North Stars’ 20-year-olds look back on final season and junior career

Looking back on his time with the North Stars, he said some of his favourite memories were bonding with the team at the Centennial Cup and spending time with the guys.

“One of my best would probably be in the Centennial Cup, we had such a good group and I even remember one afternoon when we had a day off and we went out to the a random football field and we bought three spike ball nets and we had a whole team tournament out there. That’s got to be one in the top 3 for sure, and then for this year, just watching The Bachelor with the guys, poker nights, playing pool or even just going for lunch was the best,” said Allan.

Allan now plans to go to school to pursue a career as a Primary Care Paramedic and hopes to continue playing hockey at the university or college level.

#1 Justen Maric

The Edmonton goaltender came to the Battlefords in 2022 and was a brick wall in between the pipes, being regarded as one of the top goalies in the league every year. Maric finished his North Stars campaign with an impressive 48-18-2-2 record across three seasons, boasting a 2.83 goals against average and .920 save percentage while also taking a SJHL Championship and Centennial Cup silver medal.

(Battlefords North Stars/Facebook).

He said his favourite moments with the organization were winning the league championship and also taking the division title this season.

“Winning the championship in my first year, just going through it all and being a part of that group and doing the day-to-day of what it takes to become a championship team, that was pretty special. I think another great memory would have been us getting the division title this year, not many people would have pegged us as that going into the year and going through everything we’ve been this through this year, we did a pretty good job of just taking care of business one day at a time,” Maric said.

After his junior career, Maric intends to go to school to get a business degree and play hockey at the highest level possible.

#4 Jordan Grill

Battlefords local product, Jordan Grill is the epitome of a hometown hero, playing hockey as a kid all the way up through his junior career in his home community. From flying up and down the ice to dishing out big hits and firing hard shots, Grill did a bit of everything for the North Stars and was a fan favourite. He finished his North Stars career with 29 goals and 72 assists for 101 points in 168 regular season games and took home a SJHL Championship and Centennial Cup silver medal.

(Battlefords North Stars/Facebook).

Apart from the wins and the championship, he said his best memories came from the friends he made along the way.

“The biggest thing you can take from it is just the friendships and bonds you make with guys from being on the team with them, you’ll always be friends with them, even if you don’t talk to them all the time, they’ll still be there if you really need them,” Grill said.

Grill wants to continue his hockey career and is in talks with some schools but right now is focusing on finishing his diploma in power engineering.

#15 Elijah Anderson

Anderson joined the North Stars mid-way through the 2023-24 season from the Weyburn Red Wings and was an offensive force throughout his time in the Battlefords. He played in a total of 67 regular season games with the North Stars, putting up 22 goals and 31 assists for 53 points.

(Battlefords North Stars/Facebook).

For his best memory, the Calgary product reminisced about his first career hat trick this season and also talked about spending time with the team.

“I’d say my first career hattrick, definitely one of my favorite memories, against Kindersley because they were our rivals, so it was a good feeling. Then just showing up to the rink every day and seeing the guys off the ice just being around them is honestly one of the best memories, so pretty much every day just seeing the guys,” Anderson said.

Anderson is now back at home, where he will attend the University of Calgary, focusing on a degree in sociology and psychology.

#8 Seth Dragan

When he joined the team at the trade deadline in January from La Ronge, the 6’5 Saskatoon product was a perfect fit for the North Stars with his physical, fast and exciting play style. It was also his veteran leadership in the locker room that led to him getting an ‘A’ on his chest for the latter part of the season. In his short time with the North Stars, Dragan notched seven goals and 31 assists, along with 98 penalty minutes in 35 total games.

(Battlefords North Stars/Facebook).

While with the North Stars, he said his favourite moment came from the big game against the Melfort Mustangs, where Battlefords ended their 17 game win streak.

“My goals against Melfort, I had two goals in that game, I scored my first shift and that was the only goal in the game until late in the third period. So, it was pretty cool that we beat the top team when they were on a 17-game win streak and I scored my first shift and we ended up winning with both my goals,” said Dragan.

Dragan is continuing his hockey career at Dalhousie University, where he committed earlier on in the season.

#11 Michael Carter

Coming all the way from Peterborough, Ontario, Carter’s journey with the North Stars began at the trade deadline, when he came over from the Estevan Bruins. The addition of him helped solidify the Battlefords blueline, bringing experience and strength to the team’s backend. He concluded his junior career, tallying one goal and three assists in 17 regular season games for the North Stars.

(Battlefords North Stars/Facebook).

During his short stint in Battlefords, he recollected the warm welcome he received and his first goal as his favourite moments.

“Coming in for that first game in Melville, it came with a very warm welcome and I felt at home since the day I got there, plus I ended up having a good game and we beat Melville too. Then probably my first goal at home in Battlefords against Melville, it was nice to get that one out of the way,” Carter said.

Carter intends to continue playing hockey and go to school but is still exploring his options back home.

#3 James Kearney

Kierney was picked up by North Stars in January after playing a majority of his junior hockey career in eastern Canada. With a big frame and smooth skating ability, the Toronto product was a solid and reliable D-man that helped control the North Stars blueline, putting up 3 assists in 19 games for the team.

(Battlefords North Stars/Facebook).

Kearney said his best memories came from spending time with the team and the last regular season game against Kindersley.

“Doing volunteer stuff, just hanging out with the guys and we did Bachelor Mondays, that was really fun. Obviously securing our division was pretty fun too, that final game in Kindersley was great, putting up like 5 or 6 goals going into the playoffs,” he said.

Kearney now wants to go back to school at the University of Toronto where he will focus on political science with hopes of eventually going to law school.

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Austin.mattes@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @AustinMattes

by Austin Mattes

North Stars’ 20-year-olds look back on final season and junior career

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