Inspirational One-Handed Hockey Player Defying the Odds

ELLINGTON, CT — Most athletes shun wearing the number 13 for superstitious reasons, but donning that jersey has been anything but unlucky for Caden Gesualdi of the Tri-Town ice hockey team. The Ellington High School freshman has assumed a semi-regular role as a forward, tallying a goal and an assist thus far, and remarkably is doing so despite what is referred to as a "limb difference."

Born without a right hand, Caden began learning to skate at age 5, and that same year joined the South Windsor Youth Hockey Association mite program. A decade later, he is now a contributor to a high school program that is currently ranked third in Connecticut in Division III.

Some one-handed athletes have experienced success in various endeavors, most notably former major league baseball pitcher Jim Abbott, but to date, the physically demanding sport of hockey has not been among them. The lone pro hockey player with just one hand has been Scott Stafford, a Canadian who appeared in seven games for the Wedemark Scorpions in a professional league in Germany in 2015.

Caden plays with a two-part prosthesis; the socket is custom-fitted to his arm, which ends just below his elbow, and attached to that is a terminal device, with which he holds his hockey stick. He first began using a prosthesis about two years into his hockey-playing days.

"At first, I just used to tuck my stick under my armpit," he said in a recent interview. The Shriners Hospital in Springfield, Mass. eventually outfitted him with a socket, which he used through Pee Wee hockey before upgrading to a shorter version, "which helps me manipulate the puck better."

He played mainly on "B" teams in youth hockey, but was called up to the Bantam A-team last year. Moving on to the high school team as a freshman means he is now playing against players two or three years older for the first time.

"The size and speed of the other players is overwhelming, but playing with them has helped me improve a lot," he said.

Caden did not get any ice time during the first three games this season, but when he finally got into the lineup, he recorded his first career point, an assist on the team's only goal during a 4-1 loss to the Redhawks co-op on Jan. 13. His line's performance in that game earned them a starting bid in the next game against Enfield/East Granby.

"We had earned the start together through hard work," he said. "Being able to play and contribute as much as I have has been huge for me. I want to continue to improve and be there for my team anytime they need me."

The pinnacle of Caden's season occurred on Feb. 12 at the Enfield Twin Rinks against the Newington co-op team. Trailing 3-0 in the second period, teammate Noah Hale broke out of his own zone and sped past center ice on a 2-on-1. He slid the puck to the left circle to Caden, who received the pass, took a stride and buried a wrist shot into the net for his first high school goal. The moment was captured on video on hudl.com.

"I just put my head down and skated as fast as I could to the net, blew past the defense, caught the pass and shot it in," he said. "I froze in disbelief for a second, then it became real for me when my teammates rushed over and mobbed me."

Despite his individual milestone, Caden prefers to focus on the team's success. With one regular season game remaining, Tri-Town is 11-7-1, including four overtime victories, and will be hosting a first-round game in the CIAC state tournament. He said a particularly thrilling moment was a 1-0 overtime win over Division I Suffield/Granby/Windsor Locks on Feb. 2.

Tri-Town coach Kyle Fijalkowski said of Caden, "He's fit in very well. He's a great kid, so I think it was pretty easy for him. He's also a great teammate on and off the ice, and has certainly proved he can handle his part in practice and games. The kids obviously respect him for that. He's very mature for a freshman and gives great effort, so he's been a great player to coach thus far."

With the XII Paralympic Winter Games slated to begin in less than two weeks in PyeongChang, South Korea, much attention will be drawn to the popular sport of sled hockey. However, dreams abound in Caden's mind that standing/amputee ice hockey may eventually become an Olympic event. Founded in June of 2000, the American Amputee Hockey Association operates under the USA Hockey umbrella.

Caden recently met a young boy born with one hand who plays hockey at the mite level in Massachusetts. He said he had only previously encountered one other one-handed hockey player, at a youth tournament in New Hampshire.

"It turns out we had met as kids years before at Shriners Hospital," he said.

Caden has some inspirational words to aspiring youth athletes facing situations similar to his.

"Just because you are facing a challenge doesn't mean you can't do something if you set your mind to it."

Photos courtesy of Leah Gesualdi