The Battlefords North Stars announced the addition of Taurean White to the coaching staff for the 2014-15 season Friday afternoon.
White will begin his new role as assistant coach and assistant general manager Aug. 1 to help prepare for upcoming camps and the start of the SJHL's regular season.
From Nepean, Ont., the 28-year-old has experience as a head coach and an assistant coach at the Junior A level in the Central Canadian Hockey League with the Brockville Braves and the Nepean Raiders. The young coach was also head coach of the Major Midget Eastern Ontario Wild in the OEMHL. White's success on the bench includes appearances at the Telus Cup National Midget Championship Tournament and the Fed Page Cup tournament, which decides the Eastern Canada representative at the Canadian Junior A RBC Cup National Tournament.
"It was important for the organization to find an experienced coach at the Junior A level," said North Stars coach and general manager Kevin Hasselberg. "Taurean has a passion to lead and he isn't afraid of the work involved to be successful. More importantly, Taurean cares about his players and their development both on and off the ice."
The coaching staff of the North Stars will include White, Blair Atcheynum, Travis Harrington and Hasselberg. With the addition of White to the staff, Atcheynum's focus will shift more on skill development and one-on-one time with the players on and off the ice. Harrington, from Mind The Net Goaltending, will continue his role as the team's goaltending coach. The four coaches will work together to establish a seasonal plan in which player development and organizational success are priority.
The North Stars also announced the completion of three trades. They acquired 19-year-old forward Matthew Saharchuk from the Vernon Vipers as the future considerations for the Josh Betinol trade in October.
Battlefords traded forward Luke McColgan to the BCHL's Chiliwack Chiefs for 20-year-old goaltender Spencer Tremblay. McColgan, who turns 20 in December, scored 20 goals and added 44 assists in 96 games played for the North Stars over two seasons. In 13 games played last season, Tremblay had a record of 5-7-0 with a 5.32 goals-against average.
The final trade sent goaltender Darren Martin to the BCHL's Langley Rivermen for future considerations.
