Steinbach Pistons take six in 2024 MJHL draft

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/06/2024 (340 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Steinbach Pistons selected six players during the annual Manitoba Junior Hockey League draft, held June 2.

The team picked three forwards and three defenseman, adding onto a draft class which already included local player Malachi Thiessen, who was auto-protected in advance of the draft.

Forward Luca Pura was the first player Steinbach selected, as the team called his name with the 13th pick of the draft. The forward spent last season playing for the Winnipeg Wild’s U18 team, scoring 28 points in 39 games as a 2008-born player.

Nick Lubimiv is a scout with the Pistons, and has helped run their draft for the past three seasons.

“We were surprised (Pura) was there to be honest,” Lubimiv said.

“He’s got very soft hands for a big kid and his feet are good. Everything about him kind of screams power forward, but he’s a really smooth player. We think if he plays U18 again next year, he’ll be a dominant force in that league. He’s got a lot of room to grow yet.”

Pura upped his point-scoring output in the playoffs, notching four goals and five assists in nine games.

Steinbach selected three players from the U18 ranks this season, with their second round pick (Mathias Sibilleau) and eighth round pick coming from the older age bracket.

“It’s fun, it’s a passion,” Lubimiv said, noting he scouted more than 60 games for Steinbach this season.

“It’s nice to be at the rink and watch all levels… Everybody has their own path, and on our end it’s not a rush.”

Breaking into the Pistons roster is a challenge for any player, as the team has made the MJHL finals three years in a row. Only a single player drafted in 2022 has made an impact for the team, with first rounder Jackson Kostiuk earning a roster spot with Steinbach this season.

“We don’t believe everyone needs to play at the MJHL at age 16 or 17,” Lubimiv said.

“It’s good to go dominate AAA midget for a year or even for two years and really hone your game and find your role. Then when you come to junior at 18 or 19 in some cases you’re ready for it, you don’t have to ease in and you’re not in and out of the lineup.”

The MJHL switched from a U15 draft to a U16 one in 2022, meaning teams have more to weigh when deciding on potential picks.

Lubimiv said he prefers the new system.

“It gives you another year of watching them,” he said.

“Some guys are playing AAA midget, some are playing U17 or high school. It’s a little more challenging for scheduling, because they’re not always playing in the same league, but it’s nice that they’re a little closer (in age) to playing for you.”

Steinbach picked one player not playing AAA hockey in the draft, taking Rink Hockey Academy’s Jett Deschamps in the fourth round. Deschamps put up 20 points for the academy’s U17 team, and has been drafted by the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League.

Pura, Deshamps and eighth-round pick Hudson Kowalchuk were all taken in last year’s WHL draft, but that didn’t scare off Steinbach from selecting them. Lubimiv noted drafting players a year after the WHL can give MJHL teams a clearer picture of where the player is at.

“Maybe we see them, maybe we don’t,” Lubimiv said.

“They certainly have other options, and that’s fine too. Everybody has options now, more options than they had in the past.”

Steinbach’s first-round pick from last year, Brady Turko, has already nabbed a spot in the WHL, playing games for the Brandon Wheat Kings, while posting over two points-per-game in the U18 AAA league.