Royals, Taylor, move on

READING, Pa – The Reading Royals and Head Coach Karl Taylor have officially parted ways after three seasons. Taylor became the Royals head coach and director of hockey operations replacing former head coach Derek Clancey who has since moved on as an NHL scout for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
 
Under Taylor, the Royals made the playoffs twice. This past season the team were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the eventual Kelly Cup Champions, the Cincinnati Cyclones. Taylor had one year remaining on a two year contract extension.

 
This year the Royals finished in third place with a record of 38-26-6-2 (84 points). The Royals record under Taylor was 112-82-22 and was his first professional coaching experience. Taylor was a former college hockey head coach in Canada at the University of Waterloo.
 
In a media release, Royals General Manager Gordon Kaye stated the following regarding the Taylor’s departure.
 
“The organization has reached a mutual agreement with Karl Taylor to conclude his stint as the head coach and director of hockey operations of the Royals. We thank Karl for his efforts on behalf of our organization and wish him and his family the best in their future endeavors. The Royals have begun the search for the team’s next coach, and we anticipate moving with appropriate diligence and speed in reaching that very important decision.”
 
Whomever the Royals hire to be the next head coach, it will be the team’s fifth since coming into the ECHL for the 2001-02 season. During that time period the royals have made the playoffs four times and missed three times. The furthest the team has gone in the playoffs was the 2003-04 season when the Royals lost in the Conference finals to the Florida Everblades.
Contact the author at Brian.Jennings@prohockeynews.com From left to right: (Former Royals Head Coach Derek Clancey, Larry Courville, and Karl Taylor)