Reading, PA - The Reading Royals, proud ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, announced that defenseman Wyatt McLeod has been acquired from the Trois-Rivières as part of a three-team trade with the Toledo Walleye. Subsequently, Carter Schade, D has been traded to Toledo.

McLeod, 26, is entering his third-full professional season following a 40-game campaign with the Trois-Rivières Lions where the Dawson Creek, British Columbia native registered 11 points (2g-9a). A Kelly Cup champion with Trois-Rivières in 2025, the 6'3", 203-pound, left-shot blue liner concluded the 2025-26 season in the Slovak Extraliga, the top tier league in Slovakia, with HK Poprad where he recorded one point (1a) in six games.

"We are extremely happy to have Wyatt become a member our team,” stated Anthony Peters, Head Coach and General Manager. "Wyatt plays the game the right way, he is extremely competitive, he makes things difficult for opposing players. Our fans will really enjoy his brand of hockey. He played a huge role on a Kelly Cup Championship team, we are excited to add his experience and pedigree to our group.”

Across 120 ECHL career games between Utah (2020-21) and Trois-Rivières (2024-2026), McLeod logged 38 points (5g-33a) and a +17 rating. In 24 Kelly Cup Playoff career games between both clubs, McLeod recorded nine points (1g-8a). During Trois-Rivières' title run in 2025, McLeod played in all 21 games while leading all players in +/- during the postseason (+21) and finishing second among defensemen on the team in points (9).

Following his professional debut with Utah in 2020-21, McLeod played three seasons at the University of Alberta in USports where he logged 35 points (4g-31a) in 58 games.

Royals 2026-27 roster (19):

Forwards (10): Nolan Burke, Liam Devlin, Jordan Frasca, Kyle Haskins, Connor McMenamin, Jeremy Michel, Austin Saint, Hunter Strand, Blake Wells, Joe Widmar

Defensemen (8): Zach Berzolla, Miles Gendron, Artem Kulakov, Wyatt McLeod, Austin Mourar, Jack Page, Luke Reid, Carter Schade

Goaltender (1): Ian Shane - Keith Petruzzelli (May 21st) and Yaniv Perets (June 3rd) re-signed AHL contracts with Lehigh Valley

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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.