MATTHEW BARRON and Finley Bradon are proving the go-to guys for Leeds Knights in the early stages of the 2024-25 NIHL National campaign.

The Knights have made a perfect start to the defence of their second regular season crown, recording four regulation wins to put them joint-top with Yorkshire rivals, Hull Seahawks.

And Canadian forward Barron, along with 18-year-old Bradon are a big reason behind that flying start.

In just four games, Barron has registered seven goals and two assists, while Bradon has five goals and four assists.

LEADING LIGHTS: Matthew Barron (left) and Finley Bradon have posted nine points in four games.

placeholder image — LEADING LIGHTS: Matthew Barron (left) and Finley Bradon have posted nine points in four games.

Last season, 25-year-old Barron proved an invaluable part of the Knights team, posting 39 goals and 46 assists for an 85-point haul across 64 league, cup and play-off games.

Bradon, in his first full season with the Knights, posted eight goals and 14 assists, in a campaign which saw him gain more ice time the longer it went on.

For the past three seasons, Kieran Brown has been the Knights’ top points-scorer - in fact, the league’s leading scorer in both 2022-23 and 2023-24.

Having missed the first two games of the season through injury, Brown wasted no time in getting up and running the following weekend when he scored a hat-trick and assist in the 7-0 win at Bristol Pitbulls, adding a helper in the following night’s 6-4 win at Telford Tigers.

Summer signing Matt Bissonnette and fellow forward Mac Howlett sit between Brown and the top two with seven points each.