Three Steinbach Pistons are up for MJHL awards and three have been named to the MJHL respective All-Star teams.
Head Coach Paul Dyck says it’s an honour to be nominated in a league with so many good players. “It’s always good to see guys recognized for the seasons that they’ve had. It’s difficult to be one of those few, if it’s an all-star or nominated for one of the awards, it’s a feather in the players’ caps. We talk about team success, but along the way when the team wins hockey games, it seems like guys will get some individual recognition as well.”
Dyck is once again up for Coach of the Year, something he takes a lot of pride in but says he can’t do on his own. “To me, it signifies team success. We have a staff here that works collectively that makes our team successful. It’s very much a team award for me.”
Connor Paronuzzi is up for MJHL MVP. “Not surprising, just look at the year he’s had,” Dyck said Friday after the nominations came out. “It’s been a dominant offensive year for him. He’s nearing our team record for points in a season, he’s got almost twice as many as the next person on our team, it’s good for him to be recognized.”
Believe it or not, the Steinbach Pistons have never had the MJHL MVP. “What are we, 16 years in and no one has won?” Dyck said with a smile. “We’ve had some good players come through here, but there on our recognition wall we have a blank space. We have a space for an MVP but it’s still open.”
Rookie of the Year nomination went to Reece Gault and Dyck says what’s most impressive is Gault’s durability. “That’s a tough one (to be nominated for), it’s tough to get a nomination at that age, he’s just 17-years-old. He’s one of the smaller players in our league stature wise but he’s just so skilled and gifted. He plays with a lot of courage and has put up some pretty good numbers. Good on him for embracing the challenge. He’s been so durable. It speaks to his toughness and mental toughness. He prepares and I think a lot of it to, when it comes to his stature, he’s always aware and he’s been able to stay healthy.”
Paronuzzi, Gault, and Noah Szabo were named to MJHL All-Star teams and for Szabo, Dyck believes it’s something the captain can build off of. “He’s the reigning defenseman of the year and while the year hasn’t gone the way he would have liked, he’s been banged up and missed quite a few games for us this year, so it’s been difficult for him to get into a rhythm because there has been breaks. We’re looking forward to him being healthy for a stretch and carrying us into playoffs.”
Friday marks the final game at the HyLife Centre in La Broquerie for the Pistons. Coach Dyck expresses gratitude to the community of La Broquerie and the staff that made it feel like home the past couple of seasons. “The plan was a year, and I know that this year has been challenging for them. We’ve had to pivot at Christmas time but we had a change of plans, so a lot of people here had to accommodate our schedule. We’re very grateful for the hosts that they’ve been the last two years. Jim Ross and his crew here at the arena have been fantastic to us.”
Being away from Steinbach for so long, an interesting fact struck the coach about many in his locker room. “A lot of them don’t know Pistons hockey outside of La Broquerie, which caught me off guard. There’s a good number of players that have never played hockey in Steinbach, despite being the Steinbach Pistons.”
While the MJHL award winners are set to be announced on Friday, there’s already been one award winner and it didn’t require a vote. Graham Pollock was unanimously named Video Coach of the Year once again. “We’re very proud of Graham,” Dyck says laughing with Pollock sitting in a chair just a couple feet away. “It’s got to be the longest tenured… well I guess there hasn’t been a reign that long in any single award in league history.”
“And there’s no respect,” Pollock says with a big smile and a laugh.
Steinbach hosts the Northern Manitoba Blizzard in La Broquerie Friday night, with puck drop at 7:00 p.m.