The Reading Royals, proud affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, announced Tuesday the signings of forwards Thomas Ebbing and Grant Cooper to ECHL standard player contracts.
Ebbing returns to the Royals after playing for the club in the 2019-20 season, recording 12 goals and 15 assists (27 points) in 46 games for his best points-per-game season in his ECHL career. During a productive 2018-19 season with Greenville in which he scored 29 points in 55 games, he was loaned to the Laval Rocket in the AHL for six games. There, he scored one goal, the second in his AHL career.
The 26-year-old forward played for Michigan State University from 2013 to 2017, putting up 55 points in 143 games. For Ebbing, the numbers don’t lie; he’s scored more consistently over his 116-game ECHL career than in college or even his one season of USHL hockey. With the Chicago Steel in 2012-13, his 26 points were enough for selection to the USHL/NHL Top Prospects game.
Ebbing is the seventh player to return to the Royals after the 2019-20 campaign.
Cooper, a 25-year-old winger, comes to the Royals after a four-year college career with Clarkson University and a five-year career with the Cornwall Colts in the CCHL. He recorded 31 points in 77 collegiate games, and in 2019, he won the ECAC Championship.
Cooper captained the Colts in 2016-17. He was named to the CCHL’s First All-Star Team and honored as an Outstanding Graduating Player by the league for his 67-point effort. In 2013, he won the CCHL Championship.
The signings of Ebbing and Cooper round out the Royals’ signings over the 2021 offseason. Before training camp starts at the beginning of October, the Royals’ roster stands at 11 forwards, 8 defensemen, and 1 goaltender.
Forwards (11): Patrick Bajkov, Grant Cooper, Jackson Cressey, Frank DiChiara, Thomas Ebbing, Kenny Hausinger, Hayden Hodgson, Brayden Low, Cam Strong, Brendan van Riemsdyk, Josh Winquist
Defensemen (8): Jared Brandt, Garrett Cecere, Dominic Cormier, Mike Crocock, David Drake, Kyle McKenzie, Patrick McNally, Jake Ryczek
Goaltenders (1): Ryan Ruck
Reading Royals season, flex memberships and group tickets are available for the 2021-22 season by visiting the Royals’ box office at Santander Arena or by calling 610-898-7825.
The Reading Royals, proud affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, are entering their 20th season in the ECHL. They won their first Kelly Cup championship in 2013 and have clinched playoff berths in 10 of the previous 11 seasons. They are four-time division champions. The Berks County Convention Center Authority (BCCCA), founded in 1996, owns the Royals and oversees operations at Santander Arena.