Royals acquire forward Hodgson from Wichita for futures

Reading, PA – The Reading Royals, proud ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, announced Friday Reading has acquired the rights to forward Hayden Hodgson from Wichita for future considerations and signed Hodgson to an ECHL deal.Reading has inked 17 players this offseason and Hodgson is the eighth acquisition with AHL experience.2019-20 Royals rosterGoaltender (1): #35 Trevor GorsuchDefensemen (5): #6 Garrett Cecere, #19 Garret Cockerill, #27 Jeremy Beaudry, #75 Joe Masonius, #77 Jimmy MazzaForwards (11): #7 Trevor Gooch, #9 Brayden Low, #13 Olivier Labelle, #15 Trevor Yates, #17 Brendan Robbins, #18 Judd Peterson, #21 Frank DiChiara, #23 Drew Melanson, #28 Brady Wiffen, #81 Corey Mackin, Hayden Hodgson

QuotablesHodgson: "I'm excited to sign and get the season rolling in Reading. I've heard great things about the organization and I'm hungry to get started." 

Head Coach Kirk MacDonald: "We are excited to have Hayden join the Royals. He is a power forward with nice scoring touch around the net who addds a much-need physical presence to our lineup."Hodgson need to knowHodgson stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 207 pounds.Entering his third professional season, the 23-year-old split last campaign between Wichita (13 GP, 2g, 2a) and HC Detva in Slovakia (21 GP, 7g, 7a). Hodgson spent most of his rookie campaign in the AHL with Cleveland, where he racked up three goals, six points and 35 penalty minutes over 41 games.The native of Windsor, ON spent five full seasons in the OHL. In his final junior campaign, he topped Windsor with 38 goals and 66 points. The right-handed shot finished second in penalty minutes (71) on the 2016-17 Spitfires.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.