Centerman, MacGregor Sinclair (Left) and Defenceman, Cody Spagrud (Right) played a pivotal role on two North Stars championship teams during their time in the Battlefords. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

North Stars Alumni

Former North Stars Sinclair, Spagrud reflect on junior careers in the Battlefords

Jun 25, 2020 | 8:00 AM

MacGregor Sinclair and Cody Spagrud are a couple of names North Stars’ fans are sure to remember fondly for some time.

Together the two played a key role on not one, but two league championship teams, while suiting up for over 370 career games spent donning the North Stars’ crest between them.

After making his Stars’ debut, suiting up for a single game with the team as a 16-year-old, Spagrud made the jump to full-time status during the 2015-16 season, as a 17-year-old blue liner.

Making an immediate impact, Spagrud finished second on the Stars in defenceman scoring as a rookie, registering 25 points in 47 games. That year he would help lead the team to a league-best, 43-11-4 record, before making it all the way to the league semifinals in the playoffs, where they were ultimately edged out by Flin Flon in six games.

Spagrud said it didn’t take long for him to realize he had come into a special situation with a team that had clear championship aspirations. He said that season was key, not only personally but for the organization, in setting the stage for years to come.

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“It was a good community to come to,” Spagrud said. “I think I got lucky with the team I got to be a part of going into [Junior Hockey] and the coaches I had, especially Kevin [Hasselberg] my first year. With Kevin we just instilled a winning tradition and I think that’s just kind of carried on through my four years and I think it’s kept going even today.”

The following year, in 2016-17, Sinclair joined the team, finishing second in rookie production with 22 points, on a Stars team that took another colossal leap forward.

That year, the team established new franchise records for wins (48), points (97) and fewest goals-against (103) which still remain today.

Sinclair and Spagrud are two key cogs responsible for helping to establishing the North Stars’ organization as a force within the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) ranks. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

Sinclair said it’s a bit funny to look back on his junior experience, now a year removed, as it seemed almost easy to win a championship that opening year; something he’d discover would not always be the case.

“Obviously the first year we won, I didn’t really know it was going to be much harder in the years coming after because it was so easy and I didn’t have to do much as a role player that year,” he said. Then in my second year, I got put back into reality and understood maybe it wasn’t as easy as it seemed the first year.”

Sinclair said after a humbling result in year two, that saw the Stars fall to Estevan in five games of the semifinals, the group was hungrier than ever to get back atop the mountain his 20-year-old season.

And that’s exactly what they did. Lead by a gritty and skilled core, spearheaded by Spagrud, who took home SJHL Top Defenceman honours; and Sinclair, who led the team with 72 points in just 57 games, the Stars finished the season with a dominant 11-1-1 record over their final 13 regular season games to set the tone for what was to come.

Although the team was tested in the opening round with a ferocious seven-game triumph over the rival Flin Flon Bombers, the Stars then rode their momentum through the remainder of the postseason. They lost just one game total over the final two series, on the way to the second championship in three years for both Spagrud and Sinclair.

Sinclair said being able to cap their junior career with another championship, and share the experience with a passionate hockey community like the Battlefords, made it an especially memorable experience.

“Probably the biggest thing [I’ll remember] is how the town embraces its hockey,” Sinclair said. “I still remember going out for my first home opener when I was 18. We had probably 1,000 people in the stands and I hadn’t really played in front of that many people in my life. My time in the Battlefords was awesome; I had three great coaches and two great billet families and obviously three great teams to play on. I have no complaints at all.”

Spagrud added more than anything, what he values to this day are the friendships he made over his time spent with the organization.

“I think any time you can play junior hockey you’re going to make friendships, but when you can play with guys for say three years, you really develop together and become best friends,” Spagrud said. “I think that’s what happened with a lot of the guys here. I can’t even count all the friends I made just from playing on the team and meeting new guys every year. It was definitely something special.”

In addition to the championships, both Sinclair and Spagrud leave a personal legacy as well, in the team history books.

Sinclair’s 168 career points are sixth-most in North Stars’ franchise history, while his 66 goals (10^th) and 102 assists (6^th) are top-10 organizational benchmarks as well.

Spagrud meanwhile, ranks first in both assists (99) and points (117) amongst defencemen in team history, while also finishing third in games played with the team (214). In his final season, Spagrud became just the third player in franchise history to be named SJHL Top Defenceman.

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Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1