The Reading Royals signed forward Solag Bakich to a standard player contract (SPO) on Tuesday. The 25-year-old from Dallas, Texas, has one assist in three games for the Royals. Bakich recently wrapped up his collegiate career at Notre Dame scoring three goals and five assists (8 points), and 39 blocked shots in 35 games for the Fighting Irish in the 2022-23 season.
Bakich played one season in the NAHL for the Bismarck Bobcats in 2015 scoring four goals and nine assists (13 points) in 45 games. In addition, he scored four goals and two assists (6 points) in 11 NAHL playoff games.
Bakich played three seasons in the USHL for the Des Moines Buccaneers, Sioux City Musketeers, and Waterloo Black Hawks with 22 goals and 29 assists (51 points) in 121 games. In addition, he has one goal and four assists (5 points) in eight USHL playoff games.
Collegiately, Bakich played four seasons at Notre Dame (2019-22) with 13 goals and 20 assists (33 points) on 169 shots in 108 games for the Fighting Irish. He is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten.
In addition, the Royals signed goalie Matt Vernon to a standard player contract on Tuesday. The 25-year-old from San Jose, California, wrapped up his collegiate career at Colorado College with a record of 4-6-1, a 2.57 GAA, and a .905 SV% in 12 games for the Tigers in the 2022-23 season.
Vernon played one season for the Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL) with a record of 0-1, a 12.00 GAA, and a .714 save percentage in one game in the 2017-18 season. Then, he played two seasons for the Aberdeen Wings (NAHL) with a record of 40-9-7, a 1.94 GAA, eight shutouts, and a .934 save percentage in 75 games.
In addition, his record in the NAHL playoffs was 11-5-1, with a 1.86 GAA, and a .928 save percentage. He is a member of the 2018-19 NAHL Robertson Cup Championship team.
Furthermore, he was named NAHL (Central) Goaltender of the Year, NAHL (Central) Most Valuable Player, NAHL All-Central Division Team, NAHL First All-Star Team, NAHL Goaltender of the Year, NAHL Robertson Cup All-Tournament Team, and NAHL Robertson Cup MVP.
After the NAHL, Vernon played four seasons at Colorado College (2018-22) with a record of 15-37-6, a 3.16 GAA, three shutouts, and a .899 save percentage for the Tigers.
