The Santander Arena in Reading has hosted the Royals for two seasons and hosted the Flyers Alumni Game last season. (Kevin Durso/Sports Talk Philly)
The Flyers announced on Sunday morning that they have renewed their affiliation with the ECHL's Reading Royals, according to GM Ron Hextall.
By renewing the affiliation, the Flyers will continue to supply players for Reading's roster from within the system.
"We are pleased to extend and continue our relationship with the Royals," Hextall said in a press release. "Reading has created a long-term culture of success and has provided our prospects a positive environment that is important in the development of their careers."
"We're very excited to extend our affiliation relationship with the Flyers," Royals president Drew Bell said in a press release. "We believe that the philosophy, culture and goals of the Royals and Flyers are consistent with one another — and unwavering dedication to excellence in all phases of our operations and ultimately, of course, winning hockey games. There is no question that the relationship with the Flyers has paid dividends for the Royals over the past two seasons, and we anticipate that our position within the Flyers' player development pipeline is only going to get stronger over the next several seasons."
The Flyers have recently brought all minor-league operations much closer to Philadelphia. After spending six years in Adirondack, the Phantoms moved to Allentown as the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in 2014 and will mark their third season at PPL Center next season. The Royals have been the Flyers ECHL affiliate since 2014 as well, joining the organization's pipeline on a two-year deal.
"The geographic proximity of our minor league affiliations in Lehigh Valley and Reading gives our coaches and scouting department the best possible platform to evaluate and promote the advancement of our prospects within the Flyers system," Hextall said.
The 2016-17 season will be the 16th in the history of the Royals, who have been affiliated with the Los Angeles Kings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals in the past.
Kevin Durso is an editor for Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
