Reading, PA - The Reading Royals, proud ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, announced that forward Braeden Kressler has signed with the club for the 2026-27 season.

Kressler, 23, is entering his third professional season following a seven-game campaign with Cincinnati (ECHL) where he registered five points (1g-4a). In 45 total professional career games between the AHL with Toronto, where he recorded two points (2a) in 13 games, and the ECHL with Cincinnati, where he logged 27 points (10g-17a) in 32 games, the Kitchener, Ontario native has accumulated 19 points (10g-19a).

"I am excited to join the team, get started with the boys and start grinding," stated Kressler. "I think this is going to be an exciting season for us players and even more exciting for the fans watching."

"We are fortunate that Braeden chose to sign with us and become a Royal,” stated Anthony Peters, Head Coach and General Manager. "He is an elite talent, he is competitive and he is coming in with a lot to prove. He is going to immediately makes us more dangerous offensively and we are excited to help him live into his full potential.”

Signed to a three-year entry-level NHL contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 1, 2021, Kressler has attended Toronto's 2022, 2023 and 2024 Development Camps, as well as the Training Camps and Prospects Showdown against Montreal in 2023, 2024 and 2025 where he recorded a power play goal in 2024 and a fighting major in 2025 prospects tournament.

Prior to beginning his professional career with Toronto (AHL) in 2024-25, the 5'9", 185-pound, right-shot forward played five seasons in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) between the Flint Firebirds (2019-24) and Ottawa 67's (2023-24) amassing 160 points (67g-93a) in 186 OHL career games. Kressler averaged over a point-per-game in each of his last two seasons in the OHL (126 points in 112 games) and, in 28 OHL Playoff games, logged 18 points (12g-6a).

Additionally, Kressler skated in the 2019 World U-17 Hockey Challenge where he appeared in five games with Canada Red and recorded two assists during the tournament.

Royals 2026-27 roster (16):

Forward (9): Liam Devlin, Jordan Frasca, Kyle Haskins, Braeden Kressler, Connor McMenamin, Jeremy Michel, Austin Saint, 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.