North Stars head coach, Brayden Klimosko hoists the Canterra Seeds Cup after leading his team to the SJHL championship this season. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Darcy Haugan/Mark Cross Memorial Award winner

North Stars Klimosko named CJHL Coach of the Year

May 17, 2023 | 3:04 PM

Coming off a season for the ages that already included a second league championship and third SJHL Coach of the Year Award, Battlefords North Stars head coach Brayden Klimosko has now been named the 2022-23 Darcy Haugan/Mark Cross Memorial Award winner as Canadian Junior Hockey League Coach of the Year.

Klimosko was one of five finalists from junior leagues across Canada up for the award, winning for the first time in now his third year nominated for the distinction.

“Obviously it’s a huge honour,” Klimosko said of the recognition. “I was pretty fortunate to be able to coach with Darcy, and got to know Mark a little bit as he rented my house in Humboldt, so to be named to that award means something maybe a little [extra] special for me, so I’m honoured and ecstatic.”

Klimosko led the Stars to an SJHL-best 48-5-2-1 record, setting a new North Stars franchise record with 99 points, and a .858 win percentage, before going on to all but sweep the playoffs.

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The Stars lost just a single playoff game, before rattling off 12 straight wins en route to the championship, including back-to-back sweeps of both Melfort and Flin Flon.

Perhaps best summing up Klimosko’s coaching style was North Stars assistant coach Garry Childerhose, who 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.”

In five years (four seasons, due to the pandemic) since joining the Stars as head coach and general manager prior to the start of the 2018-19 season, Klimosko has won two SJHL Championships (2019, 2023), three SJHL Coach of the Year Awards (2020, 2022, 2023), and has three times been named a finalist for the CJHL Coach of the Year, winning it now, on his third nomination.

In 233 games behind the bench since joining the team, Klimosko is a league-best 163-49-14-7 in the regular season for a 70 percent winning percentage. In 39 playoff games, Klimosko is also a league-best 29-7-3 for a 74.4 percent win percentage.

Klimosko currently has the North Stars bound for the playoff rounds of the Centennial Cup in Portage, Man. The Stars await the result of Wednesday night’s Collingwood/Portage game to find out who the team’s first playoff opponent will be, with a chance to take top spot in their Group and earn a bye to the semi-finals with a Portage win.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1