Brady Wiffen signs first professional contract with Royals

Reading, PA – The Reading Royals, proud ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, have signed rookie forward Brady Wiffen to an ECHL contract for the 2019-20 season, Head Coach Kirk MacDonald announced Thursday. Wiffen was an alternate captain at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) last season and tied for the school’s lead with eight goals (13 pts.). The Royals have signed nine players this offseason.The St. Mary’s, ON native stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 200 pounds. This is the second signing of the week for the Royals, who agreed to terms with forward Trevor Gooch on an ECHL deal Wednesday.2019-20 Royals rosterDefensemen (3): #27 Jeremy Beaudry, #75 Joe Masonius, #77 Jimmy MazzaForwards (6): #7 Trevor Gooch, #9 Brayden Low, #13 Olivier Labelle, #21 Frank DiChiara, #28 Brady Wiffen, #81 Corey MackinThey said itWiffen: “Coach MacDonald reached out to me and I liked what I heard. Coach said he likes how I’m a center that can play wing. I like having the versatility of being able to play both and helping with what the team needs.”MacDonald: “Brady is coming off a good NCAA season and we think he can help bolster our lineup. His size was a huge asset for him at R.P.I. and he showed a knack for scoring in front of the net.”Career notesIn addition to setting personal NCAA bests last season (8g, 13 pts.), Wiffen collected the RPI Men’s Hockey Team’s Community Service Award and was named to the ECAC’s “Commissioner’s List” by posting a 4.0 G.P.A. In 98 NCAA games from 2016-19, the left-handed shot provided 17 goals and 35 points.In 2014-15 while with Trenton of the OJHL, Wiffen led the league with 53 goals and finished second with 92 points.New for the 2019-20 season, take advantage of the Royals 5-Game Mini Plan that kicks off Opening Night on Sat., Oct. 19 at 7:00 p.m. and includes a meal for every game, a Reading Royals Hat, an exclusive fan experience, an autographed team picture and a guaranteed giveaway for each of the 5 games. Purchase your seat or seats today by calling 610-898-7825 or by visiting https://bit.ly/2LSHBp8.The first Royals’ home game on Oct. 19 vs. Maine features a massive block party, games, food, drinks and a special “Downtown Alive” concert on Penn Street before the home opener.Royals season memberships 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.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.