Reading, PA - The Reading Royals, proud ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, announced that goaltender Yaniv Perets has been recalled by Lehigh Valley (AHL) from his to loan to Reading. Additionally, the Royals have added goaltender Brandon Kasel as an EBUG (Emergency Backup Goaltender).
Perets, 25, has registered a 6-3-1 record, 3.97 goals-against average and .887 save-percentage in 11 starts with the Royals during the 2025-26 season. This is the Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec native's second recall, after he made his lone start for Lehigh Valley following his first recall by the Phantoms on Thursday, October 30th, stopping 26 of 29 shots faced in a Lehigh Valley 4-3 overtime win at Hartford on Saturday, November 1st. Perets opened his third professional season with Reading, going 1-0-1 in two starts with a 6.28 goals-against average and .814 save-percentage.
The 6'1", 181-pound, left-handed catching netminder has posted an ECHL career 36-26-5 record, 2.99 GAA, .901 SV% and five shutouts between Norfolk (2023-24), Bloomington (2024-25) and Reading. In six AHL career games, four of which with the Chicago Wolves in 2024-25, Perets is 2-2-1 with a 3.71 GAA and .857 SV%. Additionally, Perets has appeared in two NHL games with the Carolina Hurricanes in relief stopping seven of eight NHL career shots faced.
Prior to his pro career, Perets was an NCAA Champion with Quinnipiac University in 2023. The two-time ECAC Goaltender of the Year broke the NCAA D-1 Record for goals-against average as a freshman (1.17 GAA).
Kasel, 29, joins the Royals for the second time as an EBUG in his four professional career seasons. Previously, the Ithaca, New York native suited up for Reading as an EBUG in February of the 2022-23 season, but did not appear in a game. Kasel has played 27 games, all as a member of the Adirondack Thunder in the 2021-22 campaign, where he boasted a 8-15-2 record, 3.56 GAA, .895 SV% and one shutout (33 saves, 12/26/22 at Worcester). For the shutout, Kasel earned the ECHL Goaltender of the Week honor for the final week of December, 2022.
The 6'2", 174-pound, left-catching netminder has seven career starts against the Royals with a 3-4 record, including an Adirondack comeback win on March 18, 2022 that snapped Reading’s twelve-game point streak in 2021-22, the second-longest regulation unbeatean streak in franchise history (10-0-2), stopping 30 of 32 shots faced in a 3-2 Thunder win.
Prior to opening his professional career with Knoxville of the SPHL in 2020-21, Kasel played college hockey at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY where he went 31-39-7 with four shutouts, a 2.65 GAA and a .919 SV%.
What's Upcoming:
The Royals conclude a three-game series against Adirondack on Saturday, December 20th at 7:00 p.m. at Harding Mazzotti Arena.
For all home games this season, fans can enjoy parking as low as $5 (see garage locations & rates).
For tickets to all regular season home games, visit: Single Game Tickets
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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 in 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.