Reading, PA - The Reading Royals, proud ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, announced the team’s 2026 Protected List. Reading has retained the rights to 29 players. Of the 29 players, 23 appeared in at least one game for the Royals during the 2025-26 season. Royals365 season memberships, group and flex tickets are now available for the team’s 25th anniversary season by calling 610-898-7825 and visiting royalshockey.com.

Forwards (18): Nolan Burke, Alec Butcher, Cameron Cook, Nick Deakin-Poot, Liam Devlin, Jordan Frasca, Jacob Frasca, Kyle Haskins, Connor McMenamin, Jeremy Michel, Yvan Mongo, Joeseph Nardi, Mikael Robidoux, Brandon Saigeon, Austin Saint, Shane Sellar, Jake Smith, Ty Voit

Defensemen (10): Davis Bunz, Robert Calisti, Miles Gendron, Victor Hadfield, Artem Kulakov, Jack Page, Vincent Sevigny, Kyle Walker, Connor Walters, Jake Willets

Goaltender (1): Ian Shane

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Teams are allowed to protect as many players as they wish provided the players protected meet the guidelines as defined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the ECHL and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association which state that teams shall retain the rights to each player that:

1. Signed an SPC in 2025-26 with the Member, and has not been traded or released, OR

2. Signed an SPC in 2025-26, and was recalled to the NHL/AHL or IIHF team, and has not been traded or released, OR

3. Had received a Qualifying Offer last summer for the current Season, DID NOT sign an SPC, and has not been traded or released, OR

4. Has been suspended by the Member or League, and has not been traded or released, OR

5. Signed an SPC on or after the first day of the 2025-26 Regular Season, then subsequently signed an NHL/AHL contract, and has not been traded or released, OR

6. Has executed the ECHL Retirement Form, and has not been traded or released.

Protected lists may exceed 20 players.

The ECHL also announced that teams must complete all Future Consideration trades by 3 p.m. ET on June 20 and that teams must submit their Season-Ending Roster by 3 p.m. ET on June 22.

Season-ending rosters may include up to 20 players and cannot include any players who did not sign an ECHL contract in 2025-26.

Home Opener:

The Royals player their home opener at Santander Arena on Saturday, October 24 at 7:00 p.m. against Kalamazoo. The home opener opens a two-game series with the Wings which concludes on Sunday, October 25 at 3:00 p.m. The Royals hoist a record of 9-11-1-3 in home openers with their last home opener victory coming against the Norfolk Admirals, 6-4, on October 23 of the 2021-22 season.

Fans can secure their seat for Opening Night today with a Royals ticket plan. The Royals offer plans ranging from as low as 4 games all the way up to our full season 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.

What's Upcoming:

Slapshot Charities Golf Tournament - Grab your clubs and help the Reading Royals kick off the 2026-27 season in an annual charity-based golf outing titled The Slapshot Charities Golf Tournament, presented by Supreme Ceilings, on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, at the Moselem Springs Golf Club (684 Eagle Rd, Fleetwood, PA 19522).

CLICK HERE FOR REGISTRATION FORM

CALLING ALL FUTURE ROYALS! 

Summer Leagues, presented by Visions Federal Credit Union! Open to all 4-16 year olds, players also receive a Reading Royals 2026-27 Kid’s Club Membership and a Royals Youth Hockey jersey to keep! To learn more about each league and register your skater 👉 https://bit.ly/YTHLeagues

Learn To Play, presented by Visions Federal Credit Union, with two programs separated by age groups! Be the first to skate the new introduced Lions Cubs LTP Program (ages 4-9) or attend the Intermediate Skills Clinic (ages 10-16) (REGISTER)

Skills Clinics (REGISTER: bit.ly/4pSVJhc)

Support the Reading Royals official charitable arm, Slapshot Charities, which believes that Every Child Deserves to Play. Learn more about Slapshot Charities: bit.ly/4j1qaQa

See upcoming Learn to Skate sessions at the Body Zone Sports & Wellness Complex (LEARN MORE: https://bodyzonesports.com/learn-to-skate/)

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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!

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2026-27 Season Memberships

Royals365 Season Memberships, select game plans, and group tickets are available for the 2026-27 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 25th season in the ECHL. They won their first Kelly Cup championship in 2013 and have clinched playoff berths in 14 of their last 16 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.