Queensbury's Kyle Ball will focus on hockey after high school.

Queensbury's Kyle Ball has graduated from high school but plans to play one more season of travel hockey with the CP Dynamo when hockey resumes in August.

This year will be his final year of youth hockey before he has to choose which junior hockey team he will play for.

Ball chose to play the past four seasons with the Clifton Park-based Dynamo rather than his high school team, the Queensbury Spartans.

“Playing for the Dynamo felt like a better opportunity, giving me a better chance to eventually play at a higher level in college,” said Ball, who graduated from Queensbury High School last week. “The Dynamo is just a higher level of hockey and I get to play against some of the best players in the country. A lot of high school kids just play hockey as a sport, but with the Dynamo, the kids work hard and want to play hockey in the future.”

Ball, 18, had his best season last year with the CP Dynamo 18U AAA team, scoring nine goals and 14 assists for a total of 23 points, a career-high in goals for what is typically a “defensive defenseman.”

“I've always known that as a defensive defenseman I need to focus on defense, but I've been more aggressive lately,” said Ball, who is 6-foot-1 and weighs 200 pounds. “I've been working on shooting the puck more and getting involved in the rush. Nine goals isn't too many goals, but it's definitely an improvement from last year.”

Ball was also a state champion in track and field, winning the Division I title in the boys discus with a throw of 164 feet, 9 inches and placing second in the federation as a junior in 2023. Last month, he finished fifth in the state in DI, but a week later competed at the New Balance Nationals at the University of Pennsylvania, where he set a personal best with a throw of 179 feet, 3 inches and placed ninth overall.

Although discus is a second sport for Ball, he feels a deep connection to it.

“I set a new personal record of 179 points at the national meet this season and it was really fun to give it one last go,” Ball said. “It's my second sport but I've put a lot of time into it and it's nice to be able to share that experience with my dad, brother and grandfather who all threw in high school.”

Ball credits some of his hockey skills to what he learned in track and field.

“The discipline of showing up to practice every day. Even if you don't do it right, you just practice it over and over again until you get it right and perfect,” he said. “Also, the rotational force when you throw. It helps with core strength. The release when you throw the discus is very similar to when you release the puck – you're rotating your body.”

Entering his final season with the CP Dynamo, Ball has several skills he wants to hone for the next level of hockey.

“One of the things I'm working on is my speed and conditioning,” Ball said. “I want to show my team that I'm competitive and I'm physically strong. I want to show my team that I'm tough and I'm willing to fight and I'll stand up for my teammates.”

In searching for a junior team, Ball doesn't have any particular preference, he's just looking for a place where he can compete at the highest level possible.

“I'll go anywhere,” he said. “I just want to be in the best place for me and play the best games.”