Reading, PA - The Reading Royals, proud ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, announced that forwards Joe Widmar and Blake Wells have signed with the club for the 2026-27 season.

Widmar, 31, is entering his 10th professional season following a 58-game campaign in the SPHL with the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs where he registered a team-high 28 goals and 49 assists for 77 points.

Across 443 professional career games between the ECHL, SPHL and overseas in France and Poland, the Northbrook, Illinois native has amassed 344 points (110g-234a) with 79 points (24g-55a) recorded in the ECHL across 11 teams (Fort Wayne, Greenville, Atlanta, Wichita, Iowa, Indy, Norfolk, Allen, Florida, Rapid City and Bloomington).

"I am extremely excited to be playing in Reading this season," stated Widmar. "I also can't wait to meet my teammates, the staff and be a part of the energy the fans bring. I can't wait to be a part of a winning."

"Joe had an exceptional season last year,” stated Anthony Peters, Head Coach and General Manager. "He played in all situations and put in a dominant performance. He is motivated to come in and prove what he can do with our team. We are happy he chose to be a Royal.”

Prior to beginning his professional career with Peoria (SPHL) in 2017-18, the 6'2", 212-pound, right-shot forward played two seasons at the University of Massachusetts Amherst where he logged 12 points (4g-8a) his 57 NCAA career games.

Wells, 27, is entering his third-full professional season after recording seven points (3g-4a) in 22 regular season games with Tahoe (ECHL) and seven points (5g-2a) in 14 games with the Pensacola (SPHL). The Blackie, Alberta native has totaled 14 points (8g-6a) across 40 professional career games between the ECHL with Utah and Tahoe and the SPHL with Pensacola.

"I'm ready to get things started in Reading come October," stated Wells.

"Blake is a player who prides himself on his work ethic and ability to defend other teams top players,” stated Peters. "He was given very high character reviews from his peers, he is someone who will help drive our culture. We look forward to getting him to camp and watching him earn everything he gets.”

Prior to beginning his professional career with Utah in 2023-24, the 6'2", 201-pound, left-shot forward played four NCAA D-I seasons at UMass-Lowell before a fifth NCAA D-I season at American International College. Over 110 NCAA D-I games, Wells totaled 28 points (11g-17a) and a +16 rating.

Royals 2026-27 roster (15):

Forward (8): Liam Devlin, Jordan Frasca, Kyle Haskins, 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.