Keiton Klein pictured here in action against Notre Dame this season. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Next chapter awaits

Klein excited for opportunity ahead with Trine University

Jun 6, 2023 | 8:50 AM

Battlefords North Stars forward Keiton Klein is headed back south of the border for the next chapter in his hockey career, with the Trine University Thunder.

Klein, a Bellingham, WA., product fresh off his 20-year-old season with the Stars that saw him take home an SJHL championship, said with the season now wrapped up, he’s looking forward to what lies ahead with the Thunder.

“It’s pretty exciting to go to a university like Trine,” Klein said. “It’s a big engineering school which fits what I’m looking for, and then hockey-wise it’s a big hockey school as well. It’s really exciting, and it’s kind of a relief to get that settled with and just be able to relax a bit and focus on that moving forward into next year.”

Klein finished the 2022-23 season sixth amongst North Stars’ forwards in scoring, with a career-high 37 points (17 goals, 20 assists) in 52 games played, featuring in as a fixture on both special teams units.

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Serving as an assistant captain with the Stars, Klein’s seven game-winning goals in the regular season were third on the team, while his six points (two goals, four assists) in four games of the Stars’ SJHL Finals sweep of Flin Flon were tied for second most in the series.

Head coach of the North Stars, Brayden Klimosko said with #23, Trine are getting a player with strong intangibles in addition to his offensive touch.

“He’s a guy who was great at blocking shots and always did whatever was asked of him,” Klimosko said. “He’ll be a big body that’s tough to knock off the puck with a great shot.”

The Trine University Thunder are an NCAA Division III hockey program based out of Angola, Indiana. Last season, Trine finished fourth in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) standings with an 18-9-1 overall record.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1