Leeds Knights: Kieran Brown beaming with pride after being awarded captaincy for 2022-23 NIHL National campaign

The 21-year-old forward has been handed the role by head coach Ryan Aldridge, who believes he is ready - despite his tender years - to shoulder the responsibility.

In the course of the coming weeks, assistant captains will also be revealed by Aldridge, with all players wearing a letter - as well as other significant figures on the roster - forming part of a wider leadership group charged with carrying the Knights forward.

There will be some in the game for who Brown’s accession may come as a surprise, chiefly because of his age but, when handed the ‘C’ on a temporary basis for one game last season, he impressed Aldridge to the extent that the coach saw him as somebody who could prove to be the kind of leader he wanted both on and off the ice on a more regular basis.

The Knights have made no secret of how central they see Brown - who would undoubtedly light up a number of Elite League rosters - to their ambitions in the next couple of years and have gone a long way to make staying with them as attractive as possible.

Brown, who came up through the Bradford Bulldogs junior system just 11 miles away, sees his elevation to leading man status as an opportunity to mature further, both as a player and as a person.

It was a journey he began last season when he led the league in scoring in such spectacular style.

“I feel really privileged to be honest,” said Brown about the captaincy. “I’m really happy that Ryan has chosen me. We sat down a few times over the summer and he was asking if I wanted to do it, if I wanted to take that role on and I was keen to do so.

“It’s a massive learning curve for me. Sammy (Zajac) and others will be there alongside me to help me along the way with it, too, though.

“I think it’s about maturing and being a leader on and off the ice, not slamming your stick, not being that young kid - a kid I obviously once was. It’s about maturing as a player and as a person.

“That’s something I need to do both as a player and as a human being, really. I feel it’s going to really help me become a better player and a better person.”

Aldridge admits Brown’s willingness to commit himself to the Knights for at least two more years like his head coach - was undoubtedly another factor in the decision.

“Kieran is invested in this hockey club,” said Aldridge who, like Brown, signed a two-year deal in the summer. “He wants to be here for as long as I’m here - for the next two years and hopefully longer, if he wants to do that.

“He’s a massive part of our on-ice product, he’s a massive part of that locker room. So there are lots of different reasons behind it for me - it will make him see a different side of the game, hold him accountable in different ways.

“He is only 21 but he’s been around good teams in his career already, in Sheffield for instance - he’s already done a lot in his career at such a young age.

“When he was handed the ‘C’ for one game last season, he took such massive pride in that and for me that meant a lot.

“And so right from the start, as soon as we knew he was coming back for two years, I knew he was going to be my captain.”