Defenseman Maxim Lamarche Assigned to Reading

Reading, PA – The Reading Royals of the ECHL, affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, today announced that defenseman Maxim Lamarche has been assigned by the Flyers from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL to Reading. The Royals’ current training camp roster currently stands at twenty-six players (thirteen forwards, ten defensemen and three goaltenders).

Maxim Lamarche

This marks the second stint in Reading for Lamarche (6’3/217) (23), a third year pro from Laval, Quebec. Last year, he recorded a personal career-high thirty-two points (9g-23a) and fifty-six penalty minutes in sixty games with the Royals, earning him Defenseman of the Year honors for the team. Lamarche led the Royals in plus-minus, playing to a plus-24 (+24), which tied for the best single season plus-minus in Royals’ history. Lamarche, who is in the third year of an NHL entry level contract with the Flyers, also tied for the team lead (with Brett Flemming and Jordan Heywood) in goals by a defenseman with nine.

Over the course of the regular season, Lamarche was recalled by Philadelphia and reassigned to Lehigh Valley four times and ended up playing seven AHL games with the Phantoms, recording one assist and four penalty minutes. Lamarche concluded the year by playing all seven of the Royals post-season games in the 2015 East Division Semi-Final series against the South Carolina Stingrays (1g-2a=3pts, 16 pims). His playoff goal was actually the first goal of the series for Reading, which served to tie Game One at one (which ultimately proved to be a double-OT loss for Reading).

Lamarche, who split his rookie season (2013-14) between the Elmira Jackals of the ECHL and the then-Adirondack Phantoms of the AHL, has recorded a total of forty-two points (12g-30a) and 105 penalty minutes in 129 total pro games, nineteen of which have been played in the AHL (0g-2a=2pts, 11 pims).

Prior to turning pro, Lamarche played five seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, the vast majority of which was played with Baie-Comeau Drakkar. In his overage season with Baie-Comeau, Lamarche led all defensemen on the team with forty-three points (9g-34a) in fifty-three regular season games, while playing to a plus-31 (+31). Lamarche added eleven points (3g-8a) in nineteen post-season contests for Baie-Comeau, who advanced all the way to the championship finals before being knocked off by the Halifax Mooseheads, who would also go on to win the 2103 Memorial Cup. In 252 career QMJHL games, Lamarche registered 113 points (20g-92a) and 269 penalty minutes.

The Fifteenth Anniversary Season of Royals’ hockey kicks off with back-to-back games against the South Carolina Stingrays at North Charleston Coliseum on Saturday (October 17) and Sunday (October 18). Reading opens the home portion of the team’s schedule on Saturday, October 24, (7:00 pm) when the Elmira Jackals visit Santander Arena. The home opener will be preceded by a Block Party complete with a FREE concert by the Gin Blossoms. Season Tickets for the 2015-16 Reading Royals ECHL season are currently available. Call 610-898-7825 for more information or log onto www.royalshockey.com.