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Pistons Roster Set For Upcoming Year

Article courtesy of Dave Anthony from Steinbachonline.com.

The Steinbach Pistons have announced their roster for the upcoming 2018-19 season which includes 10 returning players, 6 American born players, two 17-year-old rookies and one player making his return to Steinbach.

Head coach Paul Dyck has been working with players for a number of weeks already and gives a glimpse as to what fans can expect this year from his club. “The first thing that jumps out is we’re a hardworking group. From top to bottom, the willingness to learn and they want to get better as time goes on. We’re a little more blue collar. We have a little more bite with a little more size up front.”

Coming in as Turnbull Cup and ANAVET Cup Champions, Dyck knows it takes depth to make long runs into any type of playoff run. “We need guys who are versatile. Injuries take place and sometimes you pencil a guy into a certain place in the lineup but things change. We feel we have guys who bring versatility. That’s part of our identity. Upfront and on the back end. As a staff, you want depth, want options and want challenges that come with making a lineup each and every night.”

Dyck breaks down his roster with some details on each player that we wear the Pistons jersey this season.

Guess Who’s Back, Back Again

F – 21 – Will Koop, Winnipeg, MB, (20)  – “Kooper brings a lot of energy. His experience is going to be a huge asset. Obviously, he’ll be put in situations like the power play, penalty kill, 5 on 5 he’s extremely reliable. He’s our swiss army knife.”

F – 19 – Brendan Martin, Thunder Bay, ON, (20) – “Marty has a tremendous amount of skill and creativity. He’s got a great opportunity to play in an expanded role from last year. He’ll have every chance to utilize his skill set.

F – 20 – Tanner Mole, Winnipeg, MB (19)- Molesy really grew as a player in the second half, grew in confidence and really started to enjoy the game. One of the biggest players in our lineup and a key for him is to play big. Tremendous shot. Has the ability to be a premier power forward in our league.

F – 26 – Tyson McConnell – Pilot Mound, MB (20) – Kernal might be the most responsible player in the league, one of the most intelligent. Great in the faceoff circle. He’s maybe been tabbed as a defensive specialist, great on the penalty kill but also has high offensive upside and I think we’ll see that this year. Tremendous leader.

F – 17 – Brady Tatro – Bemidji, MN (20) – Tates is a guy that is an elite power forward. This year a year he can take a big step. Tremendous shot. Physical presence and can play at different paces.

F – 25 – Easton Bennett – Minot, ND (20) – Benny’s another big body, we’ll see him up the middle and on the wing. Versatile. Plays in different situations with an underrated release. I think he’s a big part of our success.

D – 23 – Declan Graham – Toronto, ON (19) – Declan’s a d-man that thinks the game extremely well, see’s it well, has poise. We’ve seen him take steps in all 3 years here and we expect him to take a leadership role and be a top defenceman in the league.

D – 16 – Tristan Culleton – St. Louis, MO (19) – Cully’s very, very mobile. One of the fastest guys on our team. Competes at a very high level. Has a year under his belt and we expect him to take a step this year.

D – 9 – Curtis Ireland – Brandon, MB (18) – Curty is a very intelligent player. A real heads up defenceman. He plays a smart, efficient game. Good in all three zones. Last year he was in and out of our lineup but this year he’ll play a much larger role.

Older But Newer

F – 11- Boedey Vaeth – Lorette, MB (20) – Boedey’s taken an interesting path over the last couple of years. Didn’t play a lot but the first thing that stands out is how he fits into our culture. He’s very well liked in our room. Plays a real smart game with a good skill set. Good skater and brings versatility.

D – 22 – Troy Williams – Dryden, ON (20) – Willy’s going to be a top defender in our league. Can really shoot the puck and extremely mobile. He’ll be an offensive threat without giving much up defensively.

Flying North For The Winter

F – 8 – Brendan Westbrook – Pine City, MN (19) – He’s come in and made an immediate splash. Plays with a lot of energy. Somewhat reminiscent of Cole Smith. Plays well, skates well, very involved.

F – 15 – Jack Kilroy – Denver, CO (19) – Jack’s a big, heavy left winger who’s very responsible. Strong on the walls, good release, great work ethic and high character guy.

D – 5 – Joey Petronack – White Bear Lake, Minnesota (19) – Joey’s a playmaking defenceman. Shoots the puck well, has great offensive upside. Once he get’s going in our league, we’re excited about his development.

From East To West To Steinbach

F – 27 – Marcel Berube – London, ON (19) – High impact, skilled forward. Great finish. Big body who can use his size to create space.

F – 10 – David Queree – Richmond, BC (19) – Big, tall winger. Plays hard. Great work ethic. Good skill set. Another player that when he fills out, could dominate at our level.

D – 6 – Liam Anderson – East York, Ontario (19) – Liam’s a smooth skater, extremely mobile. He’ll be counted on heavily to move pucks out of our zone and active in the offensive zone.

D – 7 – Caydin Cleland – Medicine Hat, AB (18) – Cleo is very mobile, smaller but doesn’t shy away from physical play. Very engaged. Young guy getting his feet wet in junior hockey.

Stayin’ In The Prairies

F – 12 – Max Neil – Portage La Prarie, MB (17) – Max plays the game with a lot of intensity. Not afraid to mix it up. He’s made some enemies in the pre-season and he can be very physical. We’re excited not just for this year but what he’ll grow into this year and in future years.

South East Represent

F – 14 – Troy Beauchemin – Ile Des Chenes, MB (18) – Beauc brings a very high work ethic, really developed his offensive game from last year. Could be a part of our penalty kill and part of our core moving forward.

D – 4 –  Burke Heide – Steinbach, MB (18) – Burke keeps his game really simple. Moves pucks. A quiet defender that has had a good three-year career and continues to grow.

Keepers Of The Crease

G – 30 – Matt Radomsky – Winnipeg, MB (19) – Rads is in year three with us. Tremendous year last year, led the league in shutouts with 8. We’re very, very confident him leading the way in the crease and in the room.

G – 35 – Matt Lenz – Grapevine, TX (19) – Very athletic and relies on his quickness. Very motivated and very excited to be here.

Welcome Back Staff

Equipment Manager – Ryan Dyck – Ryan’s from Steinbach, he’s in grade 12. After school or some mornings when he doesn’t have class he’s at the rink. He’s been a great addition, fun for the staff and the players. A really good kid.

Athletic Therapist – Jeff Eidse – Year three with Jeff. He does a tremendous job assisting with off-ice workouts and testing. He’s a great fit. He does Sweaty Training, his business in the winter as well, but it’s great to have him back.

Welcome In New Staff

Assistant Coach – Calvin Bugyik – Buge brings a lot of experience, particularly at the Midget level. Majority of his adult life coaching at the AAA Midget league. Last two years with Winnipeg Wild. Brings a winning pedigree. He’s been a great fit with me and Graham. He brings an expectation of winning and players to improve. Supports our philosophy’s.

Defending Video Coach Of The Year

Assistant/Video Coach – Graham Pollock – He continues to put more pressure on himself each year as we don’t know how many times you can be the defending Video Coach of the Year, but he does it. Graham’s a great asset. He takes his work home, works hours on video, brings great insights. Very competitive. Been a big part of driving our culture here. He wants to win every night and leads the parade with expectations.

At The Helm Of It All

Head Coach and General Manager – Paul Dyck – Year 7 as Coach and GM of the Steinbach Pistons. It’s been a good ride. I’ve been very fortunate to be with this organization with the support we get from the community and the strength of our board. Heading into this season, I’m really excited. It’s been a short offseason, there are times where you feel you’re not prepared to step on this ice but as soon as camp hit, it’s been a lot of fun. I’ve really enjoyed this group so far. I’m really, really excited. We have a chance to contend again and I really can’t wait to drop the puck on Friday.

Opening night is Friday night where there will be 3 banners presented for last years Regular Season Champions, Turnbull Cup Champions and ANAVET Cup Champions.