Baran Signs Tender With North Iowa
LINCOLN, NE
With the Lincoln Stars AAA inaugural season underway with more than 20 games already played and over five states visited, there have been plenty of milestones to celebrate. It has been a year of first's for the program, from the program's first win against Team Illinois to the multiple league Showcases . All noteworthy events in their own right, however we recently had an individual accomplishment that is significant for the future of the Lincoln Stars AAA program.
Our players, coaches, and staff would all like to congratulate Mike Baran on being the first even Lincoln Stars AAA (LNK) player to sign a junior hockey tender. Baran did so by signing with the North Iowa Bulls of the North American Hockey League. Baran, the teams leading scorer, has impressed all season with his consistent scoring and willingness to play with any linemate. In eight games, Baran has amassed eight goals and seven assists for a total of 15 points, all while only having one minor infraction for two penalty minutes.
Head Coach, Keith Burchett, had this to about Mike Baran, “Mike is one of the hardest workers on the team, and that has not gone unnoticed. We are excited to watch him continue to grow and to go to a top program in the NAHL.”
In junior hockey a tender is more-or-less a contact of sorts. The tender signifies that the signing player has his rights owned by the signing team. The player can not sign, be drafted by, or play with another franchise in the NAHL unless traded. The North Iowa Bulls are in their second season in the NAHL, after relocating from Amarillo, Texas.