The Reading Royals have announced their 2026 Protected List. The Royals own the ECHL rights to all 29 players on the list.
Rules of the Protected List
Teams are allowed to protect as many players as they wish provided the players protected meet the guidelines as defined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the ECHL and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association which state that teams shall retain the rights to each player that:
1. Signed an SPC in 2025-26 with the Member, and has not been traded or released, OR
2. Signed an SPC in 2025-26, and was recalled to the NHL/AHL or IIHF team, and has not been traded or released, OR
3. Had received a Qualifying Offer last summer for the current Season, DID NOT sign an SPC, and has not been traded or released, OR
4. Has been suspended by the Member or League, and has not been traded or released, OR
5. Signed an SPC on or after the first day of the 2025-26 Regular Season, then subsequently signed an NHL/AHL contract, and has not been traded or released, OR
6. Has executed the ECHL Retirement Form, and has not been traded or released.
Protected lists may exceed 20 players.
Players on the Protected List
Forwards
Nolan Burke
Alec Butcher
Cameron Cook
Nick Deakin-Poot
Liam Devlin
Jordan Frasca
Jacob Frasca
Kyle Haskins
Connor McMenamin
Jeremy Michel
Yvan Mongo
Joseph Nardi
Mikael Robidoux
Brandon Saigeon
Austin Saint
Shane Sellar
Jake Smith
Ty Voit
Defensemen
Davis Bunz
Robert Calisti
Miles Gendron
Victor Hadfield
Artem Kulakov
Jack Page
Vincent Sevigny
Kyle Walker
Connor Walters
Jake Willets
Goaltender
Ian Shane
Players Currently Playing Overseas
Yvan Mongo – The 29-year-old left winger will be playing in France next year after signing with Bordeaux (Ligue Magnus) for the 2026-27 season. In 28 games with the Royals, he put up four goals and five assists for nine points in 29 games during the 2025-26 season.
Joseph Nardi – The Edmonton, Alberta, native spent the 2025-26 season playing in the EIHL with the Manchester Storm, recording 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points in 39 games. During his time with the Royals during the 2024-25 season, he put up 12 assists for 12 points in 27 games. Nardi has re-signed with Manchester Storm for the 2026-27 season.
Jake Smith – The Pickering, Ontario, native spent the 2025-26 season playing in Denmark and Finland with the Aalborg Pirates and JoKP, recording 19 goals and 19 assists for 38 points in 37 games. Smith does not have a contract for the 2026-27 season.
Robert Calisti – The 25-year-old defenseman spent the 2025-26 season playing in Italy with Asiago, where he put up eight goals and 36 assists for 44 points in 46 games. Calisti does not have a contract for the 2026-27 season.
Kyle Walker – The Leduc, Alberta, native is heading overseas to Canada to play in the AHL with the Calgary Wranglers. During the 2025-26 season, Walker played in three games with the Royals.
Connor Walters – The 29-year-old defenseman spent the 2025-26 season in Canada playing in the ACH with the St. Catharines Saints, he recorded three goals and ten assists for 13 points in 17 games. During this time with the Royals during the 2024-25 season, he put up three goals and four assists for seven points in 51 games. Walters does not have a contract for the 2026-27 season
What’s Next
This month is very busy as teams begin building for next season. June 20th is the ECHL Future Considerations Trade Deadline; the 22nd-season-ending roster is due; and on the 23rd, teams can start signing players for next season.
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‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source insidetherink.com ’
