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The Battlefords North Stars have one game against the Lloydminster Bobcats before finishing the preseason this weekend with a home-and-home against the Warman Wolverines. (Image Credit: Byron Hildebrand Photography/Facebook)
By Ryan Lambert
GEARING UP FOR THE SEASON

North Stars look to round out the roster as the preseason continues

Sep 8, 2026 | 1:49 PM

With training camp complete and their first preseason game in the books, the Battlefords North Stars are looking ahead as they work to finalize their roster. 

“It was good,” North Stars head coach and general manager Connor Logan said of camp. “A lot of evaluation taking place and just seeing where guys are at, gauging the level of improvement from your returning guys and seeing where the incoming guys all fit and how they fare.” 

The North Stars opened their preseason Monday with a 6-5 shootout win over the Kindersley Klippers. The prospect showcase featured two goals from Crosby Cole and the shootout winner from Gage Cornish. 

“We wanted to give our young guys an opportunity to experience North Battleford, playing in the ACC. We had a really great turnout for fans. It looked like it was pretty bumping. The guys just kind of fed off that and grew with the game,” Logan said. 

Logan said many players on the current roster attended the game to show their support, reinforcing the culture the coaching staff has worked to establish over the past year. 

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“We start integrating these players into our culture and what our expectations are. Just get through the hardship of transition. Going from triple-A to junior is hard. So we try to use our vets, getting these guys up with our group to try to ease that process. It’s worked pretty good so far.” 

After the opening preseason game, Logan plans to use a more experienced lineup through the remaining exhibition schedule as he evaluates the team heading into the season. 

“You got three kicks out of here to start figuring out your lines and your D pairings and where everything is sort of going to fit,” Logan said. 

“We have a plan in place. We’ll have some younger guys getting into some games here and just evaluating the workload and where things are at. There’s a little bit tighter competition this year than we expected. You got to make some hard decisions, and you really got to put the stress on through these three games and figure some things out.” 

Logan said that as a first-year head coach last preseason, he focused too much on winning games. His mentality and approach are different this year. 

“You want to see the trenches, you want to see the adversity, you want to face that now and start figuring out how guys handle it and how we can correct that,” he said. 

“Last year, I wanted to win all the games and that was my ego talking. Now, it’s about really figuring out the group, figuring out our identity. You’re not going to be a finished product on day one.” 

The North Stars’ next preseason game is their only one against a non-SJHL opponent. They will face the Lloydminster Bobcats of the Alberta Junior Hockey League at Thunderchild Wellness Centre on Sept. 8. Puck drop is at 6 p.m. 

— 

Ryan.Lambert@pattisonmedia.com 

by Ryan Lambert

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