The Reading Royals will continue to be the ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers for at least the next two seasons, the organizations announced Tuesday.
The affiliation agreement runs through the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons with an option for a third season (2027-28).
The new agreement is an extension of the original affiliation agreement made in 2014, with four previous extensions made since then (2016, 2019, 2021, 2022).
The Flyers, СŷƵ Phantoms (AHL) and Royals form the closest geographical chain of affiliates in professional hockey. Santander Arena is 39 miles southwest of СŷƵ’s PPL Center and 67 miles northwest of Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center. The Phantoms play 70 miles north of Wells Fargo Center.
“We’re excited to continue our affiliation agreement with the Flyers and Phantoms for the foreseeable future,” said David Farrar, President of the Reading Royals. “Since the Berks County Convention Center Authority (BCCCA) took over ownership of the Royals, we feel the relationship has been valuable to all parties involved. We’re all excited for the upcoming season and look forward to watching future Flyers take the ice at the Santander Arena.”
“The affiliation relationship with the Flyers and Phantoms has been a great asset to our players and team,” said Jason Binkley, head coach and general manager of the Royals. “We look forward to developing more players with the Flyers while achieving the ultimate goal of bringing the Kelly Cup back to Reading.”
“We are very happy to extend this affiliation with Reading,” said Daniel Briere, Flyers general manager. “The Royals are a first-class organization and I’ve seen how beneficial this relationship is to the development of players on both the Phantoms and the Flyers, especially this season with Jacob Gaucher making his NHL debut and playing a pivotal role in СŷƵ.”
Gaucher, 24, became the 38th player in franchise history to reach the National Hockey League after playing for Reading when he debuted with the Flyers on Feb. 2 against Colorado. Gaucher is one of five players to make their NHL debut with Philadelphia after playing in Reading in the affiliation’s tenure (Tyrell Goulbourne, Hayden Hodgson, Felix Sandström, Max Willman).
The Royals were purchased by the Berks County Convention Center Authority in 2019, paving the way for the Royals to bring professional hockey to Berks County for years to come. The 2025-26 season will be the Royals 24th season in Reading after the franchise was relocated from Columbus as the Columbus Chill ahead of the 2001-02 season. The Royals won the Kelly Cup in 2013 and are five-time division champions.
