2016 NHL Draft pick Masonius inks deal with Royals

Reading, PA – Head Coach Kirk MacDonald announced Thursday defenseman Joe Masonius (ma-SOH-nus) has agreed to an ECHL contract with the Reading Royals, proud ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The Royals have signed seven skaters to ECHL contracts this offseason and Masonius joins Jeremy Beaudry and Jimmy Mazza on the Royals blue line. The Pittsburgh Penguins drafted Masonius in the 6th round, 181st overall at the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.Masonius combined to play 13 games with Manchester (12 GP) and South Carolina last season and generated four assists. He skated for UConn for three seasons and signed an amateur tryout contract with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2018 following his junior NCAA season. The 22-year-old led UConn defensemen in points twice (freshman and sophomore seasons).2019-20 Royals rosterDefensemen (3): Jeremy Beaudry, Joe Masonius, Jimmy MazzaForwards (4): Frank DiChiara, Olivier Labelle, Brayden Low, Corey MackinCoach's takeHead Coach Kirk MacDonald: “We saw Joe play against us a couple of times last season and think he’s capable of being a contributor at this level. The expectation is for him to continue to grow as a player with another professional season ahead of him.”Career notesMasonius’ best offensive collegiate season came as a freshman in 2015-16 (6g, 21 pts.) when he tied for third on the team in points. He participated in the 2015 USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game while with the U.S. National Team Development Program U18 squad. Masonius won the gold medal for Team U.S.A. at the 2014 U17 IIHF World Hockey Championships and at the 2015 U18 IIHF World Hockey Championships.A native of Spring Lake, NJ, Masonius stands 6-foot and weighs 190 pounds. He is one of ten children to T.J. and Ellen Masonius (5 sisters, 4 brothers).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 and oversees operations of 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.