By Joshua Boyd / NCDCHockey.com
The National Collegiate Development Conference is proud to announce that P.A.L. Jr. Islanders forward Ryan Kearney has been named the Atlantic Division 2023-24 Rookie Of The Year.
Kearney, a former player and student-athlete at The Hill School, came in and put up 17 goals and 32 assists for 49 points in his first 52 NCDC games. The 2004-born native of Kings Park, N.Y., also registered 14 points in 11 games over three exciting postseason series. His 49 points in the regular season were seventh all-time for the P.A.L., and his 14 points were good for second most in a single P.A.L. playoff season as well.
Prior to his time with The Hill School, Kearney had come up through the prestigious Long Island Royals and Long Island Gulls. He also played in the 2017 Quebec Pee Wee International Tournament with the Jr. Islanders. That certainly kept him on the radar screen for the NCDC team.
“I would to like to start by saying I value this award tremendously and I appreciate everyone that helped me achieve it,” said Kearney. “I would like to thank everyone who helped this year. It wouldn’t have been possible without my team, especially the leadership group and coaches holding us to a high standard. We surpassed many of the goals and expectations we had as a team and I would not have wanted to do it with anyone else. I hope we can use our success this year and bring it into next year.”
“We are very happy to see Ryan get acknowledged for his success,” added P.A.L. Head Coach Mike Marcou. “He has a tremendous skill set. We are excited to keep working with him and developing his game.”
The NCDC joins the P.A.L. Jr. Islanders in congratulating Ryan Kearney on being named the Atlantic Division 2023-24 Rookie Of The Year.
About The NCDC
The National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC) was founded in 2017 as the Tuition-Free Tier II conference of the United States Premier Hockey League, itself founded in 2012. The NCDC consists of 18 teams in three divisions, two on the Eastern Seaboard and one in the Rocky Mountain states of Colorado, Utah and Idaho.
The NCDC has sent more than 250 alumni to play NCAA Division I hockey, and more than 900 overall into NCAA college hockey. There were also more than 250 alumni in pro hockey around the world during the 2023-24 season. Former NCDC player Drew O’Connor has become a regular with the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, Collin Graf recently signed and has played with the San Jose Sharks, and there have been seven players selected in the NHL Entry Draft from the NCDC.
