Leeds Knights - How new role has allowed Fin Bradon to flourish in NIHL National

Having signed a two-way deal for the 2022-23 season between the Knights and the Billingham Stars – the club where he had come through the junior ranks – the 18-year-old forward made steady progress under the watchful eye of head coach Ryan Aldridge.

But it is the current campaign where the youngster’s talents have truly come to the fore.

Signed solely as a Knights player by Aldridge, he has already gone past the 40 appearances he made the previous season when the West Yorkshire club won a memorable league and play-off double.

This time around, in 42 appearances, he has posted seven goals and 11 assists. Last season he posted four goals and three assists, while he ripped it up for Billingham one level lower when scoring 31 goals and 16 assists in just 33 games.

The only games he has missed for the Knights came when he was away on international duty with team-mates Oli Endicott and Bailey Perre with Great Britain Under-20s at the Division 2A World Championships in Dumfries in December.

He bagged a goal and assist in the five games which saw GB settle for a bronze medal, but it is since his return from Scotland that he has gone on to flourish, finding himself centreing the top line of captain Kieran Brown and import forward Matt Barron in recent weeks.

His form and willingness to improve has won him plaudits from coaches, team-mates and fans alike.

“He’s an unbelievable guy, very much a team-first guy and there’s no drama with him,” said Aldridge.

“I moved him to the middle and he has flourished there. He seems way more confident and sees more of the puck which is good and makes the right plays and has come on leaps and bounds.

“I think he has a natural confidence anyway in his ability and so he should. We talked about him stepping up again and being ready for that chance and he’s taken it with both hands.”

Once he has a couple more NIHL National campaigns under his belt, Aldridge is convinced Darlington-born Bradon has the ability to play at a higher level, whether that is in the Elite League or elsewhere in Europe.

“He is certainly one of the better Brits in this league and it all depends on what he wants to do long-term,” added Aldridge. “At the moment he’s doing an engineering apprenticeship now and that is great for him but it is just about whether he wants to get into the real world and get a proper job or be in the hockey world.

Bradon found himself centering a different line last weekend, but it is ability and willingness to adapt that makes him a coaches’ dream in Aldridge’s eyes.

It also makes him a good player to play alongside, as leading scorer Brown has found to his benefit in recent weeks.

“He’s been great,” said Brown, who reached 50 goals at the weekend. “After he came back from GB 20s in Dumfries just before Christmas, he’s come back full of confidence.

“Ryan has given him his shot and he’s taken it and he is doing unbelievably well. He’s a really smart player.

“I like playing with him because he’s a young lad and I’ve been in that same situation, so I’m trying to help him along as much as I can.

“He’s doing a great job and with Matty being on the other side of him, he;s got another guy he can learn from and when Ryan has played us together as a three, it’s been a really effective line.”