Speed forward Brendan Robbins gives nod to Royals for rookie campaign

Reading, PA – The Reading Royals and forward Brendan Robbins have agreed to an ECHL contract, Head Coach Kirk MacDonald announced Wednesday.  A Maine graduate, Robbins tied for second on the Black Bears in 2018-19 with nine goals (14 pts.) in 36 games. He missed one game over his final two seasons on campus. As a junior, the Nashua, NH native finished with 11 goals and 21 points, the best offensive numbers of his collegiate career.Robbins has played one professional game; he agreed to an Amateur Tryout with Springfield (AHL) in Mar. 2019 and the 23-year-old saw his first action at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Mar. 24.The Royals have signed seven forwards and ten skaters this offseason. 2019-20 Royals rosterDefensemen (3): #27 Jeremy Beaudry, #75 Joe Masonius, #77 Jimmy MazzaForwards (7): #7 Trevor Gooch, #9 Brayden Low, #13 Olivier Labelle, #17 Brendan Robbins, #21 Frank DiChiara, #28 Brady Wiffen, #81 Corey MackinThey said itRobbins: “Going into pro hockey I want to make a good first impression. The Royals are a program that gets players to the next level and helps them gets their career going. Also being from New Hampshire, it was important for me to stay close enough to home. ”MacDonald: “Brendan’s greatest strength is his skating and he showed a lot of it last season at Maine. He’ll be able to help us by using his speed on the penalty kill and to create offense in 5-on-5 situations. We’re excited he’s chosen to start his professional career with the Royals.”  Career notesRobbins scored 30 goals and 65 points in 143 NCAA games at Maine. In 2015-16, Robbins was a freshman and played alongside senior captain and Reading native Steven Swavely.Prior to his NCAA career, the right-handed shot skated for the USPHL’s Islanders Hockey Club and scored a team-best 44 points (18g) in 2014-15.His sister, Melissa, played three seasons of Division I women’s hockey at Sacred Heart. Brendan’s father, Jim, was a forward at Providence from 1982-86.Robbins stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 186 pounds.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.