A Western New Yorker leads the league in scoring in one of the top Junior Hockey leagues in the United States.
As a rookie in the United States Premier Hockey League’s NCDC Division, Rochester’s Caden Cranston has 12 goals and 28 assists in 29 games for the Rockets Hockey Club. Cranston’s 40 points leads the NCDC by five points.
The Webster-Schroeder High School-product was humble about his success this year in an interview Tuesday with the Nickel City Hockey Network.
“I mean nobody can really expect to lead the league in points going into the season,” Cranston said. “But I’ve had some great coaching and line mates that have helped me get to this point so far.”
Cranston credits the Rockets Hockey Club staff for helping him continue to grow his game in his second season of junior hockey.
“The Rockets really have great development all around, but especially when it comes to the mental side of the game,” Cranston points out. “They stress how important living in the moment, and just being strong mentally can help you in all aspects of hockey. I think that has really helped me grow as a player.”
The 18-year-old played last season with the Buffalo Stampede in the USPHL’s Premier Division. In 2021-22, Cranston played in all 44 Stampede games and led the club in scoring with 19 goals, 44 assists, and 63 points.
Despite the Stampede finishing with a 8-34-2 record, Cranston was named to the USPHL Premier’s Atlantic West All Star Team. Following last year, he signed a tender to move up to the NCDC level with the New Jersey-based Rockets Hockey Club.
With RHC in 22-23, Cranston has only been kept off the scoresheet 6 times out of 29 games, while he has 12 multi-point games. In the Rockets last two games, Cranston recorded 3 assists in each contest. Additionally, he leads all NCDC first-year players in scoring by a whopping 18-point margin.
RHC currently sits in 5th in a very competitive NCDC South Division, but defeated the division-leading Jersey Hitmen in their most recent game and only 10 points separate the two squads in the standings.
“Our team is really starting to find our identity and should be a real threat in the playoff race,” says Cranston. “I think our main goal for the rest of the season is to just focus one game at a time and hopefully find ourselves with the Dineen Cup come March.”
The NCDC (National Collegiate Development Conference) is considered Tier 2 Junior Hockey, like the North American Hockey League (NAHL). Dozens of players from the NCDC and NAHL commit to NCAA Division I programs every year.
Cranston and the Rockets Hockey Club return from their Holiday Break Friday January 6th for a home matchup with the Mercer Chiefs.
