North Stars set for second annual SJHL Bantam Draft
The second instalment of the SJHL Bantam Draft is set to take place next week on Thursday, June 2 in Nipawin. The following day, the teams and league will convene to discuss scheduling for the 2016-17 season along with other topics in need of discussion.
After previously trading away their own third-round pick, the North Stars picked up the Flin Flon Bombers third rounder to ensure they have a selection in all six rounds. North Stars head coach and general manager Kevin Hasselberg admitted scouting bantam-aged players is difficult.
“It’s not easy, to be honest with you,” Hasselberg said with a laugh. “There’s so much that can happen between the time they’re ready to play for you and the time they’re being scouted. You don’t know if hockey is what they’re passionate about. You have to do as much homework as possible to ensure they love the game and want to be a part of it long term.”
This year’s draft class features players born in 2001, who aren’t eligible to play junior hockey full-time until the 2017-18 season. The North Stars made five selections in the 2015 draft, the highest of which was Prince Albert defenceman Jake Koroluk.