Royals Agree to Terms with Defenseman Ryan Kavanagh

Reading, PA – The Reading Royals of the ECHL, affiliate of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League and Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League, today announced that the organization has agreed to terms with defenseman Ryan Kavanagh. The Royals now have eighteen players announced as signed for the 2013-14 season. In addition to Kavanagh, the others are: Mike Banwell (d), Matt Campanale (d), Louie Caporusso (f), Julien Cayer (f), Ethan Cox (f), Damon Kipp (d), David Marshall (f), Bryant Molle (d), Ian O’Connor (f), Ryan Santana (f), Bobby Shea (d), Yannick Tifu (f), David Toews (f), Brad Walch (d), Ian Watters (f), Sean Wiles (f), and Marc Zanette (f).

Last season, Kavanaugh (5’7/183) (22), a third year pro who hails from Kirkland, Quebec, recorded twelve points (4g-8a) and ten penalty minutes with EHC Red Bull Munchen (Munich) in the Deutsche Eisenhockey Liga , the premier hockey league in Germany. In his first year of pro, Kavanagh was second in scoring amongst defensemen on EC Red Bull Salzburg of the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga with eighteen points (7g-11a) in thirty-three games in the Austrian elite league. That season, Kavanagh and his Salzburg teammates captured the European Trophy Championship, a tournament which pits many of the premier teams in Europe in an extended round robin competition which is capped off with a single elimination playoff.

Prior to turning pro, Kavanagh played three seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He split his final season in the QMJHL between Rimouski Oceanic and Shawinigan Cataractes and ended up leading the league in scoring by a defenseman with seventy total points (17g-53a) in sixty-eight games and earned a selection as a First Team All-Star. Kavanagh, who led Rimouski defensemen with fifty-seven points in fifty-eight games in 2009-10, recorded 143 total points (39g-104a) and sixty-two penalty minutes in 164 games in the Q.

The Royals kick off the defense of the team’s 2013 Kelly Cup Championship on Saturday, October 19, 2013, (7:35 pm), at the Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania, with the 2013-14 season opener against the South Carolina Stingrays. The Royals also face the Stingrays on Sunday, October 20 (4:05 pm) in Game Two of Opening Weekend. Season Tickets for the 2013-14 Reading Royals are currently available. Call 610-898-7825 or visit www.royalshockey.com for more information.