Stars’ forwards Austin Becker, Dylan Esau and Brett Gammer (pictured L-R) spent plenty of time together on a line over the course of the season. All three will be counted on as key pieces of the North Stars’ offense next season. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Bright future awaits Stars

Maturation of youth ensures bright future for North Stars

May 10, 2019 | 5:11 PM

In sport – as in life – the wheels of change continue to turn, and at no level is change more apparent in hockey than within the junior ranks.

With a shelf-life of three, maybe four-years at the most in a given junior career, personnel changes are to be expected. For the Battlefords North Stars, the reality is no different with nine players moving on to new opportunities come the fall.

Although the graduating personnel will leave big shoes to fill for the team next season, with as many as 16 returning players, the North Stars look to have a number of key pieces within their group already. Some appear primed to take the next step into a leadership role.

Centre-ice depth, and a mobile, two-way blue line were two of the key contributing factors to the team’s success this season. Those areas should remain strongpoints of the group heading into next season as well.

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The development of youngsters Quintin Loon-Stewardson and Brett Gammer provide a strong basis at the pivot position. In addition, 1999-born Matthias Urbanski, who has shown the ability to shift from center to the wing fluently, only helps to ensure a deep offensive attack once again for the Battlefords.

Quintin Loon-Stewardson led the North Stars in both goals (10) and points (19) through the post-season. Gammer meanwhile, set the pace for Stars’ rookie production over the regular season, with 16 goals and 34 points.

The dynamic duo of Quintin (#22) and Elijah (#25) Loon-Stewardson will be featured front and centre in the North Stars’ attack again next season, after the pair combined for a dynamite playoff run. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

Urbanski sat second in team scoring up to late January with 39 points in 44 games, before sustaining an upper-body injury that held the forward out for the remainder of the regular season. Following a long road back to recovery, Urbanski did cap off the year on a high, collecting four points in five games at the Anavet Cup.

Urbanski will serve as one-of-six current North Stars heading into their 20-year-old season come the fall. The Prince George, B.C., product is joined by forward Elijah Loon-Stewardson and defencemen Matthew Fletcher, Seth Summers, Austin Shumanski, and Garrett Johnson.

Complimenting the team’s projected strength down the middle of the ice, comes an added offensive spark from the wings. With playmakers such as Elijah Loon-Stewardson and Austin Becker flanking the top two units, the North Stars’ offensive attack should remain dangerous with three legitimate scoring lines.

Elijah Loon-Stewardson finished second to only Urbanski in team scoring amongst players eligible to return next season. With 16 goals and 38 points in 55 games, the elder Loon-Stewardson finished the season especially hot as well, picking up six goals, 13 points over his final 13 games before then adding another 12 in 16 playoff contests.

Becker meanwhile, who finished the year with 20 points in 48 games, also capped off his season on a torrent pace. Picking up eight of his points over the final six games of the season, Becker followed up that production with five points in five games of the Anavet Cup.

Stars’ forwards Austin Becker, Dylan Esau and Brett Gammer celebrate with defencemen, Austin Shumanski and Garrett Johnson following a Stars’ goal this season. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

Providing additional speed and versatility to the lineup, is the team’s lone ’01 birthdate from the championship roster, Dylan Esau.

Much like Urbanski, Esau provides another wildcard option that can move from the wing to centre-ice as needed. Having showcased an ability to carve out a niche on any given unit, Esau also brings established chemistry with fellow sophomores-to-be, Gammer and Becker.

Anchoring the energy lines will be Kaden Boser who played 41 games with the Stars, and Logan Spence who played 15 with the team. Each will each be given an opportunity to earn full-time roles with the club come September.

Boser, who scored four goals in his 41 appearances, then broke out in the playoffs with three goals (including two overtime-winners) in just 12 games. Spence meanwhile, registered four points.

Each of the two play a brash, hard-nosed style, bringing added grit and ferocity to the Stars’ forecheck. That belligerence is a factor that was imperative to the team’s success through the post-season.

The blue line may be where the biggest shoes are left to fill. Team Captain Cody Spagrud has set the bar high for any young rearguard to follow, after earning top defenceman honours this season.

While Spagrud will be certainly be missed, the impression the captain has had on the development of his seven fellow blue liners from this season’s roster cannot be understated.

Matthew Fletcher, who finished the season with an unbelievable showing in the Anavet Cup, picking up two goals, four points in the five-game series, provides the heir apparent to succeed the role of number-one minute muncher and blue line cornerstone for the team.

A likely candidate for the team captaincy next season, the Saskatoon product entered the year a sophomore in the league with just 47 games of prior ‘Junior A’ experience. By season’s end, Fletcher had finished the campaign second amongst Stars’ defencemen with 25 points, before adding another 11 between the playoffs and the Anavet Cup.

Matthew Fletcher is embraced by teammates including Noah Form following one of his four goals this season. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

The development this season of rookies Seth Summers and Noah Form, appear to make for an upper-echelon left-hand side. Adding to the pair is the continued grit and intangibles brought about by the experienced Austin Shumanski, a steady presence on the third unit.

Form, who entered the season with just five-games of prior junior experience, has overcome adversity to entrench himself as a top-tier blue liner in the league heading into next season.

After suffering an upper-body injury in just the second game of the year on Sept. 15, Form missed about two months of action, remaining sidelined until mid-November. Upon returning to the lineup Nov. 11, the Saskatoon product only continued to grow stronger by the month, to the point where he became a mainstay alongside Spagrud on the team’s go-to shutdown pairing.

Seth Summers, in a similar vein, earned a top four spot this season as a lock alongside Fletcher within the ‘top four.’

Summers’ size (6’1, 185 lbs) and gritty approach to the game, is complemented by the rearguard’s ability to skate and join the attack. Summers’ offensive instincts are something the blue liner really began to embrace in his game over the second-half of the year.

Between the excellent stick of Form, brash physicality of Summers and tremendous mobility of the two, the pair of lefties should only grow in confidence heading into next season after playing key roles on this season’s championship team.

Perhaps the defender who will benefit most with the additional minutes to be distributed heading into next season is right-hander, Ryan Granville.

Granville who established himself as a mainstay within the lineup down the stretch and through the playoffs, looks poised and ready to fulfill a top-four role with the team.

A native of Sherwood Park, Alta., Granville has all the tools to excel in the league. Possessing a tremendously quick stride, excellent vision to make plays, and a poise beyond his years, the 2000-born defenceman appeared to only get stronger as the year progressed.

Tanner Scott, and Garrett Johnson who were each acquired by the Stars this season following brief stints in the AJHL with Whitecourt and Drumheller respectively, will also challenge for roster positions within the top six defencemen.

Scott, who was brought in in late September, played 40 games with the Stars this season, while Johnson suited up for 16 after being acquired on trade-deadline day.

With goaltender Joel Grzybowski announcing his retirement, and backup Chad Duran aging out of the Junior hockey ranks as a ’98 birthdate, the door is now wide open for youngster Adam Dmyterko to make his mark.

Stars’ goaltender Adam Dmyterko (#35) is congratulated by fellow rookies Dylan Esau (#28) and Austin Becker (#16) following a win. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

Quick and athletic, Dmyterko, who served as the team’s backup for a portion of the season (until the mid-season acquisition of Duran), will look to lock up starter duties after posting excellent numbers through 2018-19.

“I have some big shoes to fill following Joel [Grzybowski], but I’ll do my best,” Dmyterko said, reflecting on the prospect of heading into next season as the team’s number one goalie. “I’m looking forward to being the starter and showing what I’m capable of.”

The 2000-born, Dmyterko won three of his five starts, while posting a 2.13 goals-against average and .920 save percentage his 18-year-old season.

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Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1