It was a lengthy search but the Battlefords Midget Stars now know who will be behind the bench this winter.
The Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League team announced on Wednesday that they have hired Darren Martens of Mossbank as their new head coach for the 2016-17 season with Lee Ulmer moving up from the Battleford Bantam AA Barons to be an assistant coach.
The pair will be replacing Jody Reiter and Martin Smith who both stepped down from their roles as head coach and assistant coach in April.
“There's a mixture of things that have to come together in order to find the right person and we're really happy that we found that with Darren as our head coach and with an experienced guy like Lee being alongside of him,” Stars chairperson and governor Bruce Yockey said.
“One thing that really came across with Darren was his passion and drive for the game. He really cares about the young players that he coaches and giving them the chance to move on to the next level. Lee has done that as well with the Bantam AA program here and we feel like both guys will mesh together well.”
Martens, who was an assistant coach for the ACAC's Briercrest Clippers in Caronport last season, has been looking to make the move up to a head coaching position and is excited about getting that opportunity with the Stars.
“It's something that has been a goal of mine since I finished my playing days,” Martens said. “It was a bit of a lengthy process but I'm really happy with how it turned out.
“I had heard that the job was open and Martin is a good friend of mine so I came up to watch the spring camp and get a feel for what things were like around here if I was lucky enough to get the job. I'll still be learning a few of the names of course but it was great to get to see what the players are like first-hand and what they bring.”
The 42-year-old, who also runs a farm outside of Mossbank, played in the SJHL, WHL and CIS ranks before retiring from the pro ranks in 2008 after a lengthy career in Germany.
In addition to playing senior men's hockey for teams in Mossbank, Lafleche and Assiniboia, he also coached with the Notre Dame Bantam AA Hounds and the Moose Jaw Midget AA Warriors.
“I've learned a lot over the years, especially being in Europe and seeing how the players from the Czech Republic and Russia play as that really rubbed off on me,” Martens said. “I've had a lot of good coaches as well with Reid Williams really standing out from my time with the Humboldt Broncos.
“I believe in hard work and discipline, which also comes from my job as a farmer. If you bring a good work ethic and have that desire to outwork the other team, anything is possible.”
Ulmer will be returning to the Stars as an assistant coach after serving as the bench boss for the Battleford Bantam AA Barons for the last four seasons.
“I've had a lot of opportunities to grow as a coach in the last four years with the Barons and it's exciting to continue to build off of that with the Midget Stars once again,” Ulmer said. “I really enjoy helping and working with the kids as they get better and I'm constantly learning all the time like they are.
“Darren and I have been chatting either on the phone or through text messages since we found out that we would be coaching together and we are both pretty similar in how we approach things. Right now it's pretty much going to be working on gelling together as a pair as we get ready for training camp.”
The Stars will be holding their fall selection camp starting on Aug. 19 at the Civic Centre as they look to improve on their eighth place finish last year and a quarter-final sweep against the Regina Pat Canadians.
“The camp will be a little bit smaller than it has been in the past with around 40 players coming in,” Yockey said. “The reason for that is the majority of the team has already been selected so we're down to just filling the last one or two pieces.
“Many of the players that will be there will be a part of next year's squad as well so it should be a competitive camp with lots of talent.”
The Stars first regular season game will be on Thursday, Sept. 29 when they will host the Saskatoon Contacts.
