Battlefords North Stars year in review

Yet another formidable regular season

It’s true the North Stars fizzled out a bit down the stretch, going 28-5-2 through the first 35 games before posting a 14-9 record after Jan. 12, but an 86-point season is nothing to scoff at.

To top 85 points as a team is one thing, but to top 85 points for three consecutive years with three different head coaches is another thing entirely (they had 90 points in 2015-16 and 97 in 2016-17). That speaks volumes to the core group the past few seasons, which this year was led by Layne Young (SJHL leading scorer, league MVP), MacGregor Sinclair (third in SJHL with 33 goals, T-fourth with 74 points) and Levi Kleiboer (T-fifth among defencemen with 42 points). Other leaders like Troy Gerein, Taryn Kotchorek and Cody Spagrud were also a big part of the winning culture that was built. In previous years, that core group included guys like Kendall Fransoo, Connor Sych, Coby Downs, and Reed Delainey, among others.

Young was the engine for the club this season, as he was involved in 48.2 per cent of the team’s offence (107 points on 222 North Stars goals). That kind of offensive output just doesn’t seem to happen anymore, as Young’s 107 points were the highest total in the league since 2000-01.

So while last year was all about steady and reliable defence (the club set an SJHL record for the fewest goals allowed in a season with 103), this year was more about goal scoring (222 goals, fourth-best) and about winning in extra time, as the club had a formidable 12-2 record in the regular season when games went beyond 60 minutes.

The playoffs: two vastly different outcomes

There’s no doubt the North Stars season ended prematurely.

Not the fact that they lost in the semifinals to the Estevan Bruins, but how easily they lost to the Estevan Bruins. It should have gone more than five games.

So, what happened?

First, in the quarter-finals against Weyburn, the North Stars goaltending was fairly steady. Joel Grzybowski posted a .908 save percentage in his four wins, which isn’t great, but is good enough if the offence is there. Let’s also remember he stole game three when he made 26 saves on 27 shots. In the semifinals, Grzybowski and Taryn Kotchorek combined to post an .834 save percentage, as the Bruins scored 26 goals on them in just five games (29 total goals but three were into empty nets).

In the first round, there was also secondary scoring behind Young and Sinclair. Cole Johnson had six points, Brad Girard had four, and Chaseton Braid had three, each in just four games. In five games in the second round, those three combined for a total of just five points. Keith Anderson was the only player behind Young and Sinclair to put up solid numbers in both rounds, with five points in each series. That’s not enough, not when the Bruins had five different players tally seven or more points in that semifinal series alone.

Getting behind the eight ball with losses in games one and two at home also signalled the beginning of the end for the North Stars. The Bruins were the better team all series, but particularly in games one and two, when they outscored the North Stars 12-5. It’s tough to bounce in a seven-game series after losing your first two at home, especially when the second game is a blowout.

Looking ahead

Not returning to the club next year are at least eight players, all of whom graduated this spring: Keith Anderson, Chaseton Braid, Troy Gerein, Conor Jensen, Taryn Kotchorek, Garan Magnes, Connor Manegre, and Layne Young. Levi Kleiboer may or may not be back as well.

There are good pieces both up front with guys like Sinclair, Dakota Huebner, Elijah Loon-Stewardson and Matthias Urbanski, but it’s not enough, at least not as it stands, to post a fourth consecutive 85-point regular season. A lot of that has to do with a depleted blue line. If Kleiboer does not return, the blue line will be more than cut in half, with only Spagrud, Matthew Fletcher and Connor Smith remaining. Noah Form is a solid young piece that should step in and contribute right away, but those are still significant losses.

In goal, it’s Grzybowski’s crease if he wants it, but there’s the possibility he sticks in the Western Hockey League. If he does make the Victoria Royals, that means the North Stars will have two rookie goaltenders, unless they make a trade.

The club could get leadership help up front from the WHL, if Braydon Buziak or Tanner Nagel return in their final year of junior eligibility. It’s possible one or both of them stick with their WHL clubs, but those teams can only carry three 20-year-olds, so there is limited space. Those decisions won’t be made until the fall.

Of course all of these pieces are only the on-ice product. Off ice, the team will have a new head coach/general manager and a new trainer. It will be interesting to see which way the board goes with who they hire, especially considering they can take their time with the search.

nathan.kanter@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @NathanKanter11

by Nathan Kanter

Battlefords North Stars year in review

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