Royals count on familiar faces

Unlike previous years, Reading begins camp with the same coach and several returning players.

By Julie Pelchar Reading Eagle

   The fourth edition of Reading’s training camp had a feel unlike any other held at the Sovereign Center.
   The Royals coach was familiar and so were several players.
   It’s a step in the right direction for a team looking to build continuity after a couple of unstable seasons.
   "Last year we had a great run in the playoffs," said coach Derek Clancey, "and we want to build on that."
   Clancey expects the familiar faces to lead the way starting this week as Reading prepares for exhibition games against the Trenton Titans Friday and Saturday.
   The regular season begins Oct. 22 in Trenton. The Royals and the Titans meet the following night at the Sovereign Center.
   "It’s important to have guys back to establish an identity, first of all," Clancey said. "You establish a loyalty that spreads throughout the other guys quickly.
   "It makes it easier for me when the new guys not only hear it from me, but they hear it from the other players as to what is expected and how we play here."
   Monday the Royals opened camp with six players from last year’s Northern Division championship team.
   They return three of their top four scorers — forwards Graig Mischler, Judd Medak and David Massé — along with defensemen Ian Turner and Reagan Rome.
   Goalie Cody Rudkowsky, last year’s MVP, is the returnee expected to bring the most stability to a lineup that’s shaping up to be young.
   "The six or so of us that are here were a part of that and know what it took," Medak said of the playoffs. "Hopefully we’ll pass that on to the younger guys. We’re certainly better because of it."
   Nine of the other 10 players on the ice Monday were rookies. Not all of them will make Reading’s opening day roster, though, because the Royals are expecting to get players from American Hockey League affiliate Manchester and perhaps elsewhere.
   Despite returning several key players, the Royals face a significant void as they have likely lost all of their captains from the 84-point team that sneaked into the playoffs on the final weekend.
   Forward Brad Church, who wore the "C," signed an AHL contract with the Lowell Lock Monsters in July and will play for the ECHL’s Florida Everblades, the team that eliminated Reading in a deciding Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
   Mat Snesrud, who blossomed as a leader last year and was relied upon heavily by Clancey to run the defense, signed with the United Hockey League’s Missouri River Otters, when the Royals couldn’t squeeze him under the salary cap.
   Reading can’t guarantee forward Dave Stewart, who called Clancey last week, regular shifts, so it’s unlikely the veteran free agent will resign.
   Clancey mentioned Medak, Mischler, Turner and Rome as potential leaders, along with newcomer Cail MacLean.
   MacLean, a forward who signed an AHL contract with Hershey and was reassigned to Reading Monday, has played 193 AHL games.
   He was a leader for Trenton during its two best seasons, when it reached the Northern Conference Finals in 2000 and the Kelly Cup Finals the following year.
   The Royals will get a big boost if defenseman Dean Arsene returns.
   Arsene, who signed an AHL contract with Hershey and is skating in the Bears training camp, was Reading’s heart and soul during the playoffs, when he contributed six points, as many as he did in 46 regular season games.
   In other news Monday, Reading signed forward Ryan Kinasewich, a 6-2, 202-pound rookie who averaged nearly a point a game over his five-year career in the Western Hockey League.
   Contact Julie Pelchar at 610-371-5065 or japelchar@readingeagle.com.

Reading Eagle: John A. Reading Royals coach Derek Clancey watches his players on the first day of training camp at the Sovereign Center