TRAVERSE CITY -- A veteran core is returning for the Traverse City North Stars, boosting hopes of a return to the North American Hockey League playoffs for a second straight year.
The North Stars will have 14 veterans back from last year's team, and gain three more from Mahoning Valley.
The Stars are losing three of their top four scorers -- including leading scorer Kyle Bonis. Nathan Urbaniak and Marc Thompson -- third and fourth in scoring last year -- are also moving on.
"After that, we lost a buch of good players -- so that's what we need to get in," TC head coach/general manager Anthony Palumbo said of the team's newest additions.
That includes a pair of local products in Traverse City West forward Eric Rivard and TC Central's Jared VanWormer.
"Eric had a great camp," Palumbo said. "We weren't counting on him, but he played well and earned it. He was the surprise of camp. We had him penciled in to go to Honeybaked (AAA) and come back next year. He scored some goals and played so well that he made us keep him."
"Jared has a lot of potential," Palumbo said, adding that VanWormer may play for the Stars until Jean comes back and then return to TC Central.
Coming off a 34-17-7 season, the North Stars plucked three players away from Mahoning Valley, which is leaving the NAHL for the USHL, thus making all their former players free agents. TC landed defenseman David Chaney and forwards Nick Shkreli and Doug Clifford.
Shkreli was the Phantoms' fourth-leading scorer with 44 points in 54 games, Clifford had 26 points in 46 contests and Chaney netted 10 points and a +13 rating in 41 appearances, drawing only 10 minutes in penalties.
Two key returnees -- Heineman and Jean -- will miss a significant amount of time to start the season after off-season injuries.
Heineman is slated to undergo hip surgery later this summer and is likely out until February, while Jean will miss the first month of the regular season with an upper-body injury suffered late last year. Shkreli should be ready for the season opener after suffering a broken hand in last year's playoff series against the Stars.
Tyler Marble -- who was with the team toward the end of last season after Dallas Kniss retired -- and Brian Jean are the two goalies on the roster. Brian Jean is Kyle Jean's younger brother, and played at Sault Ste. Marie last season.
The pair give the Stars two big bodies in net, with Marble checking in at 6-foot-1 and Jean at 6-2, although Palumbo said it's quite possible the team will add a veteran netminder to the roster before the season to join the two young backstops.
Among the returning blueliners are All-North defenseman Travis White, plus Bo Jacobs, Heineman, Cody Walsh and Mike Schenfeld. Matt Davis -- a former prep teammate of Schenfeld -- along with draft picks Nilan Nagy and Trevor Campbell round out the defense.
Seven forwards are back from last year's club, including Dan Radke, Tim Opie, Jean, Eric McLintock, Josh Miller, Garrett Thompson, Sean Burke and Chris Salomone. First-round draft pick Taylor Burden, tenders Sean Keane and Andrew Huff and Ontario import Kelin Ainsworth comprise the remained of the forwards.
The Stars open the season with an exhibition game against Alpena on Sept. 3 at Centre ICE arena. The regular season gets underway with a Sept. 12-13 series against the expansion franchise from Janesville, Wis., prior to the Sept. 16-19 NAHL Showcase in Minnesota.
North Stars roster
FORWARDS
Dan Radke*; Tim Opie*; Kyle Jean*; Eric McLintock*; Andy Huff; Josh Miller*; Sean Keane; Garrett Thompson*; Nick Shkreli#; Doug Clifford#; Mike Schenfeld*; Sean Burke*; Taylor Burden$; Jared VanWormer; Eric Rivard; Chris Salomone*; Kelin Ainsworth
DEFENSEMEN
Matt Davis; Travis White*; Bo Jacobs*; Chris Heineman*; Cody Walsh*; David Chaney#; Nilan Nagy$; Trevor Campbell$
GOALTENDERS
Tyler Marble*; Brian Jean
*-- Returning player; #-- Acquired as a free agent from Mahoning Valley; $-- draft pick
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