ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Extend Qualifying Offers To Eight Players

Published on July 2, 2007 under ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Reading, PA - The Reading Royals of the ECHL, affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League and the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League, today announced that the team has extended qualifying offers to the following eight players: Jason Becker, Taylor Christie, Charlie Kronschnabel, Jeff Pietrasiak, Kevin Saurette, John Snowden, Jason Weitzel, and Joe Zappala. ECHL teams are permitted to protect the rights to as many as eight players who were listed on the team's Season Ending Roster by extending qualifying offers to those players. Players already signed to a contract by July 1 need not receive a qualifying offer.

Each team was entitled to reserve the rights to a maximum of eight qualified players. Of the eight qualified players, no more than four could be veterans (260 regular season professional hockey games played as of the start of the upcoming 2007-08 season). Players on open qualifying offers can not be traded. The qualifying offer must remain open for acceptance until August 1 at which time the qualifying offer becomes null and void and the team may sign the qualified player to any salary or may elect to take no further action. Teams that extend a valid qualifying offer to a non-veteran player shall retain the rights to that qualified player for one playing season.

A team that extends a valid qualifying offer to a veteran player will retain the rights to that veteran until August 1. After August 1, if the veteran player is not signed to a contract by the team, the veteran shall be deemed a restricted free agent and shall be entitled to seek and secure offers of employment from other ECHL teams. Restricted free agents may not be traded. When a restricted free agent receives a contract offer from a team other than the team with the player's rights and the restricted free agent wishes to accept the contract offer, the restricted free agent and the offering member must, within 24 hours, notify the ECHL, the team with the player's rights and the Professional Hockey Players' Association. The member with the player's rights shall have seven days after the date it is notified to exercise its right to match the contract offer. If a restricted free agent is not signed to either an offer sheet or a contract by an ECHL team by August 31, the player shall be deemed an unrestricted free agent.

In his first season of North American pro, defenseman Jason Becker (6'2"/185 lbs.) (33) (Saskatoon, SK) led the Royals' blue-liners in virtually every offensive statistical category including goals (10), assists (29) and points (39). Becker, who scored eight of his ten goals on the power play last season, played in sixty-nine games for the Royals and received the team's Ironman Award at the Fans' Choice Awards Banquet.

After being acquired via the waiver wire by the Royals from the Utah Grizzlies on November 28, 2006, defenseman Taylor Christie (6'3"/210 lbs.) (24) (Toronto, ON) scored four goals and assisted on sixteen others in fifty-three games for Reading. A sixth round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in 2002, Christie did a little bit of everything for the Royals last year, including scoring a big game winner against the Johnstown Chiefs in mid-March, as well as engaging in several tilts with North Division heavyweights over the course of the year. Christie, who will be entering his third pro season this year, played his college hockey at the Bowling Green State University.

Signed by the Royals in mid-March after the conclusion of his senior season at the University of Alaska-Anchorage, forward Charlie Kronschnabel ("KRAHN schnah buhl") (6'4"/209 lbs.) (24) (Mendota Heights, MN) had an immediate impact with Reading, picking up an assist in his first game as a pro and scoring a goal in his third. Kronschnabel, who was a three time All-Academic Team selection in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, earned a late season call-up to the Portland Pirates of the AHL where he picked up an assist in four games.

Goaltender Jeff Pietrasiak ("peh TRAY zee ACK") (6'1"/180 lbs.) (24) (Shrewsbury, MA) was picked up by the Royals on November 27, 2006, after he was released by the Pensacola Ice Pilots. Pietrasiak, who was a sixth round pick of the Phoenix Coyotes in 2002, not only won his first game for the Royals (on December 8, 2006 against the Cincinnati Cyclones, 5-2), but also went 6-1-0 with a 2.43 goals against average and .913 save percentage in his first seven. Pietrasiak, who ended up 14-16-3 (3.09; .901) for the Royals, racked up two shutouts last year, while earning four separate call-ups to the AHL's Hershey Bears, Manitoba Moose, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

After scoring a game-tying third period goal which ultimately led to a Royals' win in the season opener against the Trenton Titans last October, right wing Kevin Saurette ("sir EHT") (6'0"/190 lbs.) (27), (Winnipeg, MB) promptly went on a tear during which he scored four goals and assisted on four others in the Royals' first eleven games. In that eleventh game, however, Saurette suffered an injury that kept him sidelined for about six weeks. After returning to health, Saurette did not get to spend much time in a Royals' uniform, but only because of call ups to the Binghamton Senators of the AHL, where he ended up playing a total of twenty four games. During his time with Reading, Saurette, who proved to be the team's most successful shootout performer last season (2 for 5), scored ten goals and assisted on eight others in thirty-seven games.

Despite struggling at times for the Royals in the 2006-07 season, right wing John Snowden ("SNOW dehn") (6'0"/205 lbs.) (25) still tied for the team lead in game winning goals with five. Seven of Snowden's twelve goals (and fully half of his thirty points) last year came while the Royals were on the power play. Snowden, who will be entering his fifth pro season, is a veteran under ECHL rules having played 278 regular season pro games to date.

Jason Weitzel ("WHITE zehl") (5'10") (182) (27) (Balgonie, SK) will be entering his first full pro season this year. The Royals signed Weitzel on April 4, 2007, after the conclusion of his Canadian University hockey career at the University of Regina where he led the league the Canada West conference with twenty-one goals in twenty-seven games during his senior season. Weitzel, who was selected as a Canada West Second Team All-Star, did not appear in a game for Reading last year.

No first year player had a bigger impact with the Royals last season than Joe Zappala ("zah PAL ah") (6'0"/205 lbs.) (24), as evidenced by his selection as the team's Rookie of the Year at the Fans' Choice Awards Banquet. Zappala, who was selected as the ECHL's Rookie of the Month in December of 2006, scored twenty-three goals and assisted on thirty others (53 points) in fifty three games for the Royals, making him the team's second leading scorer. Zappala, who tied for the team lead with five game winners last year, also racked up 120 penalty minutes in his first season as a pro, which included ten fighting majors-as he showed a willingness to take on all the North Division had to offer, while also being selected as co-recipient of the team's Community Service Award.

Opening Day for the 20th Anniversary Season will be Oct. 18 when the Johnstown Chiefs host the Wheeling Nailers at Cambria County War Memorial in a rematch of Game 7 from the first-ever ECHL Finals. Celebrating its 20th Anniversary as the Premier ‘AA' Hockey League in 2007-08, the ECHL began in 1988-89 with five teams in three states and has grown to be a coast-to-coast league that will have 25 teams in 17 states and British Columbia in 2007-08. The 25 teams includes the Mississippi (Biloxi) Sea Wolves, who return after missing two seasons in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and the expansion Elmira (N.Y.) Jackals. The ECHL will play 900 games beginning Oct. 18 and concluding Apr. 5. The conference and division alignments and the format for the 2008 Kelly Cup Playoffs will be determined and approved at a later date by the ECHL Board of Governors.

The Royals' home opener is on Saturday, November 3, 2007, against the Cincinnati Cyclones. Royals' full Season Tickets and Total Choice Flex Plans are now on sale. To obtain more information on becoming a part of Royals' hockey, call 610-898-PUCK to speak with Royals' ticket representative or visit the Royals website, www.royalshockey.com.

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