Royals Re-Sign McMenamin and Connor for 2024-25 Season

from Reading Royals

The Reading Royals, proud ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, announced that forward Connor McMenamin and defenseman Powell Connor have re-signed with the club for the 2024-25 season.

McMenamin, 25, signed a Standard Player Contract (SPC) with the Royals to begin his professional career on March 22, 2024. A native of Collegeville, Pennsylvania, McMenamin played 10 games for Reading during the 2023-24 season after five seasons in the NCAA with his fifth-year graduate season spent at the University of Minnesota-Duluth following four seasons at Penn State University. With the Bulldogs during the 2023-24 season, McMenamin recorded 21 points (6g-15a), 12 penalty minutes, and a -9 rating in 35 games.

“I am super excited to be coming back to Reading this upcoming season,” McMenamin stated. “We are excited to get back to work and get back to Santander Arena to see all of the wonderful fans.”

“McMenamin has a lot of offensive upside to him,” Head Coach & General Manager Jason Binkley stated. “We saw glimpses of his game at the end of the season when we brought him in. Now that he has the summer to prepare and understand how pro hockey is, I expect him to get rolling right away and help our offense score goals.”

The 5’11”, 185-pound, left-shot forward played from 2019-23 for Penn State, where he recorded 66 points (24g-42a) in 129 games played with the Nittany Lions. Across his five-year NCAA career, McMenamin totaled 87 points (30g-57a), 57 penalty minutes, and a +10 rating across 164 NCAA career games.

McMenamin was an alternate captain for Penn State in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns before joining the University of Minnesota-Duluth as a graduate student in 2023-24. He previously played in the USHL primarily with the Tr-City Storm, where he was Team Captain in the 2018-19 season.

At Tri-City, McMenamin played alongside current Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ronnie Attard and Lehigh Valley Phantoms forward Brendan Furry. McMenamin finished fourth on the team in points (44) and second on the team in goals 26) behind Attard who posted a team-high 30 goals.

Connor, 24, signed a Standard Player Contract (SPC) with the Royals to begin his professional career on March 13, 2024. A native of Chilliwack, British Columbia, Connor recorded four points (1g-3a), 42 penalty minutes, and a +2 rating in 12 games with the Royals during the 2023-24 season. Connor joined the Royals after a four-year collegiate career with three seasons spent at Michigan State University followed by one year at Canisuis College. With the Golden Griffins, Connor registered seven points (1g-6a), 39 penalty minutes, and a -4 rating in 35 games. He finished fifth among defenseman on the team in points (7).

“I am looking forward to being back in Reading this season,” Connor stated. “I am excited to get back to the Santander in front of all the Royals fans.”

“Powell brings us a right-shot defenseman, offensive capabilities, phenomenal skating, and a top notch compete level” Head Coach & General Manager Jason Binkley stated. “He came in and surprised a lot of us with his play. He has the jam, the physicality, and willingness to compete. He has a ton of potential to not only play at this level but the next level as long as we can hone in on his game.”

The 6’2″, 190-pound, right-shot blue liner played four seasons in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) for the Chilliwack Chiefs and the Trail Smoke Eaters, where he totaled 75 points (13g-62a), and 222 penalty minutes in 201 BCHL career games.

Additionally, Connor played for Team Canada West at the World Junior A Challenge in Dawson, British Columbia in 2019.

Royals 2024-25 roster:

Forwards (4): Brock Caufield, Yvan Mongo, Shane Sellar, and Connor McMenamin.

Defensemen (3): Kenny Johnson, Tony Malinowski, and Powell Connor.

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Source: bctv