Kyle Craddick may be playing in a new home when he takes the ice for the Bobcats this season, but he'll be no stranger to a lively atmosphere.
That same environment was frequent at the freshman's former home in Minot, North Dakota, home of the Minot Minotauros, an American Tier II junior ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League.
The small town has a population just under 50,000, according to the U.S Census Bureau, but carries a strong passion for its local hockey team, which finished 38-18-4 last season.
"Playing in Minot was fun," Craddick said. "It was a nice little hockey town. It was in the middle of nowhere, but they really supported us and the whole town and community got around the team. ... You could wear your tracksuit out to the malls and stores, and everyone would come and talk to you."
The 6-foot-1-inch forward registered five points in 22 games for the Minotauros, according to eliteprospects.com, and should provide much needed depth for an Ohio team that lost five forwards to graduation after last season.
Craddick hopes to provide the Bobcats with a physical threat and use the prolonged success of the program to keep improving his game.
"I just never stop working," Craddick said. "I'm good on the walls and pretty good at the faceoff circle as well."
Coming to Ohio
Craddick won't be the first in his family to play for the Bobcats.
The Dayton native's father played for the hockey program in the early '80s, and Craddick wanted to continue having his family's name run through the club.
"He had a lot," Craddick said of his father's impact in choosing Ohio as his next path in hockey. "Obviously, he wanted me to choose wherever, but I wanted to play where my dad played, too."
In addition to looking forward to playing in the same rink as his father, Craddick is happy that his parents will get to be at his games more often.
"When I was in Minot — which was pretty far away — my parents didn't get to watch me that much, so they'll get to watch me now," Craddick said.
Craddick is also eager to play with Grant Hazel, who's also a "big Dayton guy" and helped out in making Craddick feel at home during his visit to campus.
"(He) was also a reason why I decided to come here," Craddick said of Hazel. "I came and took a visit here with him and stayed with him, so now we got two Dayton guys here."
Craddick may be transitioning back to the life of a student and college hockey player following a year with the Minotauros, but he'll be doing so at a school that already carries several components that will remind him of places he previously called home.
