Head coach and general manager of the North Stars, Brayden Klimosko hoists the SJHL championship trophy, following the Stars' four-game sweep of Flin Flon in the league finals. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Top-five in the nation

North Stars Klimosko named finalist for CJHL Coach of the Year

May 4, 2023 | 3:55 PM

Coming off a second league championship in the last five years (four seasons), and his third straight SJHL Coach of the Year Award, Battlefords North Stars head coach Brayden Klimosko has now been named a finalist for the Darcy Haugan/Mark Cross Memorial Award for Canadian Junior Hockey League Coach of the Year.

This marks Klimosko’s third straight year nominated for the award, as one of five bench bosses from across the nation named as a finalist, alongside Kyle Makaric (Ottawa Jr. Senators, CCHL), Tyson Ramsey (Virden Oil Capitals, MJHL), Peter Goulet (Powassan Voodoos, NOJHL), and Vince Bellissimo (Toronto Jr. Canadiens, OJHL).

This season, Klimosko became the lone active coach in the SJHL to win Coach of the Year for a third time, after leading the North Stars to their winningest season in nearly 50 years of franchise history, at 48-5-2-1. The club’s 99 points also served as the most by any team in a season since the 1999-00 Nipawin Hawks registered 102 points during a 60-game schedule.

Opening the season with a perfect 10-0 record, the Stars would go on to win 29 of their first 31 games, with their lone two losses coming in extra time, to become the first team in SJHL history to go undefeated in regulation into the new year at 29-1-1, on their way to just five regulation losses total on the year.

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Perhaps most impressive about Klimosko’s impact on the team is the way he gets the most out of his players. The Stars had a league-high 14 returnees from last season on their roster this year, with 12 of the 14 setting a new career highs in points.

Assistant coach Garry Childershose, who has worked alongside Klimosko now for the last two seasons, said it’s his balance of systems and strategies with the relational side of the game that makes him so impactful behind the bench.

“There’s a lot of X’s and O’s in coaching, and he’s really strong with that, but what really sets him apart is his human element,” Childerhose said. “He really cares about his players and he’s very approachable. I know the players can see that, and I think that really attributes to guys having so much respect for him like they do.”

Coaches Brayden Klimosko (right) and Garry Childerhose (left), hoist the Canterra Seeds Cup together after leading the Stars to the SJHL Championship. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

Encouraging his players to play a fast, up-tempo style, Klimosko’s emphasis on getting his defencemen to join the attack and move the puck quickly resulted in a league-high 218 points from his blue line this year – a staggering 38 more than the field. For reference, Melfort’s 180 were the second-most by a defense core, followed by Humboldt’s 163 which were third.

Setting the standard at both ends of the rink, the Stars’ 284 goals were 52 more than the second-most lethal offense in Humboldt (232), while their 138 goals against were 15 fewer than Flin Flon’s 153 as the second-stingiest team.

In the playoffs, Klimosko’s team then lost just a single game, before rattling off 12 straight wins on their way to hoisting the inaugural Canterra Seeds Cup as SJHL champions.

Since joining the North Stars ahead of the 2018-19 season, Klimosko has led the team to a league-best 163-49-14-7 record through 233 games, for a 70 percent winning percentage.

The North Stars will return to play next Thursday for their opening game of the Centennial Cup, as they now advance to compete for a national championship. Each of the team’s games at the tournament will be available on 1050 CJNB, with pregame 30 minutes prior to puck drop.

The Stars’ Centennial Cup schedule can be found here.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1