ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Bishop Kearney Selects boys hockey program continued its ascendancy in the hockey world this June, as three of its former players were selected in the NHL Draft — a program first. 

 

With the additions of Cameron Reid (first round, Nashville Predators), Jack Murtagh (second round, Philadelphia Flyers) and Brady Peddle (third round, Pittsburgh Penguins) this year, seven BK Selects alumni have been chosen in the past three NHL Drafts. Also, at 21st overall, Reid became the first BK Selects alum to hear his name called in the first round.

 

It’s a lot to take in, especially for a program that didn’t even take the ice until the 2020s. It wouldn’t be sincere to say these developments are a surprise, but there’s still plenty of room for gratitude for all involved.

 

“It’s just an overwhelming sense of pride in the kids, for how they represented themselves after leaving BK,” said BK Selects Boys Hockey Director David Arduin. “And there’s pride for the staff at BK, all those who had an impact on their careers.

 

“It’s a confidence boost and confirmation of what we’re doing here and what our mission is.”

 

Reid, an agile Ontario-born defenseman, skated for BK Selects from 2021-23, leaving after captaining the 15O team. He went on to play the past two seasons for the Ontario Hockey League’s Kitchener Rangers, posting 54 points in 67 games as an alternate captain in 2024-25.

 

Reid said the Predators were complimentary of his overall game when they snagged his NHL rights at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. 

 

“They said they liked my skating and how I use that to my advantage,” Reid said. “They also like how I play to win and my competitiveness.”

 

At the Predators’ development camp, held in Nashville shortly after the draft, Reid said he got a quick education in how to prepare to become a professional.

 

“It was great,” he said. “I learned a lot there. We were on the ice a fair bit, (and also) working out and attending seminars with specific topics like nutrition, sleep, mindset and more, which was really cool to learn from.”

 

Murtagh, an explosive forward from suburban Albany, also played from 2021-23 at BK Selects, netting over 100 points in both his 14U and 15O seasons. He then became the second BK alum to make the U.S. National Team Development Program, skating two years for the Red, White and Blue. 

 

The Boston University commit said the Flyers showed their prospects a good time at their development camp last month, with an emphasis on team-building activities. Included was a paintball battle, a tour of Philadelphia and a trip to the beach in Atlantic City.

 

“It’s been unbelievable,” Murtagh said. “They brought me in and it feels like home.”

 

Murtagh said the Flyers emphasized their desire for him to continue to play the “hard, fast, physical” game that attracted NHL scouts in the first place. 

 

Peddle, an imposing defenseman from Nova Scotia, made his mark at BK Selects from 2022-24 before jumping to the United States Hockey League’s Waterloo Black Hawks for his pre-draft season. Peddle said it was “super surreal” to be drafted by “a great organization” in the Penguins, who made a point to hang Sidney Crosby’s jersey in the dressing room during their development camp.

 

“It’s been super fun,” Peddle said from Pittsburgh in the midst of the camp. “All the other draft picks this year are great guys.”

 

He also made sure to credit his older brother Tyler, a 2023 draft pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets, for pushing him beyond his preconceived limits. 

“He was always one-upping me with everything he did, so he inspired me to push harder,” Peddle said. 

 

Speaking of that sort of thing, Arduin said the increasing number of BK alums excelling at the next level benefits current BK Selects student-athletes in one particularly potent way: Role modeling.

 

In fact, Peddle took some time this past spring to chat via Zoom with the BK 16U team as it prepared for USA Hockey Nationals. 

 

“(Peddle) talked about getting them ready for Nationals, but also about what life was like at the next level and how hard it is,” Arduin said. “He talked about how the details and habits they learn at BK truly matter.

“Players here hear from the coaches about so many different aspects, ‘You gotta do this, you gotta do that. This is what the practice plan is.’ I think for some kids the message will hit a little harder when you hear it from our alumni. The best thing we can do is tap into our network, all the kids who’ve been drafted by the NHL, all the kids who’ve committed to and are playing in (NCAA) Division I hockey.”

 

Those are some of the practical benefits of having players to look up to, players who were once in the skates of current BK Selects. But it’s also an intangible, emotional lift for the entire program to see young men that are known well here achieve something significant. 

 

“The goal of this program is to be able to put players on the right path,” Arduin said. “It’s just reassuring, that what we’re doing is the right thing.”