Caden Cranston took the long way to Div. 1 NCAA hockey

There aren't many players in Div. 1 college hockey who can say they went through the USPHL Premier to the NCDC to the BCHL to get to the top of hockey's development pyramid.

In fact, there are just three, and the most productive is Merrimack College's Caden Cranston. He just completed his sophomore year with a 7-15—22 in 38 games playing about 19 minutes a night, and helped his team to its first Hockey East championship in school history. But the path from high school hockey in upstate New York to raising a banner at TD Garden in Boston was, as you can probably guess, not a straight line.

It all started when Jason Bonsignore, the fourth overall pick in the 1994 NHL draft, started coaching Cranston around his age-13 season. As a high-end draft pick, Bonsignore played in top levels of competition like the OHL and World Juniors growing up, then played professionally in several different leagues, including 79 games in the NHL. He saw a level of talent and understanding in Cranston that had to be nurtured.

"He always kind of told me that I had what it took to get to the next level," Cranston told Elite Prospects. "He just saw the vision that I had for the game, and I feel like he would always tell me that I had the ability to make players around me better. So, I mean, when a guy like that, who was drafted so high in the NHL and he had been through the OHL and played from the top teams growing up, [you take his advice]."

And that advice wasn't that Cranston should chase high-end opportunities in places like the USHL or the CHL, but instead try to play in leagues where he would get as much ice time as possible. Because while the goal was always to play Div. 1 hockey, there are many years of development and growth between your early teens and the point where you're even really being considered by NCAA programs.

So Cranston started playing high school hockey in Rochester, New York, then 16U AAA in Connecticut during the pandemic because he hadn't yet hit his growth spurt. But after that, it was time to take a step up.

"Honestly, I was kind of delusional," he said. "I thought I was still going to play Div. 1 hockey, and didn't realize how far I was, maybe, at that time."

So he joined Bonsignore as a member of the USPHL Premier's Buffalo Stampede, a pay-to-play league where he was playing against opponents who were four or five years older than him. And while he had a very productive season there (19-44—63 in 44 games) as a 17-year-old, he knew he could use that league as a stepping stone to another opportunity that would get him in front of college hockey coaches on a more regular basis.

"It was an interesting year," Cranston said. "I had a lot of fun, and I feel like it helped me a lot, just learning what junior hockey was kinda like."

Because he was so productive as a younger player in the USPHL Premier, the NCDC came calling, and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands. His game was now officially raising eyebrows. And under coach Jared Kersner with the New Jersey Rockets, Cranston's offensive production exploded; he led the league in scoring with 18-58—76 in just 50 games, which he attributes both to more skilled teammates and Kersner really pushing the mental side of his game now that he was a consistent scorer. A few of his younger teammates on that team are now committed to Div. 1 schools after continuing to move up the development ladder into leagues like the NAHL and USHL.

Toward the end of that 2022-23 season, colleges became interested in Cranston as well. He initially committed to Bentley, but when the Falcons made a coaching change a few months later, he surveyed his options once again. He could have stuck with that program or continued to develop his game. When the BCHL's Surrey Eagles and coach and general manager Cam Keith came calling, he went up for a little while over the summer and liked what he saw. It was an easy decision for Cranston to extend his junior career another season. He found instant chemistry with Aaron Schwartz and Ryden Evers. Together, they bullied the BCHL, with Cranston leading the league in points and assists, and Schwartz finishing second in goals. At that point, his production garnered him some USHL interest, but he wanted to see the season through in Surrey. They went on to win the BCHL championship.

Cranston estimates that because of that individual and team success, he might have talked to as many as 20 interested NCAA teams in just a few days at a showcase in Seattle. Schwartz is now at Quinnipiac, and Evers, who's a year younger, just signed an NHL deal with the Seattle Kraken after only one WHL season. Cranston, of course, ended up at Merrimack.

"It was honestly pretty surreal," Cranston said. "Obviously, every kid dreams about having so many options. When that happens, you have the most confidence you can have. It was a lot of fun."

Over his two seasons with the Warriors, Cranston made himself a middle-of-the-lineup fixture who contributes in every zone. He might have had visions of NCAA glory back when he was playing high school games in 2019, but a lot of hockey happened between now and then, for six different clubs across six different leagues. But by feeling like he never wanted to get too comfortable, and continue developing all aspects of his game, Cranston found right where he belonged.

"I just felt like the biggest thing was slowly making steps up the ladder," he said. "Not making a huge jump, like maybe going from the NCDC to the USHL, and just going to the BCHL to kind of feel it out there. I feel like that helped me not get overwhelmed. I'm really happy with how that went. My coaches and all the teams I played for really helped me guide that path."