Matthias Urbanski

Good teams always seem to find a way to restock the shelves and the Battlefords North Stars have done an excellent job in that department in recent years.

The two-time defending regular-season champions, and last year’s winners of the Canalta Cup, were decimated with graduations after their championship season, but a strong crop of rookies have stepped in to help the North Stars once again challenge for the overall point’s lead in addition to taking their customary spot atop the Global Ag Risk Solution Division standings.

Enter Matthias Urbanski.

The 18-year-old forward from Oliver, B.C., has stepped in and provided some solid secondary scoring while also adding a bit of grit to the line-up. In 29 games with the North Stars, Urbanski has notched 12 goals and set up eight others in addition to collecting 63 minutes in penalties.

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Urbanski has played in almost every situation as he has three power play goals, two shorthanded efforts and three game-winning tallies. His output is the second best for first-year players on the team, trailing just Dakota Huebner by 10 points.

Prior to joining the North Stars, Urbanski spent last season in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League splitting his time with the North Okanagan Knights and Sicamous Eagles. In 24 games with the Knights, Urbanski collected 11 points on seven goals and four assists while in 20 games with the Eagles he added another four goals and 10 helpers.

The Battlefords are in a good position to successfully defend their championship and it will be continued contributions from players like Urbanski that could push them over the top once again. With two more years of junior eligibility remaining after this year it certainly looks like the North Stars are putting themselves in a position to be a threat for quite some time.