Caleb MacLeish’s attitude during last year’s playoff series versus the St. Catharines Falcons told Pelham Panthers coach/assistant general manager Zac Rinaldo all he needed to know about the gritty forward.

MacLeish was suffering from a sprained ankle but begged Rinaldo to keep him in the lineup so he could be in the trenches with his teammates.

“He said, ‘I don’t care if you use me for two minutes. I just want to be on the bench.’ And I used him for penalty kill only. He had a sprained ankle and did not want to leave the bench, did not want to stop playing. 

“He’s got the heart of the lion.”

That attitude didn’t surprise Rinaldo, who said the 19-year-old forward is a total team player.

“He is a player that will do anything to help the team win. So if I tell him I need a goal, he will go out and he’ll try his best to get a goal. If I need him to block a shot with his face, he’s going to go out there and block a shot with his face,” Rinaldo said.

Rinaldo also feels MacLeish is a natural leader.

“He’s just got that alpha vibe to him, but a respectful alpha vibe,” Rinaldo said. “He’s got confidence naturally and part of his aura is he leads by example, but also is very vocal on the bench. He kind of has it all. He’s always been a natural leader in our dressing room.”

Rinaldo figures MacLeish gets his leadership and attitude from his genes — his uncle, the late Rick MacLeish, is a former National Hockey League sniper known know mostly for his time with the Philadelphia Flyers.

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