Lleyton McLean is the newest member of the Battlefords North Stars.
The Perth native and reigning-EOJHL MVP for the Perth Blue Wings is off to Saskatchewan to join the North Stars, who placed second at the 2023 Centennial Cup.
He walked Lake 88 through the recruitment process.
Throughout the 2022-23 season, the North Stars, who play out of North Battleford in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, jockeyed with the Brooks Bandits out of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, to become the top ranked Jr. A team in Canada.
The two sides met in the national championship with the Bandits securing the win.
The North Stars finished the 2022-23 SJHL regular season with a record of 48-5-2-1, 18 points clear of the second place Humboldt Broncos. They went on to win the league title in the postseason in an equally impressive fashion. They lost Game 1 of their first round matchup before rattling off 12 straight wins to claim the Canterra Seeds Cup.
McLean says he’s thrilled to be joining such a respected organization, and outlined his expectations for the season after making the jump from Jr. B to A.
McLean posted 92 points in 39 games for his hometown Blue Wings a season ago, set a franchise record with 51 goals, and led the league with 18 playoff points, including assisting on the Barkley Cup clinching overtime goal over the Casselman Vikings.
McLean says he’s nervous but excited to head out west, live with a billet family for the first time and see Saskatchewan, a province he’s never visited. He’ll head out to training camp in mid-September to join his new team.
He thanked the Blue Wings organization for helping him develop into the player he is, leading to this opportunity.
Story by Grant Deme
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