The Reading Royals Have Shared The Same Mentality As The Flyers All Season ‘Next Man Up’

Photo Credit: The Reading Royals

The Flyers and the Reading Royals have both shared something in common ‘Next man up,’ as the Royals clinched a playoff berth this past weekend. Look at the Flyers and their rash of injuries this season with the likes of Oskar Lindblom, Nolan Patrick, Shayne Gostisbehere, Philippe Myers, Carter Hart, JVR, Scott Laughton, and Michael Raffl. Fortunately, the Royals have had a successful season, even though, they have lost some key players due to injury with the likes of Matthew Gaudreau, Hayden Hodgson, Pascal Laberge, and Matthew Strome. Moreover, the Royals have also taken a big hit due to recalls to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms with players, such as, Gerry Fitzgerald, Kirill Ustimenko, Felix Sandstrom, Steven Swavely, David Drake, Matthew Gaudreau (Stockton Heat), and James De Haas.

This young Royals team is littered with young Flyers prospects, and they are really having a fun season in Reading. Strome is smiling, Laberge is giggling, and it’s always good when an Assistant Coach is smiling and laughing following a victory (Nick Luukko). Ustimenko was lights out in his campaign with the Purple, and Sandstrom is now enjoying the fruits of playing time, “Everything is going well,” Assistant Coach Nick Luukko told me in December, “We are surviving injuries and call-ups, and I think the guys are doing well.” If you are player you can really get motivated by these words from your Coach. He sees all the hard-work and success the team has, and credits those that are making this season a special one (To include Matthew Gaudreau who is part of the Calgary Flames organization).

For the season, the Royals are currently 37-17-5 (80 Points), which is good for the sixth best team in the league, and second in the division to the Newfoundland Growlers (85 Points). Not too shabby by any means, when one considers all the recalls and injuries, “I just try and teach them on my end,” Luukko says, “We try to keep the game as simple as we can with pushing the puck up to the Forwards. Since day one we have loved our depth, and use the ‘Next man up.’ I like our team, they are doing well.”

This Royals team is a resemblance of the big team in the Flyers. They are hungry, fast, fun, receive quality Goaltending, relentless on the puck, and their defencemen are rarely out of position. Moreover, this Royals team has some snipers like Laberge, Strome, Gaudreau, Frank Dichiara, Corey Mackin, Brayden Low, and Swavely potting big goals night after night. Simply put, this Royals team is a well-oiled machine much like the big club, and Head Coach Kirk MacDonald has done a marvelous job with constantly being short-handed, “It’s obviously tough, but good for the guys to step up and get an opportunity,” Coach Luukko says, “It’s good to go through some adversity, it should help come playoff time.”

Do the Royals have a shot to win the Kelly Cup like they did in 2013? Absolutely, and they are built for an extended playoff run this season. They have been fighting through adversity all season, and one can only hope it will help them in the long run. Whatever the case maybe this young Royals team is well coached, and has a good personality to go along with it.