Braden Purtill has been named captain of the Steinbach Pistons for the upcoming hockey season.

Purtill was humbled by the teams decision. "It's a huge honor. Obviously it's such a great team to play for and it's really special to be named (captain)."

It's the first time that the Pistons organization have gone into training camp with the captain being official. It's something head coach Paul Dyck and his staff are very comfortable doing with a player like Purtill. "There's a number of things he brings to the table that makes him a good choice for us. The guys that were in the room last year experienced his natural leadership in crunch time. The way he plays the game, he's a tremendous example to the guys on a daily basis, he's the first guy to the rink and prepared for every ice session he has whether it's a practice or game. He leads by example and his work ethic is impeccable. It's exactly what we were looking for."

Acquired in a trade last season, Purtill was forced to the sidelines just two games into his Pistons career. He didn't dwell on the situation and used it to his advantage. "I just went in and got to know the guys, get to know them better. I got to build relationships.

Being in his 5th and final year of junior hockey, Purtill plans to use his experience to be the best leader he can be. "I take a lot of what past captains gave me and I'm going to take that into the season."

For Dyck, he has a simple message for Purtill when it comes to any more pressure or expectations. "Just be you. He understands that. He's a guy that's been around and been in pressure situations before. We want him to play his game. He want's to play in different situations, he's just a team first guy."

A big part of Steinbach's success in past years has been the closeness of the group. Something that Purtill knows to be key. "I'm a big believer in team bonding. Even if it's just going over for a team movie night, it's something that brings the guys a lot closer."

It's a big year for the Steinbach Pistons and Purtill is up for the challenge. "We want to build off last season, we had a really good season and with a couple new guys coming in, we expect that to continue. The culture in the room was great. The guys all get along and I expect that to continue."

The Pistons will name the assistant captains at the conclusion of main camp.