From Reading Royals
The Reading Royals, proud ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, announced, in conjunction with ECHL, on Wednesday, Jan. 7, that forward Massimo Rizzo has been selected to the 2026 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic presented by Visit Allen, Texas and Allen CDC. The All-Star Classic will be hosted by the Allen Americans on Monday, Jan. 19, at 6 p.m. CT, at Credit Union of Texas Event Center.
The 2026 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic, presented by Visit Allen, Texas and Allen CDC, will consist of players from the Allen Americans being combined with the ECHL All-Stars to form two teams – Stars and Stripes. A draft will take place leading up to the All-Star Classic to choose the two teams. Click here to purchase your tickets today!
The ECHL All-Stars were determined in a vote of coaches, team captains, media relations directors, broadcasters, and members of the media.
Rizzo, 25, is currently playing in his second professional season, where he has registered five goals, 13 assists, and 18 points, the second most among all Royals at the time of his reassignment to Lehigh Valley by Philadelphia on Monday, Dec. 29. A native of Burnaby, British Columbia, the 5’11”, 174-pound, left-shot forward was assigned to Reading on Tuesday, Oct. 14, following a 46-game rookie campaign with Lehigh Valley, where he registered 18 points (6g-12a), 10 penalty minutes, and a +1 rating in 2024-25.
A seventh-round selection, 216th overall, by Carolina in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, Rizzo was acquired by Philadelphia from Carolina in a trade on Aug. 9, 2023. He is one of two NHL contracted players to appear in a game for Reading this season (Artem Guryev, PHI).
Rizzo is a two-time NCAA champion at the University of Denver, where he was named to the all-NCHC (National Collegiate Hockey Conference) First Team and was a Hobey Baker nominee as a sophomore in 2022-23 when he tied for second in the conference in assists (29) and ranked third in scoring with 46 points (17g-29a). As an alternate captain for the Pioneers in 2023-24, Rizzo finished tied for third in assists (34) and fifth in points (44) in the NCHC.
Prior to his NCAA career, Rizzo registered 123 points (43g-80a) across 132 career games in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) between Penticton (2016-19), Coquitlam (2019-20), and Chilliwack (2020-21). Additionally, Rizzo skated for Team Canada Black at the 2017 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, where he recorded four points (1g-3a) in five games.
In total, 22 Royals have participated in the ECHL All-Star Classic over the franchise’s 24-season history. If Rizzo plays, he will be the 23rd member of Reading’s franchise history to partake in the event.
Forward Matt Brown was the last Royal to participate in the All-Star Classic as he played in the 2024 ECHL All-Star Classic at Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia. Forward Matt Miller was selected to the 2024-25 ECHL Midseason Eastern Conference All-Star team for the Royals.
Reading has hosted the All-Star Classic twice: once in 2005, and again in 2009.
