The North Stars celebrate a win in the 2023 playoffs (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Future is bright

North Stars bolster pipeline, select seven in SJHL Draft

Jun 2, 2023 | 11:29 AM

The Battlefords North Stars bolstered their prospect pipeline with seven selections Thursday, in the 2023 SJHL Draft.

The Stars drafted five players through the opening six rounds of the 2007-born Draft, followed by two picks in the final two rounds of the 2008-born Draft.

Head scout with the North Stars, Wylie Riendeau, said altogether it was a successful day for the team.

“At the end of every draft everyone always says they got the guys they wanted, and this year it’s no different for us,” he said. “We did key in on a few guys and we were able to get them where we thought we should take them, so I thought it was overall really good for us.”

2007 Draft Recap

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Round 1 (7^th overall): Sam Kirwan (F)

Round 1 (12^th overall): Will Kirwan (D)

The North Stars opened their draft day with a pair of first-round selections the team used to select twin brothers Sam and Will Kirwan from Gull Lake, SK.

Sam, a 5-foot-7, left-hand shot forward, was the Stars’ first pick at seventh overall, using a draft pick acquired prior from the Estevan Bruins. Will, a 5-foot-7 defenceman, was scooped up with the 12^th overall selection to cap the opening round.

Sam was the highest-scoring ’07 in the Sask U18 AA Hockey League last season, leading his Swift Current team with 55 points (27 goals, 28 assists) in 33 games. Will had 18 points (six goals, 12 assists) in 30 games on the AA Broncos’ blue line.

“We were pretty happy to get both the twins there,” Riendeau said of snagging the pair with their two first-round selections. “At the end of the day, those were the guys we keyed in on and I thought they had a really good camp [with the Stars] in Saskatoon last weekend and we had really good conversations with both of them.

“Sam is obviously a pretty skilled forward and able to hopefully provide some offence for us in the coming years, and then Will is a really solid defenceman who moves pucks and does a really good job of being a two-way dman, so we’re pretty excited to get both of those guys.”

Round 2 (24^th overall): Gage Nagel (F)

In the second round, the Stars selected forward Gage Nagel 24^th overall. A Moose Jaw product, Nagel led the Prairie Hockey Academy (PHA) U17 Prep team with 18 goals and finished second in points with 32 in 34 games.

At 5-foot-11, 159 pounds, Nagle is another forward the team views as a potential difference-maker down the road.

“Gage is a big body who moves really well,” Riendeau said. “He’s really come a long way there at PHA playing for our old assistant coach Rob [Holoien], and Rob’s had really good things to say about him as a person and player. We weren’t sure if we were going to be able to get him at 24, so we’re happy to get him and really excited about him as a 200-foot player who can also chip in offensively.”

Round 3 (36^th overall): Jackson Fox (F)

Jackson Fox was the Stars’ third-round selection at 36^th overall. A 5’10, 141-pound forward from Saskatoon, Fox led his hometown Saskatoon Riverkings U18 AA team with 45 points (22 goals, 23 assists) in 33 games, while his 22 goals were second on the squad.

“He had a really good year with the Riverkings there in Saskatoon, and we feel there’s a lot of skill there. He was a smaller player when he was playing at the U15 level, but he’s really grown in the past year and we’ve really liked the way he’s developed. I think he’s a player who could turn into someone like a Holden Doell – someone who’s a little bit of a later bloomer, with a lot of potential and skill there.”

Round 4 (48^th overall): Carter Geysen (F)

With the Stars’ final selection of the 2007 draft, the team drafted 5-foot-8 forward Carter Geysen of White City. Geysen led the Prairie Storm U18 AA team with 36 points (16 goals, 20 assists) in 34 games.

“He’s come to a few of our camps now over the last couple of years and he’s really shown a lot at every camp,” Riendeau said of the forward. “He can do a bit of everything, he plays with a chip on his shoulder, he’s got some skill and a nice release, but he’s not afraid to stick his nose in and get involved in the play, so I think we’ll see some nice things in the future from him.”

The Stars did have one final pick available to end the ’07 Draft in Round 6 (72^nd overall), but passed on the selection.

2008 Draft recap

Round 1 (84^th overall) Sam Lukenchuk (D)

Round 2 (96^th overall) Millar Kramer (D)

With their two picks in the ’08 Draft, the North Stars added a pair of blueliners, in Sam Lukenchuk, and Millar Kramer.

Lukenchuk was the Stars’ first ’08 selection, coming at the end of the opening round. The Saskatoon product is a 5-foot-9, 160-pound defenceman who finished second in blue line scoring on the Saskatoon Outlaws U15 AA team, with 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in 28 games.

Kramer is a 6-foot, 165-pound defender from Battleford, who finished second amongst defencemen – and fifth overall – in U15 AA NorthWest Stars scoring 21 points (four goals, 17 assists) in 28 games.

Riendeau said after going a bit forward-heavy in the 2007 draft, the Stars were happy to add their pair of promising defensemen as ’08s.

“Sam was also at our camp last weekend and really showed his puck-moving ability so we were pretty excited to get him where we did as a smooth-skating defenceman who thinks the game well, and Millar obviously played in town here, he’s a big body dman who’s mobile and plays physical and is tough to play against.”

The full SJHL Draft results can be found at the league website, here.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1