BISMARCK, N.D.–On the first day North American Hockey League teams are permitted to sign potential future players to tender agreements, the Bismarck Bobcats are proud to announce three signings for the 2023-24 season.
Carter Krenke (left), Gabe Kenne (middle), and Conner Broadhead (right) put pen to paper on Tuesday.
Krenke, an 18-year-old forward from Bloomington, Minn. not only brings lots of size at 6-foot-5, he already has 10 career USHL games played. Krenke skated with the Omaha Lancers after last year’s high school season at the Blake School.
“I’ve known Krenke for a while now and he continues to show why he is such a good person and hockey player,” said Niko Kapetanovic, the Bobcats’ head scout. “A monster of a forward who makes a ton of plays and can really shoot it. Krenke will step right into Bismarck with not much of a learning curve as he has already played multiple USHL games. His ability to make plays out of nothing at his size is truly remarkable.”
Kenne is an 18-year-old forward from Nashville, Tenn. currently playing AAA hockey in Omaha with Omaha Mastery, where he is averaging two points per game so far. He would be the first Bobcat from Tennessee in Layne Sedevie’s 13 seasons as head coach.
“Gabe is a strong forward who has a great scoring touch,” Kapetanovic said. “Every game I’ve seen he has five-plus grade-A scoring chances. His ability to score at will and create chances with his strength and speed are going to make him a very hard matchup in our division.”
Broadhead, the youngest of the three tenders at 17 years old, is a defenseman from St. Louis, Mo. playing for CarShield, where he is the top-scoring defenseman at both the AAA and NAPHL levels.
“Conner is a steady D who is well coached and makes the game look easier than it is,” Kapetanovic said. “He has a good stick and makes a great first pass. His versatile game allows him to run a power play, kill penalties, and log plenty of minutes.”
A tender agreement is a contract giving a North American Hockey League team the rights to a player for the upcoming season. If a tendered player decides to join the NAHL, he would join the Bobcats. Tendered players who joined this year’s squad include Julian Beaumont, Sam Blanton, Ian Engel, Mitch Simmons, C.J. Kier, and Nick Baer.