~ Article, image courtesy Martin Martinson, battlefordsNOW.com
North Stars forward, Dylan Esau has announced his commitment to Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) — formerly Red Deer College — for the fall of 2022.
A Meadow Lake product currently in his fourth season with the Stars, Esau said he’s excited to take the next step in his hockey career, and join the RDP Kings’ hockey program.
“I’m looking forward to it. There’s lots of familiar faces over there, so I’m excited to go there,” Esau said. “They have a good program, great facilities, the coach was awesome, and they’ve been very successful. I’ve heard good things about the city and the school, so that really helped make my decision easier.”
In the classroom, Esau intends to enroll in Business.
The final member from the 2019 Canalta Cup winning North Stars roster to still be on the team, Esau currently sits second in Stars scoring this year, with 35 points in 40 games.
Head coach of the Stars, Brayden Klimosko, called Esau’s commitment ‘great to see.’
“It’s great news for Dylan; he’s worked obviously really hard, and now he can push that to the back-burner and worry about winning [another] championship,” Klimosko said. “He’s been a horse for us for four years, a great assistant captain and leader, and I’m looking forward to seeing him join some other former North Stars there. It should be a great fit for him.”
Esau is the second Stars 20-year-old to commit to Red Deer Polytechnic this season and will be joining Ryland McNinch. The program also features former Stars’ teammates including Regan Doig (2018-19), Jaxon Steele (2020-21) and Kristian Lyon (2020-21).
Red Deer sit third overall in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) with a 6-1-2-1 record this season.
Esau and his North Stars’ teammates will return to play Tuesday night at home against Yorkton, in what will mark the veteran’s team-best 150th career SJHL game. The NAPA Auto Parts North Stars Hockey Broadcast will be available on 1050 CJNB. The Ultra Print Pregame Show will begin at 7 p.m. with puck drop at 7:30 p.m.
