Royals Agree to Terms with Forward Domenic Monardo

Reading, PA – The Reading Royals of the ECHL, affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League and Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League, today announced that the team has agreed to terms with forward Domenic Monardo. He is the fifth player announced as signed by the Royals to an ECHL Standard Players Contract for the 2014-15 season, joining forwards Ryan Cruthers, Kevin Walrod and Sean Wiles and defenseman Bryant Molle. Consistent with team policy, terms of the SPC were not released.

Comments from Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Larry Courville can be accessed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYWwfK4KH9s.

Last season in his first full year of pro, Domenic Monardo (5’11/186) (25), who was selected the Royals’ Rookie of the Year, was the third leading scorer for the team with forty-six points (27g-19a), while playing to a plus-11 (+11), in seventy regular season games. He had one assist in five playoff games for Reading.

Monardo’s twenty-seven regular season goals led the team and led all rookies in the ECHL. That is the most goals ever scored by a first year pro for the Royals, surpassing the twenty-six goals scored by Brad Rooney in the inaugural season for the team, 2001-02. He is only the eighth player in Royals team history to score twenty-seven or more goals in a single season joining: Brian McCullough (39), Doug Christiansen (35), Greg Hogeboom (30), Andrew Sarauer (28), Olivier Labelle (27) Brad Rooney (27) and Yannick Tifu (27).

Ten of Monardo’s goals were scored while the Royals were playing with the man advantage, which also led the Royals and all rookies in the ECHL (and was tied third overall in the league). Five of Monardo’s twenty-seven goals were game winners, which was tied (with Sean Wiles) for second most on the team (behind Josh Brittain, who had six GWGs) and was third most amongst first year pros in the ECHL. Monardo, who had nine multi-point (and three multi-goal) games over the course of the season, had two separate streaks during which he scored a goal in four straight games (November 1 – 10, 2013; and February 15 – 21, 2014). Those were the longest goal scoring streaks of the year for Reading. He also led all first year pros in the league (and the Royals) with 214 shots on goal—twenty-three shots more than the closest rookie to him.

Prior to turning pro, Monardo capped a stellar four year career at Lake Superior State University with a magical senior season. He led the Central Collegiate Hockey Association with twenty goals and, for the second consecutive season, led the Lakers in scoring with thirty one points (20g-11a) in thirty-nine games. At the conclusion of the season, Monardo, who served as team captain in his senior year at LSSU, was selected as the team’s Most Valuable Player and Most Valuable Forward—as well as the school’s outstanding male athlete.

Monardo’s four-year stint at LSSU was replete with awards and accomplishments, including being selected as the school’s Outstanding Freshman in his first year of college. In his sophomore year, he was selected as the team’s Most Improved Player. After his junior year, during which he tied for second in the CCHA (and sixth nationally) with five game winning goals, he was selected as the Lakers’ Most Valuable Forward. Monardo who received the 2012 CCHA Terry Flanagan Memorial Courageous Athlete Award, concluded his career at LSSU with 101 points (49g-52a) in 153 total college games to become only the third player in school history to record 100 points in his time at LSSU.

At the completion of his senior year, Monardo joined the Gwinnett Gladiators of the ECHL in late March after the conclusion of his senior year at LSSU. He played three regular season games with the Gladiators, but really took off in the playoffs, where he recorded a point in seven of the nine post-season games he played and was tied for the team lead with four playoff goals (4g-3a=7pts).

Season Tickets for the 2014-15 Reading Royals ECHL season are currently available. Call 610-898-7825 for more information or log onto www.royalshockey.com.