Anthony Campbell and Alessio Nardelli will continue their hockey journey's next year at SUNY Plattsburgh University in New York State. (Image Credit: Byron Hildebrand Photography/Facebook)

By Ryan Lambert

NORTH STARS IN NCAA DIII HOCKEY

A pair of North Stars veterans discuss their college hockey commitment

Mar 31, 2026 | 2:35 PM

The Battlefords North Stars have a couple of 20-year-olds moving onto NCAA Division Three for the 2026-27 season. North Stars captain Anthony Campbell and assistant captain Alessio Nardelli have committed to SUNY Plattsburgh University in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC). 

From Quebec, Plattsburgh will be much closer to home for the future Cardinals. Campbell is from Trois-Rivières, which is about a three-hour drive from Plattsburgh. Nardelli is originally from Laval, about an hour and 40 minutes away. 

“It’s a little weight off the shoulder just being able to be close to home. That’s going to be nice for me,” said Campbell in a recent interview on SJHL Weekly. “It’s only about an hour and a half drive home for me, which is really good,” added Nardelli. 

Campbell and Nardelli continue their hockey journey together, which goes back years. Not only are they current North Stars teammates, but they were also U18 teammates with the Mount Academy Saints of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League Eastern U18 (CSSHLE) in the 2022-23 season. 

The North Stars captain described being with Nardelli through their hockey career as “unreal.” 

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“He’s like a big brother to me. He always looks around for me, he’s just awesome. It’s going to be nice to be with him. He might not say the same thing, but I say that,” said Campbell with a laugh. 

Although Campbell jokes, Nardelli is also quite excited about going to school with his teammate. “I lived with him four years ago and live with him again here in the Battlefords. We have a good relationship. We’ve been friends for a while now and I think we’ll have a good time together.” 

Nardelli talked about some of the school’s amenities as a big reason he is excited to go there as well. “Their rink is unbelievable. The school was really nice,” said Nardelli. “Their rink compared to a lot of other Division III programs is levels above the others. It’s like a division I rink. Their gear is unbelievable. There’s a bunch of fans at every game. Their room is really nice. All the workout facilities are too.” 

Campbell reflected those words as well.

“Their hockey program is very successful. It’s been very good in the past and they don’t have a football program, so their hockey team is basically their football program. It’s really big over there and they have lots of fans,” said Campbell. 

North Stars head coach Connor Logan, who played hockey at SUNY Plattsburgh in the 2017-18 season, is happy for his guys to get that weight off their shoulders and knows they are in good hands next year. 

“I know it’s a nerve-wracking thing for these older guys to try to navigate the postseason and then where they’re going to be going next year. I was in that spot when I was in Battlefords and for them to go to Plattsburgh, I think is a really cool thing,” said Logan. 

“The college experience from Plattsburgh, which is a top end Division III program. I can’t speak highly enough about the time that I had there. First class treatment. It has really great facilities and good support from the school. So, it’ll be a really great experience for those guys.” 

Campbell, who has played 107 regular season games with the North Stars and 11 playoff games, has 112 regular season points (51G-G1A) and 12 playoff points (3G-9A). Campbell currently sits second in the league in points in these playoffs with nine points (3G-3A) in five games.  

Nardelli was acquired by the North Stars midseason and had 30 points (12G-18A) in 42 games. He is tied for fourth in points across the SJHL in the postseason with seven (4G-3A) in five games. 

Before their focus turns to their university hockey careers, Campbell and Nardelli remain focused on their upcoming second round matchup with the Yorkton Terriers. 

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Ryan.Lambert@pattisonmedia.com