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North Stars expect to score by committee in 2016-17

Sep 15, 2016 | 12:26 PM

Last year’s Battlefords North Stars won three quarters of their games over the course of a 58-game season, something many fans would consider superb.

They had three of the league’s top-10 scorers on their team, Igor Leonenko, Layne Young, and Coby Downs, another exceptional feat.

Yet they fell to the Flin Flon Bombers in five games in round two of the playoffs.

Of course, most fans already know this, and may still be a little bit sour from last year’s playoff loss.

The good news is there’s only one more sleep until the 2016-17 season kicks off and this year’s North Stars squad also knows a great regular season isn’t good enough.

“With all the local talent here and the new guys coming in, I think everyone’s on the same page — that last year was a great year but we didn’t win the last game,” first year head coach Nate Bedford said after practice Wednesday. “The most successful team is the team that won the league. I think that’s what this team is all about: concentrating on winning that last game in our league.”

On paper, the North Stars are easily the Finning division favourites, one that also includes the Humboldt Broncos, Kindersley Klippers and Notre Dame Hounds.

Five defencemen return in the Battlefords, including stalwarts Kendall Fransoo and Connor Sych. They are joined by solid returners Levi Kleiboer, Ryan Rosenberg and Cody Spagrud. Connor Jensen also returns, though last season’s defenceman played some pre-season games at forward.

In goal, both goalies return, in what will likely be a time share (at least to start) between 20-year-old Ryan Rewerts and 19-year-old Taryn Kotchorek.

Up front is where there are question marks.

Gone from last year are four of the team’s top five scorers.

Top scorer Igor Leonenko graduated, along with 65-point-man Jake McMillen, and 59-point-man Dustin Gorgi. Coby Downs, who was third in team scoring with 73 points, left for a USHL opportunity with the Omaha Lancers.

And so the lone top five scorer from last year’s team is reigning rookie of the year Layne Young, who put up 24 goals and 51 assists in 57 games in 2015-16.

So, other than Young, who will score goals this season?

“Everybody,” Bedford said, without hesitation. “I think we’re going to manufacture some goals as opposed to scoring off pure talent … We expect it to be a by committee thing. We don’t have the firepower we did last year but we’re also comfortable with it. We’re a little bit grittier and we’re a little bit bigger.

Young will have help up front from two 20-year-olds: returner Reed Delainey and newcomer Connor Logan.

Delainey missed 40 games over the last two seasons but has also posted 0.92 points-per-game over that timespan (70 points in 76 games).

Logan was acquired from the Prince George Spruce Kings of the BCHL this summer and has the speed and skill to put up a solid campaign. With seven points in just three pre-season games, he’ll likely be given every opportunity to produce offensively this year and was even labelled as the x-factor for the North Stars this year.

“He’s a good two-way guy [who’s] very vocal on the ice and works hard,” Bedford said. “I think he’s going to surprise some people.”

If there’s one thing about this year’s version of the North Stars that shouldn’t be questioned, it’s leadership.

Team captain Fransoo and all three assistant captains return, in Delainey, Logan Nachtegaele, and Connor Sych.

Associate coach Braeden Johnson made a point of crediting the leadership after the team finished the pre-season 5-0-0, and for good reason.

“You’ve got 40 guys coming into camp and from day one, they’ve kind of kept the culture that we’ve created over the years,” Johnson said. “Our motto is ‘outwork every team’ and I think we did that throughout the pre-season.”

The regular season opener for the North Stars is set for Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Civic Centre with a pre-game barbecue fundraiser scheduled for 6 p.m. All proceeds from the BBQ will go towards Battleford KidSport.

Friday’s game can also be heard live on CJNB with the Ultra Print pre-game show getting started at 7:15 p.m.

 

Nathan Kanter is battlefordsNOW’s sports reporter and voice of the Battlefords North Stars. He can be reached at Nathan.kanter@jpbg.ca or tweet him @NathanKanter11