Reading, PA - The Reading Royals, proud ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, announced that they have been loaned forward Matt Brown and goaltender Parker Gahagen from Lehigh Valley. Additionally, the club has released forward Spencer Kennedy and goaltender Eric Dop from their standard player contracts. Defenseman Will Zmolek has also been reassigned by Philadelphia from Reading to Lehigh Valley.
Gahagen, 30, has posted a 2-1-0 record, 2.34 GAA and .911 save percentage in three games for Lehigh Valley this season. The Amherst, New York native backstopped the Jacksonville Icemen in the ECHL last year with a record of 18-8-3 to go along with a 2.66 GAA and .912 save percentage. He received his fifth Warrior Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Week for the week of March 6-12 where he stopped all 56 shots faced over two starts for a 1.000 save percentage. His five Goaltender of the Week selections is tied for 5th most in ECHL history.
The 6'2", 194-pound, left-catch netminder has played in 15 career AHL games and posts a 7-5-0 record, 3.12 GAA and .891 save percentage across stints in Lehigh Valley, Colorado, Milwaukee, Toronto and San Jose. During the 2022-23 season, he was also on Hartford’s roster for a stretch but did not appear in any games.
Gahagen is in his sixth professional season and has accumulated 100 career games in the ECHL going 58-26-5, 2.30, .920. He is a Kelly Cup winner with the Florida Everblades in the 2021-22 season when he went 20-10-3, 2.32, .916.
Gahagen attended West Point where he manned Army's net for four years. He was named AHA Second Team All-Conference twice and sported a career mark of 41-49-16, 2.40, .926 for the Black Knights.
Brown, 23, registered an assist for one point in three games with Lehigh Valley this season. The Wood Ridge, New Jersey native recorded the assist for his first professional career point in his professional debut on Lehigh Valley's season opener against the Cleveland Monsters on October 14, 2023.
The 5'9", 190-pound, left-shot forward completed his NCAA career with a career-best 16-31-47 for the Boston University Terriers. Brown was tied for the team lead in goals and finished second on the team with 47 points in 39 games while earning Hockey East First Team All-Star accolades. He was also selected as a Second Team All-American by the American Hockey Coaches Association. Brown finished tied for ninth in the NCAA in both points (46) and assists (31).
The Boston University Terriers won the 2022-23 Hockey East regular season with an overall record of 29-11-0 and advanced to the Frozen Four for the first time since 2015 where they were defeated by Minnesota in the semifinals. He provided the primary assist on the game-winning goal in the NCAA regional final against Cornell and also scored a goal in the team’s first-round win against Western Michigan. Additionally, Brown assisted on the overtime-winning goal scored by Lane Hutson in the Hockey East Championship against Merrimack.
Brown played two seasons at Boston following two years at Mass-Lowell scoring 37-64-101 in his four-year NCAA career.
Prior to the NCAA, Brown developed in the New Jersey Rockets program and also played at Tenfly High School in Bergen County. He continued with Odessa in the NAHL and Des Moines in the USHL prior to leading all freshmen in scoring at Mass-Lowell in 2019-20 with 6-18-24 in 33 games.
Zmolek, 24, appeared in all fives games for the Royals to open the 2023-24 season. The 6'3", 194-pound, left-shot defenseman recorded a -3 rating and seven penalty minutes with the Royals. He had his first professional career fight in Reading's home opener on Saturday, October 28. The Rochester, Minnesota native is on an NHL contract with Philadelphia after signing a one-year NHL deal on March 8, 2023.
NEXT UP:
The Royals hit the road for a weekend trip against the Toledo Walleye on Friday night at 7:15 p.m. at Huntington Center in Toledo, OH. The team heads off to Wheeling, VA for a two-game series on Saturday at 7:10 p.m. and Sunday at 4:10 p.m. at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, VA.
The Royals will return home next Wednesday, November 8 at 7:00 p.m. to host the Norfolk Admirals. The home game will feature a Wild Wednesday promotional game with $2 beer and tickets starting at $6.10 in the Orange Zone.
To order your tickets to the promotional game, visit: royals hockey.com/tickets
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2023-24 Season Memberships
Reading Royals Season Memberships, six-game plans, ten-game plans, and group tickets are available for the 2023-24 season now by visiting the Royals’ box office at Santander Arena or by calling 610-898-7825.
About the Royals
The Reading Royals, proud affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, are preparing for their 22nd season in the ECHL. They won their first Kelly Cup championship in 2013 and have clinched playoff berths in 12 of the previous 13 seasons. They are five-time division champions and were the 2021-22 Eastern Conference champion. The Berks County Convention Center Authority (BCCCA), founded in 1996, owns the Royals and oversees operations at Santander Arena.
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