Aston, Pa. native McKenzie and UMass-Lowell alumnus Hausinger sign with Royals

The Reading Royals, proud affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, announced Tuesday the signing of defenseman Kyle McKenzie and forward Kenny Hausinger to ECHL standard player contracts.

McKenzie, 28, has played 130 ECHL games with most of them being for the Royals’ rival, the Worcester Railers. The stay-at-home defenseman has recorded 4 goals and 14 assists in his three-season career in the league before scoring 1 goal and 2 assists in 27 games with Birmingham in the SPHL in 2020-21.

Previously, the Aston, Pa. native attended Providence College from 2013 to 2017 and helped the Friars win the 2015 NCAA National Championship. He was an alternate captain in his senior year with the team, marking another signing for the Royals that has captaincy experience in their resume.

He won the USHL’s Clark Cup in 2011 and 2013 with the Dubuque Fighting Saints and Frank DiChiara and played his youth career with the Philadelphia Little Flyers alongside Johnny Gaudreau. He also played for Team Comcast and the Dallas Stars 18U squad. 

Besides DiChiara, McKenzie played alongside Cam Strong in Birmingham and with Garrett Cecere and former Royals captain and assistant coach Nick Luukko in Dubuque.

Kenny Hausinger hails from the farthest continental part of the country in Anchorage, Alaska. He played for the UMass-Lowell River Hawks in Hockey East from 2016 to 2020 and won the conference in 2017, his freshman year. He was an alternate captain in his senior year like McKenzie.

McKenzie and Hausinger’s colleges played each other twice while both were members of the same division. In those games, Providence upset the then fifth-ranked River Hawks both times. Hausinger scored the opening goal of their first meeting three minutes into the opening period, and McKenzie assisted the game-tying goal in their second meeting.

Hausinger recorded 39 goals and 40 assists (79 points) in 134 college games. Before then, he played for Des Moines and Madison in the USHL and Odessa in the NAHL. He was named to the NAHL All-Rookie First Team, All-South Division Rookie Team, and All-South Division Team with Odessa in 2014-15.

Hausinger did not play during the 2020-21 professional season.

Reading Royals season, flex memberships and group tickets are available for the 2021-22 season by visiting the Royals’ box office at Santander Arena or by calling 610-898-7825.

About the RoyalsThe Reading Royals, proud affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, are entering their 20th season in the ECHL. They won their first Kelly Cup championship in 2013 and have clinched playoff berths in 10 of the previous 11 seasons. They are four-time division champions. The Berks County Convention Center Authority (BCCCA), founded in 1996, owns the Royals and oversees operations at Santander Arena.