The new marketing and office manager of the Battlefords North Stars is a familiar face to readers of the Battlefords News-Optimist and the Regional Optimist.
He is none other than Trent Cey, the longtime sports reporter at the two papers, who is leaving to take on his new role with the North Stars. His final day as sports reporter with the newspapers is Friday.
Cey, who takes over from Jillian Miller in the position, is now tasked with the duty of keeping "North Stars Nation" front and centre in the minds of fans and the community.
Cey will be responsible for marketing and promoting the team in and around the Battlefords. That will include dealing with corporate sponsors, game-day activities and season ticket sales, among other duties.
The job should be a great fit for Cey, whose passion for sports and knowledge of the North Stars and the SJHL is widely respected around the league after five years as a sports reporter in the Battlefords.
When Cey, a product of Wilkie, returned home to the Northwest to work in the news business after his education in Lethbridge, things weren't looking so rosy for the North Stars. He arrived just after the squad had come off a terrible five-win season, the worst in club history.
Things got interesting quickly both for the team and for its new beat reporter. Cey ended up covering five exciting North Stars playoff teams in a row, including two trips to the conference finals.
He quickly became known in the Battlefords through his other work on the media scene, hosting Locker Talk on Access 7 and frequently providing colour commentary of North Stars games on television as well as on CJNB radio alongside play-by-play man Mike Feeney.
Cey has also developed a reputation covering the multitude of other sports in the community, including the AAA Midget Stars, the female AAA Sharks, and other teams. He kept fans informed about the North Saskatchewan River Hockey League, and chronicled the formation of the Saskatchewan Prairie Hockey League and its progress over the past three years - including the championship teams of the Battleford Beaver Blues.
Trent covered the wide range of high school sports involving the NBCHS Vikings and John Paul II Crusaders, reported on numerous golf tournaments, and has given in depth coverage to softball and baseball.
He devoted extensive coverage to the happenings of the North Saskatchewan River Baseball League, as well as to the annual Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame inductions in Battleford.
Cey's coverage of the World Junior Hockey Championship in Saskatoon in 2010 has to rank as a particular career highlight. Another highlight was tagging along on one of those infamously-long road trips the North Stars would take to Flin Flon as a first person story for the newspaper.
Outside the media, Cey has very active both as a player in various sports, and as a hockey referee officiating countless games throughout the region.
True to the name of the papers he worked for, Cey never failed to look for an "optimistic" spin on local sports happenings. Even when local teams lost games by wide margins, Cey would still manage to find a positive angle to focus on.
That was noticed by sports figures in the community including North Stars general manager and head coach Kevin Hasselberg. During the year-end sports banquet for the team in 2012 Hasselberg praised Cey, remarking he seldom would have a bad word to say about the players in covering the team.
Cey never did get an opportunity to cover an SJHL finals appearance for the North Stars. Now, however, he has a chance to possibly make it to the finals as a member of their organization.
For his part, Hasselberg welcomes Cey to the North Stars fold.
"We all agree it's a great addition to our staff. Trent brings a familiarity to our program. He's been a fan of the hockey team, he's been a member of this community and he's passionate about what we're trying to accomplish as an organization and he's passionate about our community. So, it's a great fit for everybody."
He describes Trent as "thorough," "hardworking" and "approachable" and adds "he cares about what he's doing. That's the same message that we're trying to get through to our players, with regards to caring and being passionate about what you're trying to accomplish, and he's going to be a member of our hockey team spreading that same message."
Cey says he is looking forward to the next step in his career.
"I am familiar with the Battlefords North Stars and excited to cross over and work with this hockey club. I have been following the team my entire life and I look forward to the new opportunity," he says.
"I hope to help continue the impressive reputation of the North Stars in the community."
While his move is great news for the North Stars organization and fans, it is a sad time for the News-Optimist and Regional Optimist who will miss Cey's award-winning contributions to the news team as well as his hard work with their sales department - a role he had taken on over the past year.
Moreover, it is a sad day for readers who have enjoyed Trent's familiar "Cey What?" columns and his sports coverage.
"Trent came to us fresh out of a communications arts program five years ago. Since then he has shown tremendous growth in his writing and has provided the most comprehensive coverage ever of sports in the Battlefords and around the region," said editor Becky Doig.
"His contributions to our newsroom and newspaper have been significant factors in awards won over the years and in providing quality coverage of the local scene for our readers."
Doig has every confidence Trent will be a valuable asset to the North Stars.
"A young man with a solid work ethic, Trent will give his new employers 110 per cent."
