Royals Agree to Terms with Forward Mike Pereira

Reading, PA – The Reading Royals of the ECHL, affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers of the NHL, today announced that the team has agreed to terms with forward Mike Pereira. The Royals have announced five players as signed to ECHL Standard Players Contracts for the 2016-17 season. In addition to Pereira, Reading has announced the signing of forwards Justin Crandall, Olivier Labelle and Ian Watters and defenseman Mike Marcou.

Last year, Pereira (5’11/186) (24), who hails from West Haven, Connecticut, led all players on the Royals final active roster with nineteen goals (19g-24a=43pts) in forty-seven games with the team. Pereira, who racked up eleven multi-point performances during the regular season, also led the Royals with five game winning goals and led all forwards on the team in plus-minus by playing to a plus-14 (+14). Pereira earned three separate call-ups last season to the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League, where he played seventeen regular season games (1g-1a) and three in the post-season (0g-1a). After Utica was eliminated from the playoffs, Pereira rejoined the Royals on April 29, 2016, but was limited by injury to just one post-season game with Reading (Game One of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against the Wheeling Nailers).

Pereira kicked off his pro career in 2014-15, when he registered seven points (4g-3a) and eight penalty minutes in a rookie season that was abbreviated to just twenty-two games with the Stockton Thunder of the ECHL due to injury. Pereira actually made his pro debut late in the 2013-14 season after the conclusion of his senior season at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, when he joined the Worcester Sharks of the AHL. During a three-game stint with the Sharks, Pereira scored his first pro goal when he bagged what proved to be the game winner in Worcester’s 5-1 victory over the Manchester Monarchs on March 16, 2014.

Prior to turning pro, Pereira had a stellar collegiate career at UMass-Amherst, finishing in the team’s top three in goals and overall scoring in all four of his seasons with the Minutemen. In his freshman year, Pereira tied for the team lead with twelve goals in thirty-four games and earned a spot on the Hockey East All-Rookie team, while being selected as the team’s Rookie of the Year. A three-time selection to the Hockey East All-Academic team, Pereira led the Minutemen with seventeen goals in his sophomore season, while also leading the team in power play points (7g-6a=13pts), game winning goals (3) and hattricks (2). Pereira, who was chosen as the Hockey East Player of the Week twice and UMass-Amherst’s Athlete of the Week four times during his college career, racked up 107 points (53g-54a) in 135 games with the Minutemen.

Season Tickets for the 2016-17 Reading Royals ECHL season are currently available. Call 610-898-7825 for more information or log onto www.royalshockey.com.