The Steinbach Pistons rookies took center stage at the T.G. Smith Center last night and didn't disappoint in a lopsided 7-2 victory over the Selkirk Steelers rookies.

Head coach and GM Paul Dyck was more than pleased with what he saw from the rookie weekend. "I thought tonight's effort was great, a lot of guys elevated their games. Depending where some guys are from the province they may not have access to ice before camp so you'd expect to see some guys make some strides and we saw that today. I thought the effort was there every session we had and that's something we kind of harp on. I thought the guys took it to heart."

Steinbach got goals from Dawson Waddell, Vaughn Dupre, Caleb Paisley, Eric Lucuyer, Tyson McConnell, William Cruise and Thomas Hansell. 

The balanced scoring didn't come as a surprise to Dyck. "We saw some chemistry develop and you always do when particular guys are playing 3 or 4 scrimmages together on the same line. Things change over the years, a lot of these guys are future Pistons but maybe not immediate, there's a few guys that will threaten this year which is great. For the most part we're looking at what type player that they are, the character and the work ethic."

Tough decisions are what every coach wants when it comes to how many players move into main camp but Dyck notes there are a few players that worked their way into the conversation. "We're looking at a few decisions to make and they are tough but those are what you want. There are guys who played themselves into a position to be at camp and a few guys that maybe made the case their deserving to be here, but spots are limited so we're thinking 9 or 10."

One of the loudest and most entertaining events off the ice during rookie camp is when the veterans return from across North America to get reacquainted. Dyck knows it's all smiles and handshakes now but when main camp starts, the real work begins. "We're really excited about it, the guys are back and I think they're anxious to get going. The guys here look like they’re in great condition and it's always a good sign. We have a long camp a head of us and we anticipate more difficult decisions."

Dyck is expecting, including the rookies carrying over about 40-50 players coming into camp, many will be fighting for the same spots in the lineup. 

 

Main Camp Schedule

Tuesday September 1                      

08:00 am – 11:00 am              Camp Registration and Check-In

10:00 am – 11:15 am              Practice                       Team 1

11:30 am – 12:45 pm              Practice                       Team 2

4:00 pm – 5:45 pm                  Game                         Team 1 vs Team 2

 

Wednesday September 2    

 8:00 am                                  Fitness Testing            Group 1                       

 9:00 am                                 Fitness Testing            Group 2                   

2:30 pm – 5:45 pm                  Game                          Team 1 vs Team 2

 

Thursday September 3

10:00 am –11:45 am               Game                          Team 1 vs Team 2

4:00  pm -   5:45 pm               Game                          Team 1 vs Team 2                 

 

Friday September 4

9:00 am – 9:30 am                  Pre Game Skate          Players playing in Exhibition Game               

9:45 am – 11:00 am                Practice                       Players not dressing in Ft. Frances

7:30 pm                                   Exh Game @ Ft. Frances                           

 

Saturday September 5

1:00 pm – 2:15 pm                  Practice                       Group 1

2:30 pm – 3:45 pm                  Practice                       Group 2

 

Sunday September 6

10:00 am – 10:45 am              Pre Game Skate                      Players playing in exhibition game

11:00 am – 12:00 pm              Practice                                   Players not dressed for game

7:30 pm                                   Exh Game vs Selkirk Steelers              TG Smith Center