Royals Sign Joe Nardi, F to SPC; Acquire Ryan Foss, F & Future Considerations from Norfolk in Exchange for Grant Hebert, F; Gianfranco Cassaro, D Recalled by Lehigh Valley

Reading, PA - The Reading Royals, proud ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, announced that forward Joe Nardi has been signed to a Standard Player Contract (SPC) for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.

Additionally, the Royals have acquired the playing rights of forward Ryan Foss and Future Considerations from the Norfolk Admirals in exchange for forward Grant Hebert, and defenseman Gianfranco Cassaro has been recalled by Lehigh Valley from his loan to Reading.

Nardi Returns to Reading:

Nardi, 27, returns to Reading in his third professional season after opening the 2024-25 campaign overseas with the Pioneers Vorarlberg in the ICE Hockey League, the top professional hockey league in Austria, as well as HK Dulka Michalovce in the Slovak Extraliga, the top professional hockey league in Slovakia.

A native of Edmonton, Alberta, Nardi registered a combined 14 points (3g-11a), 30 penalty minutes and a -13 rating this season between Vorarlberg, where he totaled 13 points (3g-10a), 24 penalty minutes and a -5 rating, as well as HK Dulka Michalovce, where he recorded one point (1a), six penalty minutes and a -8 rating in 11 games.

The 5’10”, 179-pound, left-shot forward registered a team-high 50 points (17g-33a) along with 36 penalty minutes and a -16 rating with Reading during the 2023-24 season. As a rookie in 2022-23, Nardi skated in four American Hockey League (AHL) games for the Manitoba Moose where he notched a goal and a -1 rating, as well as 56 games in the ECHL for the Toledo Walleye where he logged 23 points (5g-18a), 24 penalty minutes and a -2 rating in 56 games.

Across 168 professional career games, Nardi has totaled 88 points (27g-61a), 90 penalty minutes and a -32 rating. In the ECHL, Nardi has accumulated 73 points (22g-51a), 60 penalty minutes and a -18 rating between Reading and Toledo in 127 ECHL career games.

Prior to his professional career, Nardi played for Northern Michigan University in the NCAA where he logged 113 points (41g, 72a) and 68 penalty minutes in 170 career games. Nardi served as the Wildcats' Team Captain and received NCAA (WCHA) Second All-Star Team honors in the 2020-21 season.

Additionally, Nardi played three seasons with the Whitecourt Wolverines in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (2014-17). In 2016-17, Nardi led the Wolverines to the 2017 AJHL finals as the team's captain and second-leading scorer in the playoffs (6g, 15a). 

Internationally, Nardi played on Team Canada West's top line at the 2015 and 2016 World Junior A Challenges. He won gold at the 2015 edition and served as an alternate captain in 2016. Nardi finished each tournament with four points (1g-3a) in four games.

Trade with Norfolk:

Foss, 29, opened the 2024-25 campaign, his fourth professional season, in the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) with the Fife Flyers where he registered 14 points (3g-11a), 43 penalty minutes and a -43 rating in 27 games. A native of Oakville, Ontario, Foss has accumulated 122 points (35g-87a), 129 penalty minutes and a -65 rating across 159 professional career games. Across 93 ECHL career games, all with Norfolk between 2022-23 (64 gp: 16-29-45) and 2023-24 (29 gp: 4-17-21), the 6'3”, 183-pound, left-shot forward has logged 66 points (20g-26a), 46 penalty minutes and a -25 rating.

Hebert, 27, was acquired by Reading to complete the Future Considerations portion of the trade with the Allen Americans on June 20th, 2024 which sent forward Solag Bakich to the Americans on November 10, 2023. Hebert did not appear in a game for Reading and has played the 2024-25 season with the Manchester Storm in the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL).

The deadline to complete Future Considerations is 3:00 p.m. ET on June 20, 2025.

Cassaro Recalled to Lehigh Valley:

Cassaro, 25, has registered 24 points (7g-17a), along with 10 penalty minutes, a -14 rating and a team-high 98 shots in 42 games to begin his professional career with Reading this season. A native of Nobleton, Ontario, Cassaro also led all Reading blue-liners in goals (7), while ranking second among Royals' defenseman in assists (17) and power play assists (8). This is Cassaro's second recall to Lehigh Valley after previously being recalled from his loan to Reading on Tuesday, January 21st.

The 5'11", 187-pound, left-shot defenseman signed an American Hockey League contract with Lehigh Valley on August 20th, 2024 out of R.I.T. (Rochester Institute of Technology). In 2023-24, Cassaro registered 38 points (18g-20a) in 40 games to lead all NCAA defensemen in goals while finishing fourth in points. He totaled 35 career goals at R.I.T. which set a program record for most goals by a defenseman in the D1-era.

His five-year NCAA career also included two years at UMass-Amherst and totaled 81 points (36g-45a) across 157 games. Additionally, Cassaro played two seasons for the Youngstown Phantoms in the United Stated Hockey league (USHL) where he accumulated 43 points (11g-32a) in 86 USHL career games.

Royals Upcoming:

The Royals face the Wheeling Nailers at WesBanco Arena on Saturday, February 8th at 7:10 PM before hosting the Admirals for a rematch on Saturday, February 15th at 7:00 PM at Santander Arena.

For tickets to 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.