Defenceman, Jordan Grill established himself as a two-way difference maker for the Stars this season. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Hometown Boy

Realizing a dream: Grill reflects on first year with hometown North Stars

Apr 15, 2022 | 12:00 PM

From the time he took his first skating strides at just six years of age, there was little Battlefords local, Jordan Grill, wanted more than to stay on the ice and be a hockey player.

Whether attending North Stars games with family or the team’s annual Hockey School during the summer months, Grill said he still remembers those early memories looking up to the Stars at the Civic Centre.

“Ever since I was little my dad and I would try to make every North Stars’ game possible, so it’s definitely special to be playing for them now,” Grill said. “I remember idolizing all the North Stars and wanting to play for them, so it’s been a great experience; it’s been a dream.”

Jordan Grill took just two games to get on the board with his first career SJHL goal. However it was his second one, scored at the home rink he grew up attending, he called his ‘welcome to the SJHL moment.’ (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

When not preoccupied watching the Stars in action or playing his own minor hockey games through his youth, Grill could often be found on the outdoor rink, just a short walk from his home on the south end of Battleford.

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There, along with his childhood friend he would ply his trade, making some of his fondest early memories with the sport. “Though the block walk on those minus-40 days gets a little cold,” he quipped with a laugh.

On the outdoor rink, he would skate for hours — imitating his favorite hockey heroes, both from the community and from the posters on his walls and the TV screen.

“I always used to watch Sidney Crosby and I would always have pictures up on my wall of him, and watch the Pittsburgh Penguins games when I could,” Grill said. “And I still do to this day.”

Flash forward to today, and the hometown standout is now the one drawing admiration from a new generation of young North Stars fans.

Coming off a strong rookie season with the Stars that saw the 17-year-old establish himself as a regular in the lineup as an under-ager, Grill finished third on the team in defenceman scoring with 14 points in 35 games.

Reflecting on his rookie season, Grill said while his first main camp with the team may have been an eye-opening experience, it didn’t take long until things started to click.

“Playing as a first year it was a little intimidating at the start of the year, but once you start playing a little bit more, you start getting a little more comfortable with the bigger guys,” he said. “We had a really good team this year, and [the older guys] accepted us that were younger and everyone treated everyone well.”

Grill’s quick adjustment to SJHL play should come as no surprise. In just his second season of U15 AA during the 2018-19 campaign, he scored 24 points in 30 games, for fourth in team scoring. The following year, in his first full season of U18, he then scored 19 points in 31 games, to finish second on his team amongst defencemen as a 15-year-old.

It was in those years with the U15 Barons Grill really began to believe he could realize his dream of wearing the Stars’ crest, when the encouragement from a local coach made him start to think seriously that he could one day break in at the Junior A ranks.

“My second year Bantam I got told by [coach] Boyd Wakelin I could possibly play SJHL my last year of high school, and since then I really started thinking that if I want to play Junior I’ve got to work for it,” he said. “From there I started noticing he could compete with older guys, and then sure enough, this year I was on the North Stars.”

Following a strong rookie campaign, one thing is for sure, the Stars blue line has a bright future ahead for years to come with Grill on the backend.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1