MJHL teams list local players in auto-protect draft

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This article was published 01/06/2024 (330 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For the first time in four years, the Steinbach Pistons have protected a local player from being selected in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) draft.

The Pistons auto-protected Malachi Thiessen, a defenseman who played last year with the Eastman Selects U17 AAA team in Ste Anne. Thiessen had 13 points for the team last year.

“Malachi is a good character young man who works extremely hard on and off the ice and is committed to developing his game,” Steinbach’s head coach and general manager, Paul Dyck, said.

“We have seen a steady growth in him the past couple of seasons and believe he has the potential to be in a Pistons jersey at some point.”

Down the road in Niverville, the Nighthawks auto-protected two local players in Max Dowse and Noah Hudson.

Newly minted permanent general manager Mike McAulay said taking local players is a priority for Niverville.

“It’s always good to be able to auto-protect players,” McAulay said.

“If they play in the MJHL somewhere, it’s always great for them to play for their hometown team.”

Dowse suited up for Rink Hockey Academy’s U17 team last year, scoring 12 goals and adding 13 assists in 29 games. He even played a game for the academy’s U18 team. McAulay said Dowse has been a player they’ve been keeping their eye on for a while.

“Watching his progression over the last little while, we’ve really seen a lot of positive leaps in his overall development,”

“We think he’s got the ability to be a really good Nighthawk down the road.”

Dowse is the son of Nighthawks board member Ray Dowse, and McAulay was quick to say there was no organizational pressure to auto-protect him.

“That was driven from our scouting group,” McAulay said.

“When we looked at what we had available to us as auto-protects, he was an obvious choice.”

Hudson stayed local, playing for the Eastman Selects U17 team last year. McAulay praised the forward for working his way onto the U17 team, and noted they see a lot of upside in the player, despite somewhat pedestrian stats last season (three goals and three assists).

“He’s got a really good frame, he understands his position and understands the game well,” McAulay said.

“We see a lot of upside as his game grows into his frame. He’s a big guy, he defends well, he can move the puck. He just seems to keep getting better and better.”

The auto-protection process allows MJHL teams to list two players from their home area, and protect them from being selected in the upcoming draft.

Steinbach used the auto-protection list to their advantage in 2019, listing Ty Paisley. The 2004-born forward led the team in points during their 2023 Turnbull Cup run.

If a team does not use their auto-protection list, they receive a seventh or eighth round pick in the normal draft. Virden is the only team to not auto-protect a single local player this year. Only three teams chose to protect a single player, with Steinbach joined by Neepawa and OCN.

“If we identify a player that can get (to junior A), we’re going to take the auto-protect,” McAulay said, noting the team has also traded for and selected players from the region.

“We try to prioritize getting local players or Eastman players into our program… I think it’s important to be committed to our regional program.”

Players eligible to be selected in the MJHL draft this year were born in 2008, and are entering their age 16 season. The league moved from drafting U15 players in 2022. The draft will take place June 2, with selections shared as they are made online.