Since joining the Stars prior to the fall of 2018, no other coach in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) has won more games than Brayden Klimosko. He led his team to a league-best, 80-24-12 record over the two years. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Bench boss brilliance

‘Something truly special’: Klimosko honoured by CJHL nomination

Apr 22, 2020 | 3:00 PM

There soon may not be enough room on the shelf for all of Brayden Klimosko’s awards and accomplishments.

Since taking the reigns as head coach and general manager of the Battlefords North Stars, ahead of the 2018-19 season, Klimosko has led his team to a league championship and another commanding first-place finish in the regular season.

Quickly gaining a reputation as one of the top coaches in the province, Klimosko’s hard work and winning results helped him earn SJHL Coach of the Year honours during the 2020 season. That was before the league’s playoffs were ultimately cut short prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It ended what could have been a second-straight championship run.

Now this week, Klimosko was announced as a finalist for the Darcy Haugan/Mark Cross Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) Coach of the Year Award — something the Battlefords’ bench-boss called ‘a huge honour.’

“Obviously, it’s pretty humbling,” Klimosko said. “It was a little bit of a surprise but it’s definitely exciting to be nominated with some of the best coaches across Canada, so it felt pretty cool. You can’t really ask for much more in your first two years and obviously, I came into a pretty good situation here in the Battlefords. I have a great support staff who have put me in a good situation where I feel I can really succeed. I’m very fortunate for what we have here.”

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Being named a finalist for such a prestigious award is certainly a feather in Klimosko’s proverbial cap. The coach’s personal ties to the late Darcy Haugan, whom the award is named in honour of, makes the nomination something truly special.

The Humboldt product, Klimosko began his junior hockey coaching career as an assistant with the hometown Broncos during the 2013-14 season. He served as an assistant coach on Haugan’s staff for the 2015-16 season. Klimosko said he learned a lot from Haugan during their time together, adding he always admired the way he interacted with his players.

“With Darcy, the one thing that I can say very confidently is that he was a great person first and foremost,” Klimosko said. “[Haugan] wanted the best for his players, not only on the ice, but day-in, day-out; he took good care of his players and made sure they were treated well off the ice and he really had a lot of character.”

Klimosko said if he does take home the award, Haugan will be right there among the first people to cross his mind.

“You can feel that he is right there with you all the time and you just feel like when you’re winning something, he’s a big part of it,” Klimosko said. “It would be a huge honour and obviously we’ll see where it goes, but it would be very special. Darcy was very close to me and we kept in great contact after I left the Broncos. Hopefully that’s an award I can win someday, but regardless, the friendship Darcy and I had will last a lifetime.”

Klimosko is the lone SJHL representative on the nominee ballot for the CJHL Coach of the Year, joining Tyler Deis, of Okitoks (AJHL); Jason Fortier, Coquitlam (BCHL); Jason Clarke, Carleton Place (CCHL); Billy McGuigan, Summerside (MHL); and Kelvin Cech, Winkler (MJHL); as the other finalists for the national honour, as presented by the NHL Coaches’ Association.

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Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1