Intro: Meet Caden Price
Caden Price was born August 24, 2005, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
I asked him how he originally got into hockey, and he said, “I’d say probably, my dad. He was always really involved in the game, and he started playing himself from a young age, so he’s always kind of had a passion for the game, and his dad too. At a young age, he just put me on skates and always was involved with my hockey, so he kind of started it all for me.”
I asked Caden to tell me what his favorite thing about hockey is, to which he replied by saying, “I mean, that’s a tough question, to be honest. I think there’s a lot of different things. I think one of those things is just improving every day, seeing growth, and getting better. That’s one of the things I just love about the sport is that there’s always areas to improve. Ever since I started playing, I’ve just had a passion for the sport and for the game, and it’s something that has never left, so I stay motivated and just continue, and I love the sport.”
I asked him to give me his favorite hockey memory, and he said, “I think it’s a recent one, to be honest. Winning the Gold with the Hlinka team in the Summer. I think that was just incredible, getting to do that with such a tight group of guys and to do it on home soil for my first time in the international stage was pretty surreal.”
Player Highlights
Price is a defender that shoots left-handed, stands at 6’1, and weighs 181 lbs.
This season with the Kelowna Rockets, Price had 40 total points – five goals and 35 assists. Of his five goals, two were on a power play, and another two were insurance goals. Of his assists, 19 of them were from power play opportunities. On top of that, he had 130 shots on goal, 43 penalty minutes, 0.62 points per game, as well as 0.66 PIM per game. He gave me his thoughts on his performance and development this season, saying, “I mean, it was an up-and-down year for not only myself but my team. It’s kind of tough, we lost a lot of one-goal games near the start of the year and obviously losing our captain, Colton Dach, out to an injury…We faced a lot of adversity, and I kind of was playing through an injury from October on. I think it was definitely a decent year, but I’m pretty hard on myself, and I expect a lot out of myself. Hopefully, next year in Kelowna, we can be a little bit better and hopefully make a run in the playoffs…I think, for sure, defensively, I’ve gotten a lot better. I only started playing defense in my Pee Wee second year, so I’ve always had more offensive instincts for a defenseman.”
He thinks he’s been able to develop his skating skills a lot as it’s one of his skills that he impacts the game with on all parts of the ice.
I asked Caden about what the most challenging and most fun parts of playing his position are. “Most difficult thing is obviously defending the best of the best. Whether it’s off the rush or in close areas, I think it’s tough. I mean, everybody is getting bigger, stronger, and faster in today’s game. I think keeping up with everybody is a tough task, and when you’re set up to play against the other team’s best players, it can definitely be challenging. I mean, I love the defensive position. I just feel I read the play well from the back end, and I think opening up and setting up plays, and my passing abilities are something I really enjoy about playing defense.”
Draft dedication
When I asked Price how it feels to be getting scouted by all of these teams recently, he told me, “I mean, it’s a pretty cool feeling, I think. Being under the spotlight is definitely something that every kid dreams of and wants to have. I mean, I love it and having the pressure, it’s awesome, and you kind of just take it day by day.”
As I asked Caden what he can bring to the team he gets drafted to, he said, “I think I make an impact in the game, especially a positive impact as soon as I step foot on the ice. I think my competitiveness – I think I bring a winning mentality to a team, and I love to win. I think those are some key things, and I’m pretty versatile, so I can make a pretty positive impact in a lot of different roles.”
Caden looks forward to enjoying the draft week with his “family and friends and getting to spend some quality time in Nashville, a place I’ve never been. I don’t think any of my family ever has either, so I think just making sure I’m getting to spend some good time with them.”
Some of Caden Price’s rankings include:
- #37 by Elite Prospects
- #47 by FloHockey
- #49 by Draft Prospects Hockey
- #73 by The Hockey News
- #28 by Dobber Prospects
Personal Perspective
Based on my interview with him, I can tell that Caden Price is a very grounded athlete. He has a ton of talent but still makes sure he always knows that there’s room for him to improve. Based on where he’s ranked in the pre-draft rankings, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him drafted as high as the second round. I hope to see Caden as a leader in the NHL in the near future.
