“We are very pleased to announce our new ECHL affiliation with the Reading Royals,” said McPhee. “The Royals are a first-class organization where our prospects will be playing in an environment that will help them develop to their ultimate potential. We feel the proximity to both Washington and our AHL affiliate in Hershey will be beneficial to all three clubs. We would like to thank the South Carolina Stingrays and their fans for their support over the last eight seasons.”
The Royals finished the 2011-12 campaign with a record of 36-28-4-4 under head coach and director of hockey operations Larry Courville. Courville played 33 career NHL games with Vancouver and appeared in 49 games with the Hershey Bears in 2001-02. He finished his playing career in 2007-08 while playing for the Reading Royals. Reading has made the playoffs in six of its 11 seasons in the ECHL, finishing first in its division twice.
“This affiliation agreement kicks off a new era of Royals’ hockey,” said Royals general manager Mark Wallace. “The Capitals have a deep tradition of success and a proven track record of identifying and developing young talent. The history of success of professional hockey in Hershey is simply legendary. We look forward to working with the Capitals and Bears as we all seek to strengthen and grow our sport in Central Pennsylvania and the Chesapeake region. We believe that fans in Reading are going to have a unique opportunity to closely follow the development of prospects within this system, while being treated to an exceptional quality of play which we trust will translate into winning games in Reading.”
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