The battles in the playoffs in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League are nothing like what happens in the regular season.
That鈥檚 something the Battlefords North Stars found out first hand last spring.
After finishing up the regular season with the best record in the 12-team loop, the North Stars came up short in their quest for a league championship as they were upset in the semifinals by the sixth-ranked Flin Flon Bombers.
鈥淭hat gritty style of play is what you need to have to go through the playoffs,鈥� North Stars forward and assistant captain Logan Nachtegaele said. 鈥淭hat was something we struggled with at times and we didn鈥檛 end up going all of the way.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 a part of our game that we need to be much better at if we want to achieve our goal of winning the league.鈥�
Those thoughts were music to the ears of North Stars general manager and head coach Nate Bedford as that was a message he stressed during the team鈥檚 training camp.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 something that鈥檚 going to be a lot more noticeable in the way that we are going to play this year,鈥� Bedford said.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to be hard to play against and we鈥檙e going to grind it out when we have to. We have enough skill to score goals but we鈥檙e looking to be tougher in some of the harder areas out there.鈥�
A total of 38 players took to the ice at the Civic Centre for this year鈥檚 camp, which featured three intra-squad scrimmages.
鈥淚 think everything went really well,鈥� Nachtegaele said. 鈥淲e did a lot of work in getting used to the style of play that Nate wants us to have this season.
鈥淚 liked the fact that a lot of our games were long, which allowed us to work on our endurance. The goalies all have different styles that we had to adapt to and the defencemen we have are awesome. I really love to compete against them in the corners.鈥�
When asked what he liked the most from training camp, Bedford immediately sang the praises of captain Kendall Fransoo.
鈥淗is leadership is as good as it gets and it鈥檚 probably the best that I have ever seen,鈥� Bedford said. 鈥淐onnor Sych is a mammoth out there as well on defence. He鈥檚 a complete hockey player and another great leader.
鈥淭hose two for me are guys that I have really admired over the last week here and I can see with the level of play here why we鈥檝e been so successful as a team over the last five years.鈥�
Another thing that Bedford has liked is the ability for players to adapt, especially with Conor Jensen and Connor Manegre moving up from defence to play at forward.
鈥淭o see both of the guys going into different roles and doing whatever it takes to help this team succeed should help us a lot,鈥� Bedford said.
鈥淚t allows us to be more flexible and it gives us some added depth.鈥�
The North Stars released seven players from camp Wednesday as goaltender Ruslan Katsnelson, defenceman Turner Rea and Austin Wieller, and forwards Colton Adair, Tyson Chizma, Ty Muench and Logan Spence were all re-assigned.
鈥淲ith the young guys that we send back it was mainly about academics,鈥� Bedford said. 鈥淪chool is starting up here and we wanted those guys to be there with their classmates.
鈥淥bviously we would like to see those guys in an exhibition game or two, and that might still happen. However, we didn鈥檛 want them to be stuck here in a situation where they miss out on getting back into the swing of things.鈥�
While 31 players remain in town to try and make the North Stars, two forwards from last year鈥檚 team are looking to make it at higher levels.
Coby Downs, who had 73 points to finish third in team scoring last year, is currently trying to crack the roster for the United States Hockey League鈥檚 Omaha Lancers.
Meanwhile, Battleford product Braydon Buziak signed an entry-level contract with the Western Hockey League鈥檚 Regina Pats on Thursday. He had 19 points in his rookie season for the North Stars last year.
鈥淩ight now we鈥檙e taking a day-by-day approach here with our roster,鈥� Bedford said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e happy with the guys we have here and if guys come back from other camps, we will cross that bridge when we get there.
鈥淲ith the group we have here right now, I believe we can with that.鈥�
The North Stars open their pre-season schedule over the weekend with a home-and-home series against the Alberta Junior Hockey League鈥檚 Bonnyville Pontiacs. The two teams will square off in Bonnyville Saturday, with a 7 p.m. battle at the Civic Centre slated for Sunday.
Following a visit to Nipawin on Tuesday, the North Stars will host the Hawks in a rematch at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Their exhibition schedule will conclude with back-to-back games against the Kindersley Klippers. The Klippers will host the North Stars Friday before both teams square off Saturday in a 7:30 p.m. tilt at the Civic Centre.
鈥淲e just have to focus on what we鈥檙e going to be doing all year,鈥� Nachtegaele said. 鈥淲e need to have a high compete level, a willingness to battle in the tough areas and doing the little things like blocking shots.
鈥淭hat will be important for the younger guys that are here and trying to make the team. You can鈥檛 take a shift off or it might be your last.鈥�
