Royals Acquire Ryan Leibold, F from South Carolina in Exchange for Future Considerations, Sign Austin Master, F to SPC

Reading, PA - The Reading Royals, proud ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, announced that they have acquired forward Ryan Leibold from the South Carolina Stingrays in exchange for future considerations.

Additionally, forward Austin Master has been signed to a Standard Player Contract (SPC).

Leibold, 26, joins the Royals with two points (2a) in five games to open his second full professional season after beginning his professional career with the Stingrays in the spring of the 2022-23 season where he recorded four points (1g-3a) in nine games. The Ashburn, Virginia native played his first full professional season with South Carolina in the 2023-24 season, where he registered 30 points (14g-16a) in 65 games played.

The 5’10”, 194-pound, left-shot forward has amassed 36 points (15g-21a) and 49 penalty minutes in 79 professional career games, all of which played in the ECHL. Leibold played five seasons in the NCAA where he totaled 70 points (24g-46a) and 133 penalty minutes between four seasons at College of the Holy Cross and one season at Merrimack College.

With Holy Cross in 2021-22, Leibold led the team in points 10-16-26) and ranked 23rd among all NCAA Division-I skaters in face-offs won (371). That same season, he was named an assistant captain for Holy Cross and was selected to the All-Atlantic Hockey Third Team.

Prior his NCAA career, Leibold played one season for the Sioux City Musketeers in the USHL (60gp: 7-5-12) and one season for the Springfield Jr. Blues in the NAHL (60 gp: 13-19-32).

Master, 26, signs with the Royals to begin his second professional season after playing his rookie season in Reading during the 2023-24 campaign. The Broomall, Pennsylvania native registered nine points (2g-7a) and 17 penalty minutes in 40 games as a Royal after playing four years at Stevenson University (NCAA III).

The 5’9”, 165-pound, left-shot forward served as the Mustangs' Team Captain in his senior year where he posted 30 points (8g, 22a) and 24 penalty minutes in 23 regular season games. Master finished the 2022-23 season second in program history in career points (87) and goals (30) with a selection to the All-MAC First Team.

Additionally, Master played for the United States National Team in the 2023 World University Games, earning silver in Lake Placid, New York in January. He recorded five points (3g, 2a) and six penalty minutes in seven tournament games.

Prior to Stevenson University, Master played for the New Jersey Hitmen in the USPHL Premier (2017-19), Philadelphia Little Flyers in the EHL (2018-19), as well as the Philadelphia Jr. Flyers 16U AAA (2015-15) and 18U AAA clubs (2015-17). Austin's brother Nick played three seasons in the ECHL as a forward for the Maine Mariners. Nick appeared in one game for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the 2021-22 season.

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Royals Upcoming:

The Royals continue their three-game homestand with a pair of weekend face-offs against the Indy Fuel at Santander Arena on Saturday, November 9th at 7:00 PM and Sunday, November 10th at 3:00 PM.

For tickets to the Royals Saturday and Sunday games, and all home games this season, visit: Single Game Tickets

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2024-25 Season Memberships

Royals365 Season Memberships, six-game plans, ten-game plans, and group tickets are available for the 2024-25 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 in their 23rd season in the ECHL. They won their first Kelly Cup championship in 2013 and have clinched playoff berths in 12 of the previous 14 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.