(Ryan Lambert/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Ryan Lambert

North Stars Season Preview

Battlefords North Stars set for the 2025-26 season ahead of home opener vs Kindersley

Sep 18, 2025 | 2:14 PM

The SJHL season is on the horizon and North Stars fans are ready to pack the Access Communications Centre for the home opener against the Kindersley Klippers.

The North Stars finished last season with a record of 29-22-3-2 and won the division. Unfortunately for Battlefords, they fell in the first round to the Weyburn Red Wings in six games. This time around, they sit at #8 out of 12 teams on the SJHL’s preseason power ranking.

Battlefords has a new regime which starts on the bench with a rookie coach and general manager in town, Connor Logan who was a part of the 2016-17 championship team. Now back as a coach, he knows they have stuff to work on through the season, but he feels good heading into his first campaign as the North Stars coach.

“We’re excited to see all these different challenges as the year goes along, but just focusing on our preparation on a daily basis and like I said, just going to ride a little bit of the excitement heading into Friday,” said Logan.

From last year to this year, the team looks much different with just 11 of the 26 players on the roster returning from the 2024-25 season.

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Here’s a look at the acquired players and the previous teams they played for:

Acquired Forwards

• Raiden Zacharias (Brandon Wheat Kings/WHL)
• Baden Pazdzierski (Cranbrook Bucks/BCHL)
• Kaleb Dewar (Warman Wildcats U18) (SMAAAHL)
• Eric Marks (Okotoks Oilers U18/AEHL)
• Sam Kirwan (Swift Current Legionnaires/SMAAAHL)
• Carson Meyer (Okotoks Oilers U18/AEHL)
• Drew Williamson (Three Hills Thrashers/HJHL)
• Adam Konowalchuk (Kerry Park Islanders/VIJHL)
• Cole Hines (Lloydminster Lancers U18/AEHL)
• Easton Woytiuk (Warman Wildcats U18/SMAAAHL)
• Finlay Klippenstein (Nanaimo Clippers/BCHL)

Acquired Defense

• Austin Garrett (Victoria Grizzlies/BCHL)
• Keegan Nash (Swift Current Legionnaires/SMAAAHL)
• Will Kirwan (Swift Current Legionnaires/SMAAAHL)

Acquired Goalie

• Kaeden Serpa (Campbell River Storm/VIJHL)

Taking into account those who participated in more than 10 games with the North Stars last season, there are 16 departing players, many of whom have resigned with other teams or leagues:

Departed Forwards

• Nikita Ivashchenko (Blackfalds Bulldogs/BCHL)
• Elijah Anderson (aged out)
• Rylan Williams (Estevan Bruins/SJHL)
• Seth Dragan (Dalhouse University/USports)
• Colton Getzlaff (Esteven Bruins/SJHL)
• Jackson Allan (Briercrest College/ACAC)
• Jace Rask (West Kelowna Warriors/BCHL)
• Treycen Wuttunnee
• Bryce Boughen
• Lucas Schoenborn

Departed Defense

• Jordan Grill (Acadia University/USports)
• Michael Carter (aged out)
• Cole Goodwin (Estevan Bruins/SJHL)
• Alex Scheck (Estevan Bruins/SJHL)
• James Cifelli Kearney (aged out)

Goalies

• Justen Maric (University of Regina/USports)

The 11 returning players include:

Forwards

• Anthony Campbell
• Braden Nienaber
• Kobe Sawyer
• Carter Geyson
• Josh Knittig

Defense

• Sebastian Miles
• Owen Dyck
• Gavin Granger
• Linken Fisher

Goalies

• Thomas Samborski
• Connor Baumbach

Points wise, the most notable losses for the North Stars were Nikita Ivashchenko, Elijah Anderson and Rylan Williams. They were three of the top four point-getters for the North Stars in the 2024-25 season, all getting more than 40 points last year, with Ivashchenko being the only player with a point-per-game or more.

The North Stars do still have their top scorer from last year in new captain Anthony Campbell who had 55 points (29G, 26A) over 56 games. The team looks to get a scoring touch from some new players on offense such as Raiden Zacharias, Drew Williamson, and Baden Pazdzierski.

Williamson and Pazdzierski spent time in different junior leagues across the country. Williamson put up 41 points in 16 games last season in Jr B with the Three Hills Trashers of the HJHL, while Pazdzierski played most of last season with the Nanaimo Buccaneers of the VIJHL, scoring 36 points in as many games. Raiden Zacharias had 28 points in 41 games with the Melville Millionaires last season and also spent some time in the WHL with the Brandon Wheat Kings.

On the back end, North Stars fans have something to look forward to in Austin Garrett, who “plays with an edge…has a great shot, and plays an in-your-face style”, as stated by North Stars GM and head coach Connor Logan when the team signed him in June.

The North Stars did lose last years starting goaltender Justen Maric, but have two returning goalies in Connor Baumbach and Thomas Samborski. They also brought in Kaeden Serpa, who had a 2.80 GAA and a .918 SV% in the VIJHL with the Campbell River Storm. Serpa also had a .935 SV% and 2.31 GAA in the playoffs where the River Storm went to the finals.

Even though the team has a lot of new players, the locker room seems to have quickly gotten close as a group. Braden Nienaber, who is the longest tenured North Stars player talked about the difference between this team and previous North Stars squads he played on.

“So far, I think we are the tightest the earliest we’ve been throughout the years. We’re gelling together pretty good and there doesn’t seem to be any separate groups. We all seem as one big group.”

North Stars assistant captain Gavin Granger added to that point, saying the guys have gotten “really close over the last couple of weeks.”, an encouraging sign for North Stars fans heading into the season.

Joining Granger in the leadership group is forward Josh Knittig who will serve as an assistant captain as well as Anthony Campbell who is heading into his first year with the C on his chest.

“Just in practice, you could tell the boys want to play, the boys are excited. I think it’s going to be a really good season…We got a good group of guys, and the energy is high, so let’s try to keep that going for most of the season and it’s going to be a good one.”

With a rookie head coach and a lot of new moving pieces on the team, the North Stars have a lot to prove heading into the 2025-26 season. But the community is ready to cheer on their squad, and the North Stars are feeling optimistic heading into the year which kicks off with their home opener on Friday night.

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ryan.lambert@pattisonmedia.com