Reading, PA - The Reading Royals, proud ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, announced that forward Hunter Strand has been acquired from the Trenton Ironhawks in exchange for Future Considerations.

Strand, 23, is entering his second professional season following a 63-game rookie campaign with the Kalamazoo Wings where the Anchorage, Alaska native registered 30 points (14g-16a).

"We are thrilled to be able to acquire a player of Hunters caliber,” stated Anthony Peters, Head Coach and General Manager. "He is a player that has great skill and matches it with his work ethic and compete. He plays a 200 foot game, center or wing, he provides a lot of value. I am excited to see Hunter's game take off with our team.”

Prior to going pro, the 5'11", 187-pound, left-shot forward played four seasons at the University of Notre Dame where he logged 65 points (25g-40a) in 151 NCAA D-I career games, playing in every game for the Fighting Irish. In 2024-25, his senior season, Strand recorded blocked 25 shots in 38 games and ranked second on the team for face off wins (260) with a .510 face-off win percentage.

Internationally, Strand skated for Team USA in the 2018 Four Nations Tournament and the 2018 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, as well as aided Team USA's title at the 2019 Five Nations Tournament in Sundsvall, Sweden.

Royals 2026-27 roster (17):

Forward (10): Liam Devlin, Jordan Frasca, Kyle Haskins, Braeden Kressler, Connor McMenamin, Jeremy Michel, Austin Saint, Hunter Strand, Blake Wells, Joe Widmar

Defensemen (7): Zach Berzolla, Miles Gendron, Artem Kulakov, Austin Mourar, Jack Page, Luke Reid, 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.