Gavin Granger (left), Anthony Campell (middle), and Josh Knittig (right) have been named as the North Stars leadership group for the upcoming season. (Byron Hildebrand/Facebook)

By Austin Mattes

Eyes on Championship

Setting the tone: North Stars announce leadership group for 2025/26 season

Aug 13, 2025 | 1:26 PM

The Battlefords North Stars have officially announced their leadership group for the upcoming 2025-26 SJHL season, and the team’s new bench boss didn’t waste any time in identifying his core leaders.

2005-born forward Anthony Campbell has been named team captain, while defenceman Gavin Granger and forward Josh Knittig, both also born in 2005, will serve as alternate captains.

Head coach and general manager Connor Logan, who joined the organization this offseason, said it quickly became clear who was ready to fill those rolls.

“When I got on board with the team I did preliminary calls and just started to get to know each guy,” said Logan. “Right from day one, I felt Soupy (Campbell), Grange, and Knittig were all on board and aligned with the direction that I wanted to go with the team. They’re great kids, they resonate well with the group, they’re respected by the guys, and just the mentality that they have this season and what we want to accomplish — it was a no-brainer.”

Campbell enters his second season with the North Stars after leading the team in scoring last year, notching 55 points (29 goals, 26 assists) in regular season play. Known for his speed, scoring touch, and leadership, Campbell will now wear the ‘C’ as he looks to build on his breakout campaign.

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Granger is entering his third full season with the North Stars and has become a cornerstone of the team’s defensive unit. Last season, he always wore the ‘A’ and posted 5 goals and 23 assists for 28 points, while playing a critical role with his physical and offensive abilities.

In his first season with the club, Knittig was a consistent contributor on the first line, recording 12 goals and 28 assists in 50 games. His ability to create offense and his work ethic earned him a spot in the leadership group for the new season.

Logan praised the trio not only for their production but for their shared vision and commitment to excellence.

“Just picking their brains about what they expect from the year, their personal expectations, and how they want to run this program… all three of those guys, they have really strong feelings about how we want to go about the year,” Logan said. “They really aligned with how I want to do things, be a competitive team, have a demeanor everyday to get better, show up, do our work, and push to be at the top of the pack this year and compete for a championship.”

While the team has locked in its core trio, Logan hinted that a fourth member may be added to the leadership group after training camp.

“We’re excited about those three guys and I think we’ll add another one as well,” he said. “We’ll figure out who that’s going to be as time goes along… we’ll probably just take our time with it and see who complements that group the best.”

As training camp nears and the North Stars prepare for a new season under fresh leadership both on the bench and in the dressing room, the tone has been set and the goal is clear: return to the top of the SJHL and compete for a championship.

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Austin.mattes@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @AustinMattes