MJHL teams tweak spring camp structures

The junior hockey landscape has changed massively this season.

If the elimination of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League draft or rule changes related to NCAA college eligibility aren’t convincing on their own, fans only need to look at how the local teams are running their spring camps to see a difference.

Both the Steinbach Pistons and Niverville Nighthawks held their camps in the past two weeks, with both teams general managers tweaking how they run the annual event.

For Niverville general manager Mike McAulay, just crafting the 144-player camp roster was different for the Nighthawks this season.

“The key difference in this (year) was we probably spent a little bit more time proactively following up with players of interest to attend,” McAulay said.

“We want to see them all but which players do we want to zone in on based on the feedback we get from scouting.”

Each of the Nighthawks’ eight camp teams aside from one featured a 2007-born player who is expected to compete for a roster spot next season.

Both McAulay and Pistons general manager Paul Dyck noted with the new landscape, these kinds of events are key to making a great first impression on potential players.

This the first off-season since the MJHL eliminated their draft.

“I think we live in a day and age where players have options,” Dyck said.

“We’re seeing players take advantage of that opportunity. They are going to multiple camps. There are some older players where teams have a chance to take a look at as well.”

Just signing up for a camp like the ones in Niverville and Steinbach is a key data-point for the franchises’ decision-makers.

“It speaks volumes to us about which players have interest in our organization,” McAulay said.

“There’s no shortage of invitations for these guys and camps to choose from. If they choose to sign up and enroll in our camp it gives us the sense that there’s some initial interest in our organization.”

Steinbach even had two teams of veterans skating at their event, including players like Zhenya Miles, who joined Steinbach mid-way through the year from the BCHL and played 35 games for the Pistons last season.

Aiding Steinbach’s efforts is the newly built Southeast Event Centre, which had their grab and go canteen, including alcohol sales, open during the afternoon while the camp was going on.

“(The building) certainly doesn’t disappoint,” Dyck said, noting he talked to several parents who had never been to Steinbach before.

“I think we definitely received a lot of feedback along the lines of ‘wow, this is incredible, congratulations to your community.’”

The benefits of the space extended to how Dyck watched the event, as he spent time with assistant coach Calvin Bugyik in the press box high above the ice with a complete view of the games.

“The press box was ideal,” Dyck said.

“You could just see everything developing so well, there’s no obstructed view. I definitely enjoyed the venue from a coaching perspective.”

The team was also keeping track of how the players act during the entire game, with other coaches keeping a close eye and ear on the action from the benches.

Of course, recruiting players isn’t just about results on the ice, or even the building they get to play in. It’s also about advancing players to the next level, and with the MJHL looking to become more of a development league for the WHL in the coming years, no teams are better suited than Steinbach and Niverville.

Players from those two teams (Jackson Kostiuk and Raiden LeGall) were the highest profile mid-season leaps from the MJHL to the WHL due to the NCAA relaxing rules around major junior hockey. Nighthawk defenseman Avery Laliberte also joined the Everett Silvertips roster as an affiliated player during the playoffs.

“We’re a development team in a development league, we’re supposed to develop players and move them onto the next level,” McAulay said.

“To see players that were part of our initial draft come through our program and have success is awesome.”

Minds around the junior hockey world were divided on what the NCAA rule change would mean for leagues like the MJHL. McAulay was one of the optimistic voices, seeing an opportunity for outstanding young players to spend some time in the league.

“Junior A is going to be a lot more instrumental in the development of players to get to (the WHL) level,” he said.

“There will probably be more synergies that way.”

Players from a strong U15 AAA Eastman Selects team were at both camps in advance of the WHL draft, which began after press time May 7.

The Selects finished the regular season win an impressive 26-3-1 record (with two ties) in the Winnipeg AAA hockey league’s U15 division.

“We had a lot of the 2010s here, and I thought that’s a really strong group,” Dyck said on the current class of young players playing in the Eastman program.

“There’s a lot of talent, a high compete level. We had a real good turnout from the younger Eastman players, we were pretty pleased about that.”

The next big events on both team’s calendar will be their annual golf tournaments, with Niverville’s set to take place June 12 and Steinbach’s Aug. 20.