The Reading Royals, ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, announced one signing this past week to the team for the 2022-23 season.
Max Balinson was the lone player signed to next season’s roster this week which was officially announced on Tuesday, August 30.
Max Balinson handles the puck for the Cincinnati Cyclones (2022)
Balinson, 25, is a 6’1” defensemen joining the Royals after skating for the Cincinnati Cyclones in the 2021-22 season. The Ancaster, Ontario native scored a goal in the first period of his professional debut to help the Cyclones defeat the Fort Wayne Komets on March 19, 2022, 4-3. As a rookie, Balinson totaled five points (1 G, 4 A) in 13 regular season and skated in two games in the 2022 Kelly Cup Playoffs. He earned an assist for his first career Kelly Cup Playoff point in Cincinnati’s win over the Toledo Walleye in Game 5 of the Central Division Finals.
“We’re excited to sign Max for the 2022-23 season,” said Coach Henry. “Max was able to gain some professional experience last season, and that should help him begin his first full year out of NCAA. We expect Max to contribute in all aspects of the game and be a difficult defender to play against.”
Prior to signing with Cincinnati, Balinson played collegiately at Arizona State University (2017-20) before transferring to Long Island University (2020-22). Across five NCAA seasons, Balinson totaled 26 points (8 G, 18 A) in 69 games.
Before playing in the NCAA, Balinson played one season for the Burlington Cougars. In that 2016-17 season, Balinson led the Cougars to their winningest season as an alternate captain. Additionally, Balinson ranked 3rd in the OJHL among defensemen in scoring with 48 points (13 G, 35 A) in 46 games. He also won his fourth-straight Most Gentlemanly Award after earning the honor with the Ancaster Avalanche in the GOJHL three years prior.
Internationally, Balinson competed for Team Canada and won the gold medal for Junior Men’s Hockey at the 2013 Maccabiah Games, beating Team USA, 7-1. ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, announced one signing this past week to the team for the 2022-23 season.
The following is a list of players that have agreed to terms with the Royals for the 2022-23 season:
Goaltender
Justin Kapelmaster
Defensemen
Max Balinson
Mike Chen
Dominic Cormier
Nick Minerva
Ryan Romeo
Forwards
Alec Butcher
Zane Franklin
Brendan Hoffmann
Tyler Kirkup
Eric MacAdams
Yvan Mongo
Max Newton
Devon Paliani
Shane Sellar
Five-Game Plan
Join the Reading Royals for FIVE of our biggest games of the year at home! Five-game plan ticket package includes tickets to the following specialty games:
Opening Night – October, 29th @7:00 p.m.
Affiliation Night – January 28th @7:00 p.m.
Pink in the Rink – February 4th @7:00 p.m.
St. Hattrick’s Day – March 18th @7:00 p.m.
Fandemonium – April 15th @7:00 p.m.
In addition to a ticket to each game, you will get a burger and soda per ticket, as well as a Royals hat. Starting at $99.99 for silver zone tickets and $119.99 for purple zone tickets. Quantities are limited so reserve your seat now!
