Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000105 EndHTML:0000010129 StartFragment:0000002436 EndFragment:0000010093
The Battlefords North Stars have embarked on the 2018-19 Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League schedule with a heavy dose of home games being played at the Civic Centre. The club has a brand new pair of coaches including the head coach, Brayden Klimosko and assistance coach Brett Parker. Thus far, from all reviews, the North Stars have chosen a good pair of leaders for the young men on the ice. They will lead the players in the dressing room and in the community.
It is important to recognize the players are not only taught skills in the arena, but values for life as they participate in a game they love. Many are living away from friends and family. Many have a desire to pursue post-secondary studies. This is why the coaching staff and executive are so important as role models for these young men.
The North Stars had a mass exodus of players after the 2017-18 season, with many having played their last year of eligibility. For many, it was a disappointing end of the season as, for various reasons, the club underperformed. This was not necessarily the fault of the players on the ice. Hopefully mistakes incurred by the club are lessons learned for the future. As mentioned, the executive has begun to make amends by having signed a fine coaching staff.
There were also players who were expected to return, but did not. Dakota Huebner was an example. Starting the season, the North Stars were left with only two veteran defencemen, Cody Spagrud and Matthew Fletcher, in addition to a former North Star who recently joined the team, Austin Shumanski. Although they are stalwarts, you need up to eight defensemen on the total roster to get through a long and challenging season.
The forward contingent was also decimated. Owen Lamb, MacGregor Sinclair, Matthias Urbanski, Elijah Loon-Stewardson and Blake Fennig were the returnees. Fennig did not make it to the regular season. However, the club saw the return of former North Stars players Braydon Buziak, who played last season with the Regina Pats and Victoria Royals of the Western Hockey League, and Ryan Gil, who had been ruled ineligible to play in the SJHL last season.
Goaltender Taryn Kotchorek also left to pursue a combined academic and hockey career at Portage College in Lac la Biche, Alta.
Thus, at the start of this season, the outlook did not look exactly promising with a wagonload of new and inexperienced lads joining the club. However, with sound coaching, and the determination of the players to live up to the expectation of high calibre North Stars hockey capable of winning a championship every year, they strapped on their skates and have had a good start to the campaign. They have not used any excuses and have performed to a high level. There’s lots of work to be done as shown in the past number of games. However, upon observation, this club has the capability to outperform the club of last season, as they appear to be playing well together and, more importantly, are playing for each other. That is a good sign as the season progresses.
A major returnee to the club for the 2018-19 season was goaltender Joel Gryzybowski. The unflappable netminder is the glue that holds the club together. He rarely has a bad night and makes acrobatic saves regularly. When a big save is needed and expected, Joel never lets the club down. He is steady if not spectacular. If you were going to choose any goalie in the League to lead your club, Joel would be at the top of many coaches’ list. He is a great young lad who happens to be a superlative goaltender.
At the time of writing of this report, the backup job is up for grabs with returnee Jake Davidson and Adam Dmyterko vying for the job. Who knows, that list of two may expand as the season wears on. However, it is anticipated the club will settle on a regular backup in the not too distant future. It was imperative that the North Stars had a solid veteran coming back and ‘Gryz’ certainly fills that need.
On defence, Cody Spagrud leads by example. Our captain is a leader who puts forth his best effort every night. There are times when the captaincy can wear on a young individual. However, Cody appears to be wearing his leadership expectations well. Much is expected of him, as it should. Matthew Fletcher appeared to have a slow start to the season, but he is now playing dynamite hockey. He has a bright future in the game as he has unlimited potential. Matthew will need to continue to progress as the club needs his presence on the ice due to his veteran leadership.
The North Stars also have brought in a number of impressive newcomers on the blue line. They include Jacob Bayne, Tanner Scott, Noah Form (currently injured), Ryan Granville, Adam Weiner and Seth Summers. Form was lost early in the season and it hasn’t been communicated as to the extent of his injury. Bayne was injured and was out of the lineup for a number of games. Scott has been a regular since his arrival after the start of the season. Summers, Weiner and Granville have taken their spot in the lineup periodically.
There have been lapses in the defensive play. On many occasions, opposition forwards have been allowed to skate in uncontested on our goaltenders. The amount of odd-man rushes to this point in the season seems to have surpassed the total the club had all of last year. Part is likely due to inexperience, part due to playing with new defensive partners. There needs to be better communication amongst teammates and the forwards need to back check to a greater degree. In no circumstances should the team be allowing the opposition to cherry-pick and skate in on breakaways. Goals given up in such a way are cheap and deflating. That being said, the defence corps looks to have promise and they will likely tighten up their play as the season progresses.
The North Stars were placed in an unenviable position near the start of the season when they lost their office manager. The club was left to scramble to hire a replacement and early on in the season, it showed. This was to no fault of the current office manager. However, it did serve to reinforce the concept that the club needs to advertise its product and be out in the community. Otherwise some of the buying public will lose interest. Updated information on the website is a must.
Player transactions are of interest to season ticket holders and other fans who attend the games. Otherwise, the fan is left to guess as to what is happening with the roster. That being said, North Stars fans benefited highly from the dedication of Nathan Kanter last year. The play-by-play man would provide Twitter updates during the games after goal scoring and would also give a post-game analysis. He would also provide online interviews with coaches and players. This created interest in the club and a buzz amongst North Stars fans. That seems to be non-existent this year, in addition to the abbreviated post-game interviews that usually only involve the assistant coach. If the club is to improve its fan base, the club and the media have to work together to optimize the product.
The Battlefords North Stars should challenge for the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League championship this season. They have the players to compete. The club has hired a competent and able coaching staff that will put the players in the best position to win. With everyone pulling in the same direction, this club will continue to be entertaining and well worth the entertainment dollar.
The North Stars represent our community proudly and we, the public, should return that benefit with butts in the seats. Go out and support the club. They produce a fine brand of hockey. What is more important is you are then supporting young people who are striving to achieve and, for many of them, attempting to acquire a higher level of academic education by participation in athletics. Let’s just win, North Stars!
