Head Coach and General Manager Paul Dyck has announced the leadership group for the 2019/20 Steinbach Pistons.
Fourth-year Pistons defenceman Declan Graham has been named the 12th captain in Pistons franchise history. The Toronto native has spent his entire junior career in Steinbach, and is one of three remaining players on this year’s roster that won the Turnbull and ANAVET Cup titles in 2018.
Graham has posted two back-to-back 27-point seasons in Steinbach while playing big minutes on the penalty kill and quarterbacking the top power play unit for Coach Dyck.
Tanner Mole, Dylan Cassie, Rylan Bettens, and Jack Kilroy will join Graham as assistant captains this season to make up the Pistons’ leadership group.
Mole, a Turnbull and ANAVET Cup champion, is heading into his third season in Steinbach. The Winnipeg-born forward posted a career-high 21 goals and 32 points a year ago and posted 5 goals and four assists during the playoffs.
Cassie comes to the Pistons after a blockbuster trade sent him to Steinbach from the Winnipeg Blues. The fourth-year d-man from Winnipeg led all Blues back-enders with 30 points in 57 games played. Cassie has already made an impact, scoring a game-winning goal with 2.9 seconds left to beat his old team in pre-season play.
Rylan Bettens will be wearing the ‘A’ on the road for 2019-20. The Winnipeg native and older brother of second-year Piston Kyle Bettens is heading into his fourth junior season and first with Steinbach, after spending his entire career in the WHL. He’s gotten off to a good start with his new club during the preseason, scoring a goal and three assists in three games.
Jack Kilroy will wear the ‘A’ at home this season. The 20-year-old from Denver is heading into his second season with the Pistons, notching 5 goals and 12 points in 56 games played during 2018-19. Kilroy’s best moment came in the first round of the playoffs, where his double OT goal against Winnipeg in Game 6 sent Steinbach to the second round of the playoffs.
The organization would like to congratulate Declan, Tanner, Dylan, Rylan, Jack on this honour and look forward to seeing them lead the Pistons on and off the ice during the 2019-20 season.
Tickets are now available for the 2019 Home Opener and the rest of the 2019-20 regular season home games here at the TG Smith Centre. Click on the link HERE to purchase single-game tickets online at Steinbachpistons.ca.