GREENSBORO – Local hockey players are following in the footsteps of recent area standouts, excelling on the ice for their youth teams.
Greensboro’s Caden and Torin Stuart both had contributions last week to lead their Lyndon Area Youth Hockey Association (LAYHA) 10U Tier 4 team to a 1-0-1 record. Caden recorded an assist in a 2-2 tie with Chittenden-S. Burlington two Saturdays ago and on Sunday, Torin and Caden each scored a goal to lead the Redwings to a decisive 8-1 win over Burlington. Caden recorded an assist in a 6-3 loss to Rutland over the weekend.
The brother tandem both attend St. Paul’s Catholic School out of Barton and have been skating since they were six and seven years old. Their father Michael Stuart is the head coach of the Redwings and grew up playing the game in Massachusetts at a high level.
Like many small schools around the state, aspiring hockey players have to travel to surrounding high schools that have programs to try and make a team. Former Hazen Union multi-sport standouts Andrew Menard and Max Fortmann are recent examples. Menard finished his career as a starting defensive captain for a Lyndon Institute team that made it to the Division II Final Four in 2024. Fortmann was on that roster and finished his high school ice hockey career with the Stowe Raiders last winter. By rule, aspiring Vermont high school hockey players whose school doesn’t have a program, must play where a fellow student currently plays. Caden and Torin’s mother Denise cites local high school careers like Menard’s and Fortmann’s as shining examples for her sons.
“We put skates on Caden and Torin since they were really young and they loved it! They have been able to watch some of the older kids play along the way like Andrew, Max and Felix. Living in the Mountain View School District, we haven’t decided where they will attend high school yet. We all went to our first NHL game in February and also got to meet Bruin’s legend Terry O’Reilly this past summer. There is a hockey culture in the area that the kids are pretty dedicated to and all of this has fueled their love for the sport,” said Denise.
Other locals on the ice this winter include Hardwick’s Gracie and Paige Cruickshank. Gracie attends Hardwick Elemenary and plays for the Black Bears 10U Tier 2 team out of Barre. Paige attends Hazen Union and is a standout for the Vermont Flames U14 Elite team. Waylon Mercier, grandson of Phil Mercier, skates for the Barre Black Bears 10U Tier 5 team.
The Redwings will be back in action on Saturday at Barre and will host Middlebury on Sunday at Fenton Chester Arena in Lyndonville.
