Connor Sych was faced with a tough decision on his hockey future.
A ninth round pick of the Edmonton Oil Kings in the 2012 Western Hockey League bantam draft, Sych could have played in the WHL for one of the league’s perennial contenders.
Instead, Sych has decided to maintain his NCAA eligibility and has committed to play for the Division 1 St. Lawrence Saints beginning in the fall of 2017.
The North Battleford native will now stay with the North Stars for the next two seasons, barring a trade or change of heart.
North Stars head coach and general manager Kevin Hasselberg says Sych deserves all the credit in the world.
“In the classroom he maintained a very high level of academics,” Hasselberg said. “The sacrifices he’s made to keep his grades up and the sacrifices he’s made in the hockey world have led him to a great decision.”
It’s not as though Sych is now stuck with his decision, however.
“He’s got all options open now,” Hasselberg continued. “He can play in the WHL, he can play in the NCAA, and there’s no wrong decision.”
Hasselberg says this also helps the organization down the road.
“At the end of the day we’re hired to develop hockey players,” he said. “As much as we want to win hockey games and want to win championships, from an organization perspective that’s the goal and if you’re moving players on you’re getting the right players. We have to continue to work hard to identify those players that have the characteristics of being someone that plays beyond just junior hockey and that’s what makes you successful.”
Being from North Battleford and playing minor hockey here shows it’s not just the North Stars who are helping players move on to the next level.
“It’s really exciting. This community has worked extremely hard to develop hockey players,” Hasselberg said. “The path hasn’t always been an easy one, but I think they need to reflect a lot on the success of some of these players. You see coaches out here working kids at 6 a.m. and that’s the sacrifices you have to make to be successful in this business. It’s so good to see that people are going beyond measures to develop players into the best they can be.”
Sych becomes the fifth North Star in the past four seasons to receive an NCAA Division 1 scholarship.
Earlier this year Reed Delainey committed to the Rochester Institute of Technology for the 2016-17 season.
Blake Young began his NCAA career this year at the University of Minnesota-Duluth after spending two full seasons with the North Stars.
While he’s currently playing with the British Columbia Hockey League’s Chilliwack Chiefs, Luke McColgan spent the previous two years with the North Stars and will play at the University of Alaska-Anchorage next season.
Perhaps the most notable is North Battleford’s own Blake Tatchell who is currently in his third year with the Alaska-Anchorage Sea Wolves, leading the team in scoring for the third consecutive season.
The list of notable names in the hockey world that came from St. Lawrence is quite lengthy.
Among them are former Stanley Cup winning coach of the New York Rangers Mike Keenan and Stanley Cup winning general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins Ray Shero.
NHL player alumni include Dallas Stars forward Rich Peverly and Brandon Bollig who was part of the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks in 2013.
