Leeds Knights young talent Finley Bradon determined to make his mark on international stage for GB

The 17-year-old has been a revelation since signing on a two-way deal from boyhood club Billingham Stars, his promise coming to the fore the longer the season has gone on.

But he does have a valid excuse for not being on the bench for the Knights – and, in fact, for the Stars – given he is away on international duty for the first-ever time with Great Britain Under-18s.

Coached by Raiders IHC head coach Sean Easton, the GB youngsters get their Division 2B World Championships campaign underway against Romania in the Serbian capital of Belgrade on Sunday.

Due to the pandemic, Bradon missed one chance to represent his country at Under-16 level before just missing out on last year’s Under-18 roster for Estonia when he was named as a reserve.

And while he will be keeping one eye on the play-off hopes of both his teams this weekend - the Stars head to Altrincham to face Whitley Warriors in the North One play-off semi-finals - he is desperate to experience his first taste of international hockey.

“It’s really exciting to be a part of this GB squad,” said Bradon, ahead of flying out to a pre-tournament training camp in Slovakia.

“I just want to do well for the team, make sure we play solid hockey and hopefully try and find a way to win gold. You don’t want to go over there and let anyone down.”

In all, Bradon has made 27 league appearances for the Knights, posting seven points including four goals. Along the way, there has been unanimous praise from head coach Ryan Aldridge and his team-mates.

For Billingham, his scoring has been prolific, posting 46 points in 31 league games – 30 of them goals.

“Last year I felt a little bit unlucky that I didn’t make it as a bottom-age player but I knew that this year would be my year to make sure I got in.

“So to get in was a relief, as well as being proud of myself to know that I’m among the best players in the country at my age – knowing that just makes you want to do your best even more.

“It’s unfortunate timing that I’ll miss the play-off games with Leeds and Billingham, but the chance to go to Slovakia and then Serbia and try to help the team win promotion has to be the priority.

“I’m sure there will be other opportunities to play play-off hockey in the future.”

Of his time at Leeds under head coach Ryan Aldridge, Bradon has nothing but good words.

"Obviously the deal was just to train once a week with the Knights and that’s all that was guaranteed for me, so that’s all I really expected,” explained Bradon.

"But obviously Ryan was saying he would get me on when I could and with how well Leeds have played this year, I went on a few times.

“Hopefully, i’ve tried impressin him a bit so it has led to getting more ice time as the year has gone on and I feel like I’ve showed that I can play in that league.”