Reading, PA - The Reading Royals, proud ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, announced that defenseman Victor Hadfield and forward Jordan Simoneau have been signed to ECHL contracts with the club for the 2025-26 season.

Hadfield, 24, is entering his fifth full professional season after an 11-game 2024-25 campaign with the Indy Fuel where he registered three points (3a), 10 penalty minutes and a -3 rating. A native of Oakville, Ontario, Hadfield has logged 34 points (9g-25a), 80 penalty minutes and a -2 rating across 126 professional career games between the American Hockey League and ECHL.

"Super excited to be a part of the organization this season," stated Hadfield. "I can’t wait to play in front of our amazing fans.” 

"We are happy to make Victor a Royal,” stated Anthony Peters, Head Coach & General Manager. "He skates extremely well which is something we are looking for in all of our defence. He has some familiarity with some of our players already which will help with our team and culture early on.”

The 6'0", 179-pound, left-shot defenseman opened his professional career with the Manitoba Moose in the AHL where he skated in his four AHL career games. In the ECHL, Hadfield has totaled his 34 pro career points (9g-25a) between South Carolina (2021-22), Jacksonville (2021-24) and Indy (2023-25). He has suited up for eight Kelly Cup Playoff career games, notching one point between 2022 and 2023 playoff runs with Jacksonville, as well as a postseason stint with Indy in 2024.

Prior to his professional career, Hadfield registered 26 points (8g, 18a) in 46 games during his final season with the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Barrie Colts in 2019-20. Hadfield is the grandson of former NHL standout Vic Hadfield, who amassed 712 career points in 1002 NHL games split between the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Simoneau, 26, is entering his second professional season following a 42-game rookie campaign with the Evansville Thunderbolts of the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) where he totaled 12 points (5g-7a), 103 penalty minutes and a -10 rating. A 2025 President's Cup champion with Evansville, the Tisdale, Saskatchewan native played in five games during the title run. Additionally, he skated in seven games with Evansville during the 2023-24 campaign following three seasons at Marian University in the NCAA D-III.

"Really excited to get the season started," stated Simoneau. "I have November 8th circled on my calendar. I am excited to see all the fans at Santander Arena.” 

"Jordan is a player that continually keeps getting better every year,” stated Peters. "He has a large presence and the ability to wear teams down. Our fans are going to appreciate the way he plays.”

At Marian University, the 6'5", 229-pound, left-shot forward accumulated 42 points (23g-19a), 169 penalty minutes and a -10 rating across 71 NCAA D-III career games. In 2022-23, Simoneau was the NCAA D-III's overall most penalized player with 76 PIMS.

Additionally, Simoneau played for the Langenburg Warriors in the Sask East Hockey League for one season (2020-21) after three seasons with the Nipawin Hawks of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) where he totaled 93 points (45g-48a) and 369 PIMS (2017-20).

Royals 2025-26 roster:

Forwards (9): Cam Cook, Jacob Frasca, Jordan Frasca, Kyle Haskins, Connor McMenamin, Jeremy Michel, Yvan Mongo, Patrick Moynihan, Jordan Simoneau

Defensemen (6): Nick Carabin, Victor Hadfield, Artyom Kulakov, Jack Page, Vincent Sévigny, Robbie Stucker

Goalie (1): Vinnie Purpura

-

Royals Upcoming:

Nov. 8 Home Opener: The Royals play their home opener, presented by Supportive Concepts For Families, at Santander Arena on Saturday, November 8 at 7:00 p.m. against Trois-Rivières. The home opener opens a two-game series with the Lions which concludes on Sunday, November 9 at 3:00 p.m.

Fans can secure their seat today with a Ticket Plan (10/18-Game Plan or Royals365 Membership).

VIEW ALL TICKET PLANS

Royals single-game ticket information will be announced later this summer. For more on the home opener, click HERE.

-

Follow the Royals on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and subscribe to the 𝘙𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮 email list to know when promotions and deals at all homes games this season goes live!

-

2025-26 Season Memberships

Royals365 Season Memberships, six-game plans, ten-game plans, and group tickets are available for the 2025-26 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 entering their 24th season in the ECHL. They won their first Kelly Cup championship in 2013 and have clinched playoff berths in 13 of their latest 15 seasons. They are five-time division champions and were the 2021-22 Eastern Conference regular season champion. The Berks County Convention Center Authority (BCCCA), founded in 1996, owns the Royals and oversees operations at Santander Arena.