Four members of the Steinbach Pistons have been recognized as finalists for the year-end 2019-20 MJHL Awards.
Matt Lenz, Ty Naaykens, and Carter Loney along with Pistons Head Coach/GM Paul Dyck have all been nominated for different awards respectively.
Lenz is a finalist for the MJHL Goaltender of the Year, and is up against Cooper Hatfield of the Winnipeg Blues and Levi Mitchell of the Dauphin Kings. Lenz has statistically been the top goalie in the league all year long. The Grapevine, Texas native and Mercyhurst University commit leads the MJHL with 27 wins, a .923 SV%, and a 2.08 GAA while also posting a shutout in 35 starts this year.
Ty Naaykens is up for the Frank McKinnon Memorial Trophy for Hockey Ability and Sportsmanship. The second-year forward and first-year Piston is tied for the team lead in scoring with 21 goals and 48 points on the season, while also only accumulating just 12 penalty minutes. Naaykens is up against Hunter Cloutier of the Virden Oil Capitals and Nakodan Greyeyes of the Dauphin Kings.
Loney has been nominated for the Vince Leah Trophy, which represent the MJHL Rookie of the Year. The Minnesota-Duluth commit has been impressive in his first junior season, currently notching 14 goals and 44 points in 47 games played. Loney also played for Team Canada West at the 2019 World Junior A Challenge, and played on Team West at the 2020 CJHL Top Prospects game. Swan Valley Stampeders forward Luke Beerman and Selkirk Steelers forward Caiden Gault have also been nominated.
For the sixth straight season, Dyck is up for the Muzz McPherson Award for MJHL Coach of the Year. A two-time winner of this award in 2017 and 2018, Dyck has helped guide the Pistons to a current first place spot in the MJHL standings with just over two weeks left in the regular season. He is up against Blake Spiller of the Portage Terriers and Kelvin Cech of the Winkler Flyers.
The All-Star team selections will be announced at the same time as the award winners are announced next week.
The Pistons would like to congratulate Matt, Ty, Carter, and Paul on their nominations for their respective award categories!