From cramped quarters to chosen family: Inside a North Stars billet home

When the season began, the Obergs were in the middle of renovating their home. Instead of a spacious house, they welcomed their players into a small rental, roughly 800 square feet spread over two levels, with just one bathroom and a single television for everyone to share.

The close quarters could have felt crowded. Instead, they did the opposite.

“We had to all choose one movie we wanted to watch, and it got us closer,” said team captain Anthony Campbell, one of the players billeted with the family.

There was rarely enough room to sit comfortably. Players piled together for movie nights simply because there was nowhere else to go. Sunday evenings turned into Harry Potter marathons as they counted down the weeks until the renovation was finished and they could move back into the house.

“It wasn’t the nicest because it was so small, but I like the fact that it got us closer,” Campbell said.

Today, the house is much bigger and the space far more generous, but the bond formed in that small rental hasn’t changed.

A decision that became something bigger

Dallan and Amanda Oberg are now in their fifth season as a billet family. Originally from southern Alberta, they moved to the Battlefords in 2012, building careers, raising two sons and planting roots in the community.

The decision to billet began with their own children in mind.

“My boys got into competitive sports, and I wanted them to see the work ethic it took to get to the next level,” Dallan said.

Junior hockey means long bus rides, seasons away from home and years spent chasing the next level.

For Dallan, the motivation eventually became personal.

“I would want to take care of these boys just like if someone took care of me when I was in Mississippi, or took care of my kids when they move out of the house,” he said of his year living alone early in life.

That philosophy shapes the rhythm of the household: afternoon naps before games, a quiet home when sticks and skates need rest, and a fridge that never empties of chicken, rice and protein drinks.

“We make sure that they have whatever they need to succeed,” Dallan said.

They go through more chicken than the family ever imagined.

“And we are not chicken and rice people, so we’ve had to adapt to that,” he said with a laugh.

Far from home, but not alone

For Campbell and Alessio Nardelli, both from Québec, North Battleford is a long way from home. They’ve grown used to the distance as this is their fifth year living away for hockey and being with the Obergs has helped them do that.

“I know some people I’ve played with in the past, when they go back to their billet, it almost feels like a hotel,” Nardelli said. “For us three, at least, in my opinion, this feels like home.”

“I’m not scared to go grab a snack and be worried about what they’re going to think about me.”

For Cole Hines, who is from Lloydminster, this is his first year being billeted and his first season away from home for hockey. He was nervous.

“When I arrived, I knew it was going to be a good place for me,” he said.

In the Oberg home, there aren’t many rules. Just dishes and respect.

If the house feels relaxed, it’s because it’s meant to.

Campbell described it in a single word: “generosity.”

Nardelli chose another: “supportive.”

Hines kept it simple: “chill.”

For Amanda, it’s “comfortable,” and it’s a similar feeling for Dallan who described the situation as “comforting.”

“When I come home, everybody’s safe, everybody’s taken care of, everybody’s comfortable,” he said.

“It’s neat to see no one’s having big issues. No one is wanting to go home or hating the season. They’re all excited to be here. They’re excited to play.”

Brothers in the basement

The impact reaches beyond the players.

With their older son away, the house could have felt quieter this year for the Obergs. Instead, it feels fuller.

“It’s a lot more fun since Hayden’s gone,” said Easton, the Obergs’ younger son. “It’s a lot better to have more people around instead of just being me and my parents.”

The basement has become a place of pool games, teasing and the kind of arguments that sound more like siblings than roommates.

The teasing started long before they moved back into the renovated house. In the early weeks of the season, when everyone was still living in the cramped rental, a loud crash echoed through the house one morning after Dallan stumbled on the stairs.

“All we heard was bang, like a big, loud noise, and then we were wondering what it was and just went back to bed,” Campbell recalled with a laugh.

It became just another story in a growing list of shared moments. Dish duty sparks negotiations. Hockey debates echo late into the evening.

And after games, whether it’s a win or a slump, there are texts waiting.

Dallan once stopped sending post-game messages congratulating Campbell on goals or assists. The captain noticed.

“I was like, ‘Why don’t you text me anymore?,’” Campbell recalled.

It’s a small gesture, but it’s always the little things that matter the most.

From left, Amanda Oberg, Alessio Nardelli, Cole Hines, Anthony Campbell, Easton Oberg and Dallan Oberg pose for a photo inside their home. (Image Credit: Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

What they give each other

Billeting was meant to show the Oberg boys what dedication looks like. It has done that and more.

“These three have taught me that there’s more to life than work,” said Dallan, who is a partner at an accounting firm.

They visit his office. They greet him with energy. They don’t linger in bad moods.

“They’re doing well in the hockey world right now. But even when they’re having a little bit of a slump, they’re not pouting, they’re not walking around complaining — they’re upbeat, they’re having fun, they’re super polite.”

The house is bigger now. There’s more space. More televisions. Fewer scheduling conflicts around the bathroom.

But the feeling hasn’t changed.

In a town far from Montréal and just over an hour from Lloydminster, in a home that began the season cramped and temporary, three young players found stability.

And along the way, one family found a few more sons.

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com

by Kenneth Cheung

From cramped quarters to chosen family: Inside a North Stars billet home

A decision that became something bigger

Far from home, but not alone

Brothers in the basement

What they give each other

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