Reading Royals | CollegeHockeyPlayers

25Feb

Adam Comrie(24) Worcester Sharks

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Reading Royals‘ 3rd year defenseman Adam Comrie(24) is enjoying his most productive season as a pro scoring 17 goals and 16 assists in 45 ECHL games to go along with a +22 rating on a team that has been on top most of the year.

The tower of a 6’4″ 215 lbs. blue liner he was originally a Florida Panthers‘ 3rd round pick in the 2008 draft (#80 overall) but something went amiss in his second season and he asked to be released from his 3-year entry level deal that would have taken him through the end of the current season.

The details of what happened are hazy at best.

He spent most of his rookie season with Rochester Americans but was also reassigned to lower league affiliate Cincinnati Cyclones on a number of occasions.

He started his sophomore campaign with the Cyclones and was quick to strike with 3 goals and 3 assists in 4 games before departing. He would eventually sign a contract with Greenville Road Warriors to finish out the season.

The 22-year old inked a deal with the Royals about a month before the start of 2012/2013. He attended new affiliate Hershey Bears‘ training camp and was involved in exhibition game play.

He was sent back and that’s when things started to take better shape for the big d-man.

Recently signed to an spc by Worcester Sharks on an AHL call-up, he fits in pretty nicely in the higher league and will likely hit the scoresheet with decent frequency. He already has an assist in 3 appearances and should continue to step up.

10Feb

Scott Parse(20) Albany Devils

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Albany Devils‘ 6th year right wing Scott Parse(20) has somehow sat most of the team’s 44 games so far this season. He signed a one-year AHL deal as the 2012/2013 season was approaching.

In 13 games he has a low-end 1 goal and 2 assists, -7 rating, so he definitely needs to step it up. The 28-year old has recently been reinserted into the lineup.

He spent the first 5 years of his pro career in the Los Angeles Kings‘ prospect system. The 5’11” 188 lbs. forward was originally a Kings‘ 6th round pick in the 2004 draft (#174 overall).

He’s skated in 73 NHL games and has 14 goals and 16 assists, which are pretty decent numbers.

In his career year 2009/2010 he skated 59 games and scored 11 goals and 13 assists while going a +13 plus/minus. The effort earned him a 2-year extension.

Unfortunately from here injury problems settled in for his next couple of campaigns.

Ironically when he did play in early 2010, the first year of his new contract, he got a goal and 3 assists in 5 games. It would have easily put him on pace for a career year on the scoresheet.

The next season wasn’t much better; he only appeared in 9 games.

As an unrestricted free agent going into a year when the NHL was a wish away, he decided to get back to work and rejoined a league he has over 100 games experience in.

13Jan

Eric Baier(6) Providence Bruins

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Trenton Titans‘ 2nd year, undrafted defenseman Eric Baier(6) was recently called up to Providence Bruins for his first AHL stint of 2012/2013.

He’s played 23 games in the league with four different teams since finishing up his college career at nearby Providence College.

Although he only has an assist to his credit, the 6’2″ 210 lbs. blue liner has never light up the scoresheet and seems to be look at as more of a defensive zone specialist, although seems to be on the wrong end of plus/minus for the most part.

In 85 games with the Titans, the 24-year old has 6 goals and 17 assists on a team that has struggled to win games and keep pucks out of their net in the last couple of seasons, but as he continues to play and gain opportunities he will likely continue to settle his game.

Getting himself on a winning team couldn’t hurt either.

11Jan

Mark Mitera(17) Reading Royals

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Anaheim Ducks‘ former 1st round pick in the 2006 draft (#19 overall) defenseman Mark Mitera(17) must have been doing his own workouts with a wait and see attitude before finally signing with ECHL Reading Royals for the remainder of the 2012/2013. He did have a tryout agreement with St. John’s IceCaps that fizzled.

His three year entry level deal was up at the end of last season. He finished with 75 games for Hamilton Bulldogs after being traded to parent club Montreal Canadiens early at the start of free agency in 2011.

At 6’3″ 213 lbs. he figured to be a bruising blue liner that simply beat his opponents into submission once he turned pro after four big years playing college hockey but that has yet to be realized.

Signing with the affiliate of AHL Hershey Bears could be a smart move for the 25-year old as chances are reasonable that he’ll receive a call-up with them, or he’ll sign a pto elsewhere as soon as post-lockout hockey begins to unfold and settle.

24Dec

Brett Gallant(44) Bridgeport Sound Tigers

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4th year, undrafted pugilist Brett Gallant(44) has already just about doubled a penalty minute high total from all of last season in just his first 26 games played in 2012/2013.

He’s currently second in the league with 138 pims, right behind dance partner in the pic, Bobby Robins.

The 6′ 185 lbs. left wing re-signed an AHL deal with Bridgeport Sound Tigers for a 2nd straight campaign after being recalled from Reading Royals late in 2011, where he proved his might in 17 appearances.

Not overly big-sized, the 24-year old is one tough customer to do battle with and has taken down much burlier opponents.

He started his pro career with almost two full seasons in the ECHL, leading Elmira Jackals in minutes spent in the sin bin with only half a slate of games to his credit and scored himself an invite to New York Islanders‘ prospect and training camps to put him on their radar.

22Dec

Denny Urban(37) Worcester Sharks

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Reading Royals‘ 2nd year, undrafted defenseman Denny Urban(37) received his first career AHL call-up to join an injury depleted Worcester Sharks‘ blue line that’s stepping in, stepping up and getting it done.

In his first game, he skated in pretty much all situations in a divisional matchup that featured 134 combined penalty minutes and 9 goals.

He notched his first league point, a helper and was part of the play that resulted in the game-winning tally, while skating a +1 plus/minus.

The somewhat small-ish looking 5’10” 177 lbs. blue liner competed with a lot of speed and kept it simple in his debut, but also looks to have a smart sense of positioning and definitely will be able to chip in on the scoresheet.

In 27 games in 2012/2013 with ECHL‘s Reading he already has 12 goals and 12 assists, which puts him on par for a career high in goals scored and he could even post bests in assists and points as well. He’s third overall in team scoring and second in the league amongst d-men.

The 24-year old may be on his way to moving up the pro hockey ladder.

11Dec

Patrick Wellar(33) Hershey Bears

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9th year veteran defenseman has skated in his last five seasons with Hershey Bears or their ECHL affiliate.

He was originally a Washington Capitals‘ 3rd round pick in the 2002 draft (#77 overall) but didn’t start playing within their organization until 2009. He has yet to sign an NHL contract with any team.

The 29-year old d-man won the Kelly Cup with South Carolina Stingrays in 2009 and Calder Cup in 2010 with Hershey as he split time during both seasons playing games for each team.

He’s a big presence out on the ice at 6’3″ 231 lbs. but could utilize all his size a bit more effectively knocking down opposing players that dare to stand around in front of his net putting condiments on their sandwich as they wait for scoring chances.

For the first time in a couple of seasons he was sent down to skate 18 games with new affiliate Reading Royals before recently getting called back up.

It would be little surprise to see him get his name on the Kelly Cup a second time, as the Royals have the kind of team that could very well go the distance.

He’s played a career 282 AHL regular and postseason contests and 360 in the ECHL.

20Nov

Stanislav Galiev(10) Hershey Bears

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Washington Capitals‘ 3rd round pick in the 2010 draft (#83 overall), Russian left wing Stanislav Galiev(10) has been put in a bit of a tight situation when he was reassigned to get a midweek game in with their new, now geographically nearby ECHL affiliate Reading Royals.

He was immediately recalled as planned after his one appearance in the league but now is having a tough time finding an open roster spot with Hershey Bears, the team he started his rookie season with through the first 9 regular season games.

The 20-year old 6’2″ 187 lbs. forward has only managed 1 assist but did also score the game-winner in his shootout debut.

He was basically a point per game guy in his junior career.

No doubt he’ll either get the nod to go again with the Bears soon or could get reassigned for a longer run.

07Nov

Bracken Kearns(16) Worcester Sharks

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8th year undrafted veteran center Bracken Kearns(16) signed a 1-year, two-way deal with San Jose Sharks just as free agency started in the offseason.

The 6′ 195 lbs. forward was coming off one of his best all around seasons in the AHL with San Antonio Rampage, where he posted a career high 22 goals and 52 points in 69 games and added another 7 points in 10 postseason contests.

He also played in his first 5 NHL games on a couple of recalls by Florida Panthers but failed to register a point in roughly 7 minutes of playing time a night.

The 31-year old brings a gritty style game to the table and can definitely connect on the scoresheet. He also knows that it takes hard work on the ice to achieve his goals having come up from over 100 games in the ECHL in his first couple pro seasons to make his mark felt in the higher level of play.

In just 10 games with Worcester Sharks to start 2012/2013 he already has 3 goals and 5 assists, roughly putting him on pace for another record setting season.

24Oct

Tyler Brenner(16) Bakersfield Condors

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Toronto Maple Leafs undrafted 2nd year right wing Tyler Brennan(16) split time in his rookie season with both their AHL and ECHL affiliates Toronto Marlies and Reading Royals but also spent time on the sidelines as a healthy scratch and bitten by the injury bug.

He’s signed for a 2-year entry level deal and has shown he can put numbers up on the scoresheet (3 goals and 6 assists in 29 games over a season and an ato with the Marlies and the same totals in 20 games with the Royals). He also contributed very well in college at RIT playing Division I Atlantic Hockey and has some size at 6’2″ 200 lbs.

The 24-year old was just reassigned to Bakersfield Condors to start 2012/2013 after not appearing in the first 5 games of the AHL regular season. He should fit in well in California and will probably help them win more.