The Reading Royals, affiliates of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, have signed Penn State men’s hockey defenseman Carter Schade to a Standard Player Contract (SPC), announced by the organization on Sunday.

An SCP is a full ECHL deal, meaning Schade is officially signed to the roster rather than on a short-term tryout like an Amateur Tryout Agreement (ATO) or Professional Tryout Agreement (PTO). The contract allows him to begin his professional career while remaining eligible for potential AHL call-ups.

Schade spent four seasons with the Nittany Lions, playing in 126 career games while totalling 22 points, all of which came as assists.

Before his time in Hockey Valley, Schade played three seasons in the USHL with the Lincoln Stars, where he put up 50 points (eight goals, 42 assists) in 112 career games after being selected first overall in the 2018 USHL Phase 1 Futures Draft.

Schade is the latest Penn Stater to make the jump to the professional level, following in the footsteps of his teammates Kevin Reidler, Matt DiMarsico, Aiden Fink, and Charlie Cerrarto.