Florence signs with North Stars

Daily Herald File Photo Zane Florence of the Prince Albert Mintos skates past Tristan Sgrosso of the Notre Dame Hounds at the Art Hauser Centre last season.

Zane Florence is heading back home for the next step in his hockey career.

After spending this past season with the Prince Albert Mintos, the 17-year-old blueliner from North Battleford will be suiting up for the Battlefords North Stars of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League for the 2020-21 campaign.

Florence joined the Mintos for his final year of midget hockey after spending two seasons in the Centre Four Hockey League with the Battlefords Barons Midget AA program.

He had eight points in 32 regular season contests in his lone Midget AAA campaign and also suited up for all three of the Mintos playoff games against the Saskatoon Contacts.

Graduating forward Josh Peppler is the only other Mintos player that has signed a contract with a Junior A team for next season as he’s committed to the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Lloydminster Bobcats.

The North Stars, who brought home the Canalta Cup in 2017 and 2019, were considered the favourites to win another league title this past season after leading the SJHL with a 45-11-2-0 mark.

They held a 3-1 lead over the Nipawin Hawks in the quarter-final round when the campaign was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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