Royals agree to terms with Crandall

READING, Pa. – The Reading Royals, ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers of the NHL, announced that the team has agreed to terms with forward Justin Crandall. Last season, Crandall, who hails from Lakeville, Minn., led the Royals with 55 points (17g-38a) in 54 regular-season games with the team. His points total with Reading placed him fourth in the scoring race amongst first-year pros in the ECHL. Crandall, who was selected as the team’s Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, also earned two separate call-ups to the American Hockey League, playing seven games with the Chicago Wolves (1g-1a=2pts) and two with the Albany Devils (0g-1a=1pt). Crandall, who led the Royals last season with 19 power-play points (7g-12a), finished the year by racking up eight points (3g-5a) in 14 playoff games in the Royals’ 2016 postseason run.Crandall first joined the Royals when he signed an Amateur Tryout Agreement late in the 2014-15 season after completing a stellar four-year career at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. That year, he played four games with the Royals and registered three points (1g-2a). Crandall closed out his collegiate career at UMD by racking up 23 points (13g-10a) in 38 games, while serving as an alternate captain for the Bulldogs in his senior season. In 145 career games at UMD, Crandall recorded 79 points (40g-39a) and 120 penalty minutes with the Bulldogs.