The ECHL affiliates of the Philadelphia Flyers, the Reading Royals, have named Jason Binkley as the new head coach and general manager.

The ECHL affiliates of the Philadelphia Flyers, the Reading Royals, have named Jason Binkley as the new head coach and general manager.

Binkley, who initially joined the team in the summer of 2022 as an assistant coach, was named the interim head coach in January of the 2023-2024 season. His success in this role led to him being officially appointed as the ninth head coach in the 23 years of the Royals’ existence.

Binkley played as a defenseman and played for Divison I side Ferris State University, reaching the Frozen Four in 2012. He is also a former ECHL player himself, having stints with the South Carolina Stingrays, Utah Grizzlies, Cincinnati Cyclones, and Fort Wayne Komets, where he was part of two deep playoff runs. The defenseman then turned to coaching, becoming an assistant coach for the 2021-2022 season with the Fayetteville Marksmen before joining the Royals’ coaching staff.

The Royals finished this past season with a 29-35-6-2 record, but failed to make the Kelly Cup Playoffs, but Binkley is planning on changing the fortunes of his team.

The new head coach stated, “Last year was a bad year and negatively affected the players, the fans, the city, everything; we have to work on turning that around. This is a good place to be and not a bad place to play. What we can offer here is an opportunity…Part of our goal is development, moving players up, and making sure we provide them the necessary things to be successful on and off the ice.”

The Reading Royals look to continue growing their team before the 2024-25 season, with Binkley stated they are happy with their core players, but will ultimately redo the roster ahead of this upcoming season.

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