After three pre-season games, the Battlefords North Stars are close to finalizing their roster for the start of the 2016-17 Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League season.
Following Tuesday’s 8-1 win over the Nipawin Hawks, North Stars general manager and head coach Nate Bedford has cut down the roster from 31 players to 24 players ahead of this weekend’s exhibition games against the Kindersley Klippers.
“We’re doing it a little bit differently from what we’ve done here in the past,” Bedford said.
“I think the more that we get to know our core group, the better it will be not only for the players but for the organization as a whole.”
In goal, Dawson Rodin was reassigned, as the North Stars will go with both returning netminders from last year in Taryn Kotchorek and Ryan Rewerts.
“It was a situation where having two guys back made it a lot tougher for a guy like Dawson to crack the roster,” Bedford said.
“He’s a goalie that a number of teams would love to have and he can play at this level, but the longer he stayed at our camp he would have had less of a chance of getting on the ice with Ryan and Taryn both being here.”
On defence, Tysen Chretien and Dawson Boehm were both let go.
That leaves the back-end with five returning players (Kendall Fransoo, Levi Kleiboer, Ryan Rosenberg, Cody Spagrud and Connor Sych) and three new faces in Connor Manegre, Karstin McDonald and Austin Shumanski.
Up front, Blake Fennig, Zane Jaber, Tyler Planetta, Chance Adrian and Tayden Woods were all released.
“Guys like Fennig and Jaber can definitely play in this league and I certainly think the world of them,” Bedford said.
“Some teams might hold on to guys a little bit longer than I will but we want our guys to play at the highest level that they can on a regular basis and go from there.”
Of the forwards that are still with the North Stars, six are back from last year’s squad as Reed Delainey, Troy Gerein, Bryce Hall, Conor Jensen, Logan Nachtegaele and Layne Young are all returning.
Delainey has yet to suit up in the pre-season while Jensen has moved to forward after playing as a defenceman last year.
The eight new faces up front are Keaton Holinaty, Owen Lamb, Connor Logan, Connor McIntosh, Jayden Nachtegaele, MacGregor Sinclair, Tysen Smith and Jeremy Velazquez.
The North Stars will begin to sort out their opening night lineup and work more on the systems in the coming days, which will include a pair of meetings with the Klippers.
Both teams will meet up in Kindersley Friday before a clash at the Civic Centre Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
The two sides will square off again for a home-and-home series to start the regular season.
The North Stars will host the season opener at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 16, with the rematch taking place in Kindersley 24 hours later.
“That’s going to be pretty interesting to see how it all plays out,” Bedford said. “There’s been some good battles in the past with those two teams and I’m sure the home opener is going to be a physical affair.
“I’m sure both teams are good with that. Rivalries in sport are what get guys up in the morning and it’s going to be exciting.”
