The Reading Royals, proud ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, announced on Tuesday, Oct. 10, four additions to their Training Camp roster. The Royals Training Camp roster now totals 25 players.
Defensemen Mason Millman and Will Zmolek have been reassigned by Philadelphia from Lehigh Valley to Reading. Both players are on NHL contracts with Philadelphia.
Additionally, forward Mason McCarty has been added to the roster, and goaltender Nolan Maier has been assigned to Reading by Lehigh Valley.
25-Player Training Camp Roster:
- Goaltenders (3)
- 1 Jake Kucharski
- 34 Eric Dop – invite
- 73 Nolan Maier
- Defensemen (9)
- 4 Tyler Heidt
- 7 Trevor Thurston
- 8 Will Zmolek
- 12 Mason Millman
- 18 Troy Murray – invite
- 23 Darren Brady
- 28 Adam Brubacher
- 29 Koletrane Wilson
- 81 Mike Chen
- Forwards (13)
- 9 Brendan Hoffmann
- 11 Alec Butcher
- 13 Houston Wilson – invite
- 16 Shane Sellar
- 17 Tyson Fawcett
- 19 Kyle Olson
- 20 Austin Master
- 21 Elijah Wilson – tryout
- 27 Ryan Chyzowski
- 59 Spencer Kennedy
- 77 Devon Paliani
- 90 Mason McCarty
- 91 Yvan Mongo
There are 25 players on the Royals Training Camp roster, including 22 skaters and three goaltenders. This includes 10 players who were on the Royals 2022-23 roster. The 10 returning Royals so far include forwards Alec Butcher, Brendan Hoffmann, Houston Wilson, Yvan Mongo, Devon Paliani, and Shane Sellar, defensemen Mike Chen, Tyler Heidt, and Mason Millman, as well as goaltender Nolan Maier.
Maier, 22, is entering his second professional season after splitting his rookie campaign between the Royals and Phantoms (AHL) during the 2022-23 season. The Yorkton, Saskatchewan native recorded a 12-8-3 record and a .892 save percentage across six stints with Reading last season. Additionally, Maier started in net for Game Three of the North Division Semifinal against the Maine Mariners during the Royals’ 2023 Kelly Cup Playoff run.
With Lehigh Valley, Maier posted a 5-2-2 record, a 2.85 goals-against average, and a .886 save percentage in nine American Hockey League regular season games. Maier made an appearance in net for Game Three of the Phantoms first-round Calder Cup Playoff series against the Charlotte Checkers. Maier saved nine of the 11 total shots he faced in relief for Sam Ersson.
McCarty, 26, is entering his third professional season after signing with the Royals on Aug. 28. The Blackie, Alberta, Canada native played 15 games for Rapid City in his first professional season in 2018-19. With the Rush, McCarty recorded 10 points (6g, 4a) and 18 penalty minutes. McCarty attended Acadia University in the U Sports between 2019-22 before returning to the ECHL with Kalamazoo prior to the start of the 2022-23 season.
The 5’10”, 185-pound, right-shot forward registered 25 points (13g, 12a) and 26 penalty minutes in 43 regular season games with Kalamazoo before joining Iowa on March 31, last season. McCarty did not appear in a game for the Heartlanders.
Millman, 22, is entering his fourth season in the Flyers organization. The London, Ontario native was selected in the fourth round (#103 overall) by Philadelphia in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He has made appearances with Lehigh Valley and Reading over the last two seasons, accumulating 74 points (16g, 58a) across 125 professional career games.
The 6’0″, 176-pound, left-shot defenseman has recorded 16 goals and 70 points in 99 career games as a Royal. He is tied with 2022-23 Team Captain Garrett McFadden and 2003-05 blueliner Mikko Viitanen for 26th on the franchise’s all-time ranking for most games played by a defenseman.
Zmolek, 24, signed an amateur tryout contract with the Philadelphia Flyers on March 7, out of Bemidji State University. The Rochester, Minnesota native appeared in four games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the 2022-23 season, including Lehigh Valley’s Calder Cup Playoff deciding game against the Charlotte Checkers on April 21.
The left-shot blue liner served as an alternate captain for Bemidji State University in a 2022-23 season where he led the team in blocked shots (64) and collected 21 points (4g, 17a) in 36 games. For his efforts, Zmolek received a Hobey Baker Award nominee.
The Royals will play their first preseason game on Thursday night when they host the Adirondack Thunder at Santander Arena at 7 p.m. The Royals will conclude the preseason on the road on Friday, Oct. 13, against Adirondack at Cool Insuring Arena at 7 p.m.
The 22nd season of Reading Royals hockey begins on Thursday, Oct. 20, with a season opener clash against the Newfoundland Growlers at 5:30 p.m. at the Mary Brown’s Centre. The Royals host the Trois-Rivières Lions in their first home game of the season at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28. The Royals’ Opening Night presented by Supportive Concepts For Families features a pregame block party on Penn St. from 3-6 p.m. as well as a post-game firework show.
To secure your tickets to the home opener and all 36 home games this season, visit royals hockey.com/tickets.
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