ECHL Reading Royals

Royals To Induct Jon Francisco Into Reading Eagle Wall of Honor

Published on December 27, 2007 under ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Reading, PA - The Reading Royals of the ECHL today announced that the organization will induct Jon Francisco into the Reading Eagle Wall of Honor in a ceremony conducted prior to the Royals game against Johnstown Chiefs on Saturday, January 12, 2008 (7:05 pm). Francisco, who played 140 games over three seasons with the Royals, will become the fourth inductee in team history into the Reading Eagle Wall of Honor, which is located on the concourse walkway inside the Sovereign Center. Francisco will join Larry Courville, Ryan Flinn, and Athletic Trainer Brian Grogesky, each of whom received the honor last season.

Francisco, who is without question one of the all-time fan favorites ever to play pro hockey in Reading, grew up in Hermantown, Minnesota, home to one of the premier youth hockey programs in all of North America. Francisco's game blossomed while at Hermantown High School, where he served as the team captain and was selected as the county's Player of the Year in his senior season. In that same year, Francisco was selected as a member of the All-Tournament Team in the Minnesota High School State Tournament, while also earning all-state honors. From there, Francisco was recruited to the University of Minnesota at Duluth where he had a stellar four year career, scoring forty-two goals, assisting on sixty-two others (104 points), and picking up 161 penalty minutes in 154 games. While at UM-Duluth, Francisco was selected as a Western Collegiate Hockey Association All-Star in his junior season and served as the team's captain in his senior year.

Francisco's transition to pro proved a smooth one, as he scored twenty-two goals, assisted on twenty-eight others (fifty points), and picked up 89 penalty minutes in 70 games with the Quad City Mallards of the United Hockey League in his rookie season. That year, Francisco also earned his first call up to the American Hockey League, playing two games for a Milwaukee Admirals' team that would ultimately win the Calder Cup Championship.

In 2004-05, Francisco joined the Royals and played in all seventy-two regular season games and seven of the team's eight playoff games, missing only the final game of the year-a 4-3 win by the Trenton Titans that eliminated the Royals from the playoffs (three games to one). During that season, Francisco scored nineteen goals, assisted on twenty-one others (forty-points) and picked up ninety-six penalty minutes, which included fights against Leon Hayward and Matt Zultek of the Trenton Titans. During that season, Francisco represented the Royals in the ECHL All-Star game which the organization hosted at the Sovereign Center. At the Fan's Choice Awards Banquet at the conclusion of the season, Francisco not only received the team's Iron Man Award, but also received confirmation regarding how the fans of Reading felt about him when he was bestowed with the Fan's Choice Award.

In 2005-06, Francisco returned to the Royals where, after a bit of a slow start, he went on a nine game tear in mid-November through early December, during which he registered thirteen points (6g-7a=13pts). After the Royals' successful western road swing in late-December and early-January of that year, Francisco was called up to the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL, where early in his first game with the Monarchs he suffered a substantial knee injury that would plague him throughout the remainder of his playing career. Francisco valiantly rehabbed his knee and returned to the Royals' line-up in mid-March when the team needed him most; but, unfortunately, he was only able to play in seven games before re-injuring his knee and ending his season.

After a summer of hard work and rehabilitation on his knee, Francisco returned to Reading last season for his third year with the team. Unfortunately, once again, Francisco re-injured his knee in the second game of the season. Characteristically, he went back to training room and, for the third time in less than a year, undertook a strenuous rehabilitation program to get back into the Royals' line-up. Shortly after returning to the team in early January, Francisco experienced a "golden stick" moment in a 6-3 win over the Charlotte Checkers when he registered his first pro hattrick, which was capped off with an empty net goal to the delight of his fans in Reading. Although his numbers may not have been spectacular (7g-12a=19pts, 49 pims in 36 games), Francisco's gutsy re-hab and emotional leadership down the stretch (as the Royals fought an unsuccessful battle to earn a playoff spot) led the fans to select him as the team's Unsung Hero at the Fan's Choice Awards banquet at the conclusion of the season.

Francisco and his many fans (and friends) in Reading hope that he will be able to attend the induction ceremony on January 12, however, he and his wife are expecting their second child in January and that may understandably interfere with his travel plans.

The Royals return to action on Friday night (December 28, 2007) (7:05 pm). The first 1500 fans who are 21 years of age and older will receive an "R-Team/R-Town" pub glass courtesy of Molson Canadian and All Star Distributing. The game night broadcast on Friday will begin with the pre-game warm-up show at 6:35 pm on ESPN Radio in Ephrata. Streaming video is available on a pay per view basis through the B2 Networks.

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