The Battlefords North Stars welcomed six new faces to the organization after the second annual SJHL bantam draft took place in Nipawin Thursday.
In the first round, with their 12th overall pick, the North Stars selected Tye Scherger out of Macklin. The 15-year-old, well balanced, scoring forward found the back of the net 18 times while registering 19 assists with the West Central Wheat Kings. Head Coach and General Manager Kevin Hasselberg, wanted to make sure he found homegrown talent through the draft, and found his man in Scherger. The black and white have some high hopes for this young skater and see him in a North Stars jersey when he is eligible.
“We were extremely excited that Tye was still available at the 12th overall pick,” Hasselberg said. “He was a player we kept a close eye on all season, who plays a 200-foot game. Even better is the possibility that Tye will be developing his game in the Battlefords with our AAA program. Tye will be a very good SJHL player.”
The AAA Stars will welcome this two-way player with open arms after losing some of their top scorers from just a season ago.
The Battlefords then went north to Meadow Lake in the second round, drafting Dylan Esau of the Meadow Lake AA Stampeders. His 6’0”, 160-pound frame at 15 intrigued the war room of the North Stars, who believe he will be a strong power forward in the SJHL. Esau, selected 24th overall, tallied 12 goals and 13 assists during the 2015-16 season. Hasselberg sees potential in Esau for the way he performed in the post-season.
“Dylan was a bantam age player playing AA midget this past season and he was one of the premier players in the Centre Four League, an argument that could be made from his contributions in the playoffs,” Hasselberg said.
“He is a big power forward that is great on the cycle and effective at the net. He was also linemates with current listed player Shane Hounsell. To be able to select him with our second pick was very rewarding.”
The Kelowna Rockets see a bright future in Esau, who also drafted him in the WHL bantam draft in the 10th round.
In the third round, the North Stars had two picks, choosing Tyler Danielson of Saskatoon 31st overall. Playing for the Generals, Danielson contributed 22 points in 30 games played and can provide a spark of offence from the blue line. With their second pick in the third round, the North Stars found more offensive talent in Aaron Toews. Toews was selected 35th overall after the Battlefords traded Melfort for their pick. The 5’5” forward led the way in terms of scoring for the Swift Current Raiders of the SBAAHL, tallying 26 goals while adding 28 helpers in 30 games played this past season. Hasselberg goes as far as comparing him to former North Stars who are playing in the WHL.
“Aaron was compared to Tanner Nagel, tenacious, courageous and skilled. The fact he was the leading scorer on a team that struggled from a standings perspective made him a very attractive pick at that point in the draft. Again, this is a pick we felt we were very fortunate to make considering the timing. Full credit to our scouting staff and their efforts to identify players like Aaron.”
Toews was a bright spot on a team that went just 5-19 in the South Division last year.
In the fourth round, 48th overall, the North Stars selected Estyn Hyman, who played his bantam hockey right here in the Battlefords with the Barons. Hyman is a defenceman who is smart with the puck in his own zone. He scored twice while adding eight assists in 29 games. Hasselberg was relieved the defenceman fell to their spot that late in the draft.
“Hyman is a hard-nosed, smooth skating, first pass defenceman that we felt flew under the radar this season,” he said. “He had a very good showing at the SaskFirst tournament and we believe this young man will be a great North Star in a couple of seasons.”
With their last selection, 60th overall, the black and white drafted Blake Allen from Davidson. Allen was already selected by the Kootenay Ice of the WHL in the third round, which is the reason he almost went undrafted in the SJHL draft. However, Hasselberg says he believes the North Stars organization can help develop his skill set.
“Blake is a high WHL draft in the third round by the Kootaney Ice who has size, skill and plays very physical. Certainly he is a great WHL prospect, however, if we could assist his development along the way we feel he provides strength to our team.”
Overall, the North Stars hand picked players who will fit their system in the coming years.
They are not overlooking some of their protected players locally, though. There are skaters with the Barons among others that Hasselberg feels could be SJHL ready when the time is right.
“Players like Luke Fennig and Cam Taylor, whom we feel would've been high draft picks if the league was open with no auto protects. Players like Landon Buziak, Tysen Tuck and Jaryd Nachtegaele are players that will develop into Junior A players that we are excited to work with and factor into their long term development. The 2001 class of drafts and local players is amazing and we couldn't be happier with the condition of our.”
The future of the Battlefords North Stars is brighter than ever.
