Reading, PA - The Reading Royals, proud ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, announced that forwards Jeremy Michel and Austin Saint have re-signed with the club for the 2026-27 season.

Michel, 24, enters his second professional season following a 30-point (12g-18a) campaign in 61 regular season games and five 2025 Kelly Cup Playoff games as a Royal. The Lévis, Quebec native signed his first professional contract with Reading ahead of the 2025-26 season after three years at the University of Moncton in U Sports where he recorded 80 points (32g-48a), 24 penalty minutes and a +21 rating across 87 games. Selected in the seventh round, 217th overall, by the St. Louis Blues in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, Michel added 14 points (5g-9a) in 19 U Sports Playoff career games.

"I am excited to be back in Reading for another season," stated Michel. "I can't wait to see the fans on Opening Night."

"Jeremy is an exceptional talent and loves the game, he drives energy through our group,” stated Anthony Peters, Head Coach & General Manager. "He earned everything he got last year, now coming him he will start with a large role and I am excited to see where he can take it. He is a guy that we want to build around, he does it right.”

In the 2024-25 season, Michel was a point-per-game skater with a team-high 29 points (15g-14a) during the regular season with an additional eight points (4g-4a) in seven U Sports Playoff games - also leading the team in points during the postseason.

Prior to his U Sports career, the 6'1", 176-pound, left-shot forward played five seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with the Val-d'Or Foreurs where he totaled 216 points (83g-133a), 69 penalty minutes and a -81 rating across 294 career games.

Saint, 25, enters his third-full professional season after a 20-point (9g-11a) campaign in 55 games between Greenville, Cincinnati and Reading. After being acquired from Cincinnati on January 15th, the Bonnyville, Alberta native recorded 14 points (7g-7a) in 32 regular season games, plus skated in three 2025 Kelly Cup Playoff games as a Royal. Across 123 professional career games, all in the ECHL, Saint has amassed 51 points (25g-26a) and 81 penalty minutes.

"I am very excited to be back in Reading this upcoming season," stated Saint. "I can't wait to get back, put in the work with the boys and build on what we had last year."

"Austin is a hard working player who competes hard, he brings it every day,” stated Peters. "He has a style of play that is hard to play against and when he does it that way he can create space for teammates and put pucks in the net. He wants to get better and we look forward to working with him to help him achieve that.”

Prior to opening his pro career with Greenville in 2023-24, the 5'11", 190-pound, right-shot forward played two seasons at Royal Military College in USports, where he logged 52 points (30g-22a) in 54 games, recording a team-high in goals and points both seasons.

Royals 2026-27 roster (7):

Forward (3): Connor McMenamin, Jeremy Michel, Austin Saint

Defensemen (4): Miles Gendron, Artem Kulakov, Jack Page, Carter Schade

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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:

CALLING ALL FUTURE ROYALS! Registrations are now OPEN for the RRYHA In-House Leagues, presented by Visions Federal Credit Union! Open to all 4-16 year olds, learn more about each league and register your skater 👉 https://bit.ly/YTHLeagues

𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣 𝙏𝙤 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙮, presented by Visions Federal Credit Union! 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.