NCDC Die-Hards: WBS Knights’ Rocco Luciano

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The NCDC Die-Hards profile series focuses on NCDC players from the 2024-25 season who have re-signed and registered with the same team for the 2025-26 season. 

By Joshua Boyd / USPHL.com 

It’s almost time to start Year 4 for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights in the NCDC, and they are certainly gearing up for what they hope will be their best year yet.

The Knight have signed multiple returning veterans who have bought into everything the multi-tiered organization has preached, including returning forward Rocco Luciano. 

A 2007-born native of Chicago, Ill., Luciano first joined the Knights’ 18U team in 2023-24 after the Knights selected him in the 2023 NCDC Entry Draft. That was the season that also saw him make his NCDC debut. He was back with the 18U Knights in 2024-25, earning NCDC call-ups in October, November and December of 2024. After scoring 27 points in 20 18U games, he became an NCDC Knights regular from February until the end of the season. 

“Since joining the Knights in 2023-24, I feel like my game has grown a lot in every area. I’m stronger, faster, and more confident on the ice, and I see the game better,” said Luciano. “Coach Andy Scott and the entire organization have played a huge role in that — they have pushed me, given me honest feedback, and helped me see what I’m capable of.”

During his time with the NCDC Knights last season, Luciano posted a 2-4-6 line in 17 games, showing he is on pace to make an even bigger contribution this season. 

“During my 17 NCDC games last year, I felt my confidence and comfort level really grow with each game,” Luciano said. “I was playing with more energy, using my strength more effectively, and making plays I might not have tried earlier in the season. The pace and physicality helped me push my limits, and by the end, I felt like I belonged at that level and could make an impact.

“The main reason I decided to come back for a third season was Coach Andy Scott. He’s had such a big impact on my development both on and off the ice. He pushes me to be my best, believes in me, and creates an environment where the whole team wants to work hard and succeed,” Luciano added. “At Wilkes, we have a very unique situation where we all get to live together at a dorm that ownership created for the organization. I also really enjoy playing with the guys on the team and living with the great group we have in the dorms.”

He expects that the team’s fantastic chemistry will help every player in pushing themselves to new levels in the upcoming season. 

“This season, I really want to keep building on my speed and overall strength in my 200-foot game. The game keeps getting faster, so I’m focused on improving my first few steps and explosiveness, while also getting stronger,” he added. “I’m also looking to take more of a leadership role to show scouts that I’m not one-dimensional.”

Facing many of the top teams from the last few seasons every time out in the Atlantic Conference is another big help to every Knights player’s game. There’s never an easy game. 

“It’s an honor to still play on the NCDC team that originally drafted me. To play in one of the original conferences every game is a battle, and the compete level is high from start to finish,” he said. “The challenge pushes me to be better, and I love being part of it.”