Certain players have a presence about them whenever they step on the ice.
Danny Rock is one of them, a player capable of changing the flow of a game whenever he has the puck on his stick.
The Souderton senior put together a remarkable season in 2014.
In 22 games for the Indians, Rock amassed 44 goals and added 34 assists for 78 points. Those numbers made him the leading scorer in the Class AA bracket of the SHSHL and also earned him the Intelligencer Player of the Year award.
Rock’s efforts also helped Souderton reach the finals of the Class AA Flyers Cup. He was the leading scorer in the tournament with nine goals and six assists in four games.
His most memorable performance came in a Flyers Cup quarterfinal against Haverford when he scored six goals and assisted on another in his team’s 8-4 win.
Rock didn’t play high school hockey when he first came to Souderton, preferring to concentrate on club hockey instead. But at the start of the 2012-13 season, Souderton coach Matt Montagna eventually persuaded him to come out for the team, doubtless with some help from Rock’s future teammates.
“I was pretty good friends with all the kids on the team,” Rock recalls. “It’s a different atmosphere from club, having all your friends from school at the games.”
Montagna put Rock on a line with Alex Politsky, and for two seasons the tandem formed a dynamic offensive force. This season, the pair combined for 149 points.
“The reason we have a lot of chemistry is that we’re best friends,” Rock said. “We’ve been playing on the same line for two years. That allows me to attack a little bit more; (Politsky) tends to read the play and react to it.”
Montagna says Rock has some intangible qualities that set him apart.
“One thing is, he never stops,” Montagna said. “He’s just going at a speed that’s faster than everybody else. He’s not the fastest kid on the ice but he never stops.
“The other thing he has is a balance of skill and toughness. A lot of kids have one or the other, but he has both. He’s able to put it all together, and that’s tough for kids his age.”
Rock has seen his game evolve over the course of his two seasons at Souderton.
“My skills have gotten better,” he said. “I’m older, I’ve gotten stronger, and my stick-handling skills have gotten stronger.”
A new phase of Rock’s career is at hand. He expects to play elite-level midget hockey next season, with hopes of going on to college from there.
But he’s left an indelible mark on the program at Souderton.
“He’s well respected in the hockey community,” Montagna said. “He was a great teammate. It was a pleasure to coach him.”