ECHL: Reading Royals Look Ahead to Playoffs After Trade Deadline

Now that the trade deadline has come to a close, making one last trade to Kalamazoo for defenseman Ryan Cook, the Royals shift their focus to playoffs.

New Additions to the Roster

Just before the trade deadline, Reading traded forward Brett Boeing to the Kalamazoo Wings in exchange for defenseman Ryan Cook. The 28-year-old from Lancaster, New York, appeared in 47 games for Kalamazoo this season, scoring three goals and acquiring nine assists. Tyler Heidt is another new addition for the Royals playing in six games, scoring two goals and four assists. He was signed by the University of Regina, where he spent the last two seasons appearing in 48 games, with the team accumulating 11 goals and 29 assists. The Royals completed the additions after acquiring two new defensemen by adding a new goaltender, Bailey Brkin. Brkin started his season in the SPHL playing for the Quad City Storm before moving to the Iowa Heartlanders of the ECHL. He then spent 12 games with the Wheeling Nailers before making his debut in Reading, where he has seen one game so far this season against the Atlanta Gladiators, where he faced 26 shots, letting up three of those to bring the Royals just short of a sweep for the weekend with a 3-2 loss.

Looking Ahead to Playoffs

Now that the trade deadline has passed and some new faces have been added to the roster, the Royals push their focus to playoffs as the end of the regular season is just less than a month away. The Royals currently stand in second place in the North, with the Newfoundland Growlers already locked in at a first place. Reading’s current record is 35-21-4 with 74 total points, with the Maine Mariners sitting in third, just five points behind. The third race is heating up, with the Worcester Railers just two points behind Maine and the Adirondack Thunder sitting in fifth with 58 points. The Royals have just twelve games left before the end of the season, with heated battles ahead, including Newfoundland and Trois-Rivières.

The Royals step out of their division this weekend for a rematch against the Toledo Walleye and long-time rivals the Wheeling Nailers for a battle for points to lock them into a playoff spot.