Steinbach Pistons trade for high school standout

With just one week before Steinbach Pistons players begin to hit the ice in the Automobile City, head coach and general manager Paul Dyck has bolstered the line-up, adding a pair of 2007-born forwards via trades.

The Pistons acquired 2024 Manitoba high school player of the year Gavin Holod from Niverville for a player development fee on Aug. 9.

The 2007-born Holod will have to erase any bad memories of Steinbach from his head. The Rams were eliminated from the playoffs by the Steinbach Regional Secondary School Sabres in a pair of lopsided losses.

Holod had a busy season last year, playing two games for Niverville and 13 games for the Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League’s Stonewall Jets in addition to his high school season.

“(Holod) has tremendous speed and is a player who can be disruptive on the forecheck,” Dyck said.

“He plays a solid two-way game and should adjust smoothly to our level.”

In 24 games with Stonewall Collegiate, playing in the province’s top division of high school hockey, Holod picked up 46 points.

Earlier in the day, Steinbach swapped prospect Ben Brambilla and a player development fee to the Winnipeg Blues in exchange for Brody Green.

Green is already an established Manitoba Junior Hockey League player, appearing in 54 games with the blues last year, picking up 35 points.

“(Green) is a player that had a strong season in the league as a 16-year-old,” Dyck said.

“He has a bigger body with good skills, can score and has a good offensive mind.”

Dyck added he thinks both players have the ability to play in the top division of the NCAA. The Pistons will be hosting their first on-ice sessions of the year in the T.G. Smith Centre Aug. 19.

NCAA lawsuit filed

Transactions weren’t the only big news in junior hockey this week, as a proposed class action lawsuit was filed against the NCAA for preventing major junior players from playing American college hockey.

Ontario’s Rylan Masterson played two exhibition games with the Windsor Spitfires in 2022, and is suing the NCAA for preventing him from playing college hockey because of his participation in those games.

If the lawsuit is successful, it could open the door to allow major junior players to move to the NCAA after finishing their junior careers.