NORTH BATTLEFORD — The president of the Battlefords North Stars says the best thing they ever did was to hire Brayden Klimosko five years ago, and they announced Thursday they have signed him on for another five years.
In what Kyle Kellgren said was an exciting day in the Battlefords, he and Mitch Hawtin, vice president, welcomed head coach and GM Brayden Klimosko, his fiancé Katlyn and their son Jake to a press conference making the announcement.
“Five years ago we hired Brayden Klimosko to come on board and it’s the best thing we’ve done. We won a league championship that first year, we had a little struggle with COVID but everybody did … and we’ve just finished off this last year with the most successful season ever for the Battlefords North Stars.”
He said, “A league championship, the most points, you name it, it was that year, the best year ever and it’s something [that] really resonated with the board and obviously with the community … and this has been something I’ve been working on since January. Brayden was going into the last year of his contract. I was not going to let that happen. Luckily, we’ve had some discussions with Brayden and I’m here today to officially announce Brayden Klimosko and his family have committed to the Battlefords for the next five seasons. So it’s a very exciting day.”
Kellgren said, “This is a commitment from our board, this is a commitment to our fans, to our sponsorship, and everybody involved and I couldn’t be happier to announce this and keep Braydon and his family in the Battlefords for the next five years.”
Klimosko said, “The first five years was a really good five years. We had a lot of good discussions, us and our family — the community has taken us in, welcomed us like it’s our home now.
He said he was looking forward to working with the board and the team for another five years.
“I think it’s been a great relationship and partnership so far. Obviously it helps with having great fans and great community support. As a family we’re excited and looking forward to where this journey takes us in the next five years.”
Coach of the Year
During the Centennial Cup, where the Battlefords junior club placed second, it was announced that Klimosko was named the CJHL Coach of the Year and with it received the Darcy Haugan/Mark Cross Memorial Award. Head coach Haugan and assistant coach Cross were among the 16 lives claimed in the April 6, 2018, Broncos bus crash. It was an honour for Klimosko, a Humboldt product, as he was an assistant coach for Haugan on his hometown Broncos.
This past season Klimosko led his team to a 48-5-2-1. The squad was ranked No. 1 in the country for 15 weeks. They did not lose a contest in regulation in the 2022-portion of the SJHL schedule. The North Stars lost the first game of the playoffs and then reeled off 12 consecutive victories. Klimosko, who led Battlefords to a 2019 league title, was named the SJH Coach of the year in 2020, 2022 and 2023. The CJHL Coach of the Year award will be officially presented in person at the 2023 National Hockey League Coaches’ Association’s Global Coaches’ Clinic on June 28.
As the CJHL Coach of the Year, the bench boss and the North Stars receive:
$5,000 contribution to the team on behalf of the NHLCA.
$5,000 worth of Bauer Hockey equipment.
Klimosko and an assistant coach are invited to attend the 2023 NHLCA Global Coaches’ Clinic in Nashville, Tenn., prior to the NHL Draft as guests NHLCA.
