with the Royals. This Friday and Saturday the Royals head out on the road for a pair against the Wheeling Nailers at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, West Virginia. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN Radio 1240 am and 98.5 fm with pre-game show beginning at 6:35 pm and the opening face-off dropping at 7:05 pm. Please note that Friday’s game will NOT be telecast on BCTV because of the station’s annual fund raising auction. Royals TV presented by Boscov’s Travel and Apple Vacations, however, will return to BCTV on Saturday night. The team returns home on Sunday (October 28 @ 5:05 pm), when the Toledo Walleye visit the Sovereign Center and the first 1000 kids fourteen and younger will receive a Jonathan Quick T-shirt courtesy of Metro Bank. There will also be a post-game ‘Bring Your Own Skates’ post-game skate with the players presented by the Body Zone Sports & Wellness Complex. Season Tickets for the 2012-13 Reading Royals ECHL season Presented by Steve Moyer Subaru are currently available. Call 610-898-7825 for more information or log onto www.royalshockey.com.