The Battlefords North Stars held their Pre-Draft camp this past weekend in Martensville (ID 52618553 © Razihusin | Dreamstime.com).

By Austin Mattes

Next wave of talent

‘So many good potential players’: North Stars pre-draft camp brings lots of promise

Jun 3, 2025 | 12:58 PM

The future of the Battlefords North Stars was on full display this past weekend as the team hosted their Pre-Draft Combine and Young Guns Camp at the Martensville Recreation Centre. With around 134 players born between 2007 and 2011 taking to the ice, the camp gave the North Stars a firsthand look at the next wave of talent for the organization.

North Stars head coach/general manager Connor Logan, who is entering his first year behind the bench with the team, said he was impressed with the level of skill shown over the course of the weekend.

“So many good potential players; the kids really put on a good showing, and we got six to seven names that we’re very high on from that camp,” he said.

The weekend featured a full schedule of games, drills, and evaluations, with players vying for a chance to catch the attention of the North Stars and potentially earn a spot in the upcoming SJHL Draft.

Logan noted the big presence of not only top tier SJHL talent, but players who could eventually push their way into major junior or even higher levels.

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“There were some high-end guys out there, really high-end, that we think probably could end up in the Western Hockey League or higher and then we had very elite SJHL players as well. So, we’ll see how things shake up with the actual draft and whether we will be able to draft them or not,” Logan said.

Going into the weekend, the North Stars didn’t have any specific metrics for their evaluations but were trying to identify players who could fill a variety of roles within the organization.

Then as the weekend progressed, certain players began to separate themselves, not just with flashy skills, but with solid consistent play throughout the camp.

“We kind of broke it down into picks that we felt would be elite players and then we had some good picks that we felt would be good additions to our program in different types of roles,” Logan said.

“Those high-end elite guys stand out, but as we get to watch a bunch of games, some other names start to pop up. Their consistency over the weekend has been there, and you start seeing a little bit more and thinking about their potential,” he added.

With the draft just a week from today and the pre-season only three months away, Logan has been doing more than just evaluating players, he’s also been connecting with returning guys to begin shaping the team for the season.

“As a new coach, I am just building good rapport with our guys, the returning guys, just getting their minds set with the kind of style that we have and the kind of game that we want to play, and having some brief conversations about our systems,” Logan said.

The SJHL Draft is on June 10, starting at 1 p.m. with the North Stars having the seventh overall pick. The North Stars will also have their fall camp near the end of August.

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Austin.mattes@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @AustinMattes