Royals hire Peters as head coach

Reading, Pa. – The Reading Royals, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's Philadelphia Flyers and American Hockey League's Lehigh Valley Phantoms, announced that Anthony Peters has been named the team’s new head coach and general manager.

Peters, 34, a Blyth, Ontario native, joins the Royals from the Florida Everblades, where he was an assistant coach each of the last two seasons.

With Peters on staff, the Everblades went 89-38-17, as well as 26-12 the Kelly Cup Playoffs, and captured their third consecutive Kelly Cup championship in 2024, as well as their fourth-straight Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 2025.

“We’re excited to announce Anthony Peters as the Royals next Head Coach and General Manager," said David Farrar, Team President of the Reading Royals. "Anthony brings a great pedigree of playing and coaching experience in this league. We have full confidence that he will do an exceptional job as the leader of our hockey team and are looking forward to the prospects of the next era of Royals hockey with Anthony at the helm.”

"We are excited to have Anthony Peters lead the franchise in year one under Oak View Group," said Peter Luukko, Co-Chair of Oak View Group 360. "Anthony comes from a first-class winning organization and we look forward to seeing Anthony develop Flyers prospects while pursuing a Kelly Cup for the City of Reading.”

"We are very happy to have Anthony Peters be the next head coach and voice behind the bench of the Royals," said Alyn McCauley, Assistant General Manager of the Philadelphia Flyers. "We are confident in his ability to grow talent within the organization and look forward to the on-ice success in Reading with Anthony at the helm.”

"I'm looking forward to working with the entire organization to build a winning culture for the Reading Royals," Peters stated. "I'm very grateful for the opportunity and excited for the challenge that lies ahead."

Prior to beginning his coaching career in 2023-24 with Florida, Peters played eight full seasons of professional hockey as a goaltender with stints in the AHL, ECHL, and overseas in Germany, Sweden, Austria and Slovakia. He opened his professional career in the ECHL with Florida in 2015 and went on to play 100 regular-season games in goal for the Everblades over parts of three seasons through the 2016-17 campaign. He compiled a 60-31-4 record in his time with the team and made 12 Kelly Cup Playoff game appearances for Florida between their postseason runs in 2016 and 2017.

In parts of four AHL seasons, Peters appeared in 51 games between the Rochester Americans, Charlotte Checkers and Wilkes/Barre-Scranton Penguins. Following five professional seasons in North America, Peters backstopped HC Slovan Bratislava to the Slovakian Extraliga Championship in 2021-22. In the ensuing season, his last of his professional playing career, Peters went 21-16-0 in 37 games, with a 2.74 GAA and a .910 save percentage.

Prior to his professional playing career, Peters was a netminder at St. Mary's University where he earned the accolades of a selection to the CIS all-rookie team in 2011-12, all-Canadian team and CIS Goaltender of the Year honor in 2014-15 and captured a gold medal at the 2013 Winter Universiade in Italy, where he went 4-0 in net for Team Canada.

Peters has two brothers with professional pedigrees. Justin, 38, played 83 NHL games with the Carolina Hurricanes, Washington Capitals, and Arizona Coyotes. He was selected in the second round, 38th overall, by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft and is entering his second full season as the goaltending coach for the Ottawa Senators. Youngest brother Alex, 28, was selected in the third round, 75th overall, by the Dallas Stars in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft and is preparing to return to the Lukko in Finland which competes in the Liiga.