Royals announce season-opening roster

The Reading Royals, proud affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, announced Thursday their season-opening roster.

ECHL teams can carry a maximum of 20 players on the active roster, no more than 18 of whom may be skaters, at any one time. For the first 30 days of the regular season, teams can carry a maximum of 21 players on the active roster, no more than 19 of whom may be skaters, at any one time.

Teams are permitted to carry up to two players at a time on the Reserve List, while an unlimited number of players can be placed on the 14-day Injured Reserve.

The Royals will carry 22 players on their roster for opening night. At least one player must be on the Reserve List to start the season to make the team’s roster valid.

Roster NotesThe Royals carry 13 Americans and 8 Canadians. Only one player from the roster was born outside North America. Kirill Ustimenko was born in Gomel, Belarus.

Mike Chen is the lone right-handed defenseman on the team.

Two players – Matthew Strome and Ustimenko – have been loaned to Reading by Philadelphia.

Two players – Charlie Gerard and Pat Nagle – have been loaned to Reading by the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Six players are rookies: Cam Strong, Jackson Cressey, Jared Brandt, Brendan van Riemsdyk, Grant Cooper, and Kenny Hausinger.

One player is a veteran (a skater who has played at least 260 games in the ECHL or higher): Josh Winquist.

The combined age of the Royals’ roster is 26.04 years old. This makes the roster one of the oldest in the ECHL. The Cincinnati Cyclones’ average age is 26.82, while the Orlando Solar Bears’ average age is 24.10.

Extra Transaction

Ryan MacKinnon was recalled by Lehigh Valley. 

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.