Royals Sign Forward Nikita Kashirsky

Fourth Year Pro Led Gwinnett Gladiators in Scoring Last Season

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 the team has signed forward Nikita Kashirsky to an ECHL contract. In a separate transaction, defenseman Brett Flemming, who was recalled to Hershey yesterday, has been reassigned by the Capitals from the Bears to the Royals. In other transactions undertaken today, the Royals (i) activated forward Danick Paquette from the team’s Reserve List; and (ii) placed forward Brandon Blandina on Reserve. Kashirsky (6’0/196) (27), a fourth year pro from Moscow, Russia, recorded two penalty minutes is one game with Moscow Spartak in the Kontinental Hockey League this season. Last year, Kashirsky led the Gwinnett Gladiators of the ECHL with forty-nine points (16g-33a) in sixty-four games. Kashirsky played portions of each of his two prior full seasons of pro with the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL, splitting his time in the AHL, where he played thirty-nine total games with the Springfield Falcons, Manitoba Moose, and Hershey Bears. In 2008-09, Kashirsky completed a stellar four-year collegiate career with Norwich University with a selection as an RBK Hockey First Team All-American. In March of that year, Kashirsky joined South Carolina for thirteen regular season games (3g-4a) and then proceeded to become a critical member of the Stingrays’ 2009 ECHL Kelly Cup Championship run, racking up eighteen points (6g-12a) in the twenty-one games it took capture the Cup. During his time with Norwich University, Kashirsky registered 144 points (73g-7a) and 111 penalty minutes in 110 total collegiate games. The Royals return to action tonight (Thursday, December 27 @ 7:05 pm), when the team will travel to Sun National Bank in Trenton, New Jersey for the first of three in a row against the Trenton Titans. That game, as with all Royals’ road games this season, will be televised locally in Berks County, Pennsylvania, on BCTV courtesy of Boscov’s Travel and Apple Vacations. The Game Night Broadcast kicks off at 6:35 pm on ESPN Radio (1240 am and 98.5 fm). Royals multi-game flex plans for the 2012-13 season presented by Steve Moyer Subaru are available at 610-898-7825 and through the Royals website: www.royalshockey.com. Don't forget to "Like" us on Facebook at Reading Royals and "Follow" us on Twitter @RRoyalshockey for the latest team information.