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Left: Job Peters, Right: Luke Mistelbacher.

Pistons Announce Auto-Protected Players for 2020 MJHL Bantam Draft

The Steinbach Pistons announced that the team has auto-protected ’05 forwards Job Peters and Luke Mistelbacher in preparation for the 2020 MJHL Bantam Draft.

The Manitoba Junior Hockey League have also revealed the names of the 2005-born auto-protected players from each of the 11 teams across the league. Both Peters and Mistelbacher played the 2019-20 season for the Eastman Selects Bantam AAA squad.

“Our staff is very excited to select Job and Luke as our auto-protects,” Head Scout David Anning stated. “Both players had significant roles with a very strong Eastman team this season, and we’re very happy to have two players of their ability join the organization.”

Peters played in 36 games for the Selects, scoring 23 goals and adding 33 assists for 56 points in 2019-20 as he led the way for his team in scoring. He also got into six games this past year with the U-17 Eastman City Selects in the Manitoba U-17 League.

“Job was the captain of his team and led by example throughout the season,“ Anning said of Peters. “He is a high-energy player with great speed who competes hard. He’s around the puck a lot and always has an impact on the game.“

Mistelbacher was a goal-scoring machine for Eastman this past season, tying for 10th amongst all players in the Manitoba Bantam AAA League with 33 goals. He also tallied 22 assists to finish behind Peters with 55 points in 34 games played, and in one game on February 22nd put up an incredible seven-point night (2 goals, 5 assists) against the Central Plains Capitals.

“Luke has the ability to score very timely goals for his team,“ Anning analyzed when asked about Mistelbacher’s game. “He has excellent puck skills and is always a threat to score. His game got better and better as the year went on.“

Six more ’05 born players will join the Pistons organization this Sunday morning for the MJHL Bantam Draft beginning at 9:00 am. The draft was originally scheduled to take place in its usual date of early June, but was moved up due to the abrupt end of the 2020 MJHL playoffs because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

“With the abruptness of season’s end and the subsequent cancellation of all hockey activities for the foreseeable future across the province and nation, we felt it was important to provide some much needed excitement and positivity during what has been a disappointing and difficult time for everyone” MJHL Commissioner Kim Davis said in a statement last week.

Stay tuned for our draft preview coming out this week, and you can follow the MJHL Draft in real time on mjhlhockey.ca/draft or by tuning into all Pistons social media outlets beginning at 9:00 am.

The Pistons would like to welcome Job, Luke, and their families to the organization!