F Frank DiChiara first to re-sign with Royals for 2019-20

Reading, PA –The Reading Royals, proud ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, announced Thursday their first player signing for the 2019-20 season, agreeing to terms with forward Frank DiChiara on an ECHL contract. DiChiara has played two professional seasons and accumulated a career-high 16 goals and 42 points (71 GP) last campaign with Reading.“I really enjoyed coming to the rink every day last season trying to get better,” DiChiara said. “Playing in Reading felt like home and I think I was really put in a position to succeed as soon as I got there. Head Coach [Kirk] MacDonald and the rest of the staff trusted me. I'm really looking forward to this season.”“Frank is an important part of our locker room and he took a step forward in his second professional season,” MacDonald said. “We can count on him to play every night and think he will be productive again with another season in our system.”DiChiara opened last season with points in his first five Royals games (2g, 3a) and scored 12 points over the final month of the season. He notched seven multi-point games, registered three game-winning goals and nearly doubled his goal and point production from his rookie season with Worcester (9g, 23 pts.). The Ronkonkoma, NY native stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 238 pounds.A Yale graduate, DiChiara skated for the Bulldogs from 2013-17, knocking in 30 goals and 72 points over 127 games. He missed four games in four NCAA seasons. In his senior season, DiChiara was fourth on the squad with ten goals and ranked third with 21 points.Before his collegiate career, DiChiara won the 2013 Clark Cup with the Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL) and scored the Cup-clinching goal in overtime.Royals season memberships and mini-plans are available for 2019-20 by heading to royalshockey.com/restoretheroar, visiting the Royals Box Office at Santander Arena (700 Penn Street) and calling 610-898-7825. The first Royals’ home game is Sat., Oct. 19 vs. Maine at 7:00 p.m., featuring a massive block party, games, food, drinks and a special “Downtown Alive” concert on Penn Street before the home opener.For the latest team news, visit royalshockey.com/news, and follow the team on Facebook (Facebook.com/ReadingRoyals), Twitter (Twitter.com/ReadingRoyals) and Instagram (Instagram.com/ReadingRoyals). Use #RestoreTheRoar to join the conversation.About the RoyalsThe Royals are entering their 19th ECHL season and are proudly affiliated with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers and AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The Royals won the Kelly Cup in 2013, have made the playoffs 14 times, and are four-time division champions. The Berks County Convention Center Authority (BCCCA), founded in 1996, owns the Royals along with the Santander Arena and the Santander Arena Performing Arts Center.Listen to all Royals broadcasts at Mixlr.com/ReadingRoyals or by downloading the Mixlr App from the App Store or Google Play. All Royals away games are broadcast on BCTV (Ch. 15 Comcast, Ch. 19 Service Electric) and Mixlr.