8 players from local teams make MJHL showcase roster

The centre of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) world is in Saskatchewan this week, as the league combined with their prairie counterparts to hold an all-star showcase event in Warman, Sask.

Six Steinbach Pistons players were named to the roster, with forwards Jackson Kostiuk, Mathis Laplante Connor Paronuzzi and Brody Green joined by defenders Luke Bogart and Reece Gault.

Gault, who is from Oakbank, isn’t the only Eastman player making the trip, as Lorette’s Avery Laliberte is attending the camp. Both players committed to Northern Michigan University earlier this season.

Laliberte’s Niverville teammate, goaltender Raiden LeGall is also at the event, which included games Nov. 5 and 6. LeGall earned the start and the victory for Team MJHL in their 4-2 win Nov. 5 to open the event. The Bemidji State commit stopped 24 of the 26 shots he faced.

The Manitoba team is led by Northern Manitoba Blizzard head coach Eric Labrosse, who deployed a full line of Pistons players during the opening game.

“Everyone here that’s at the showcase, they’ve got speed, they’ve got skill, so it’s just about showcasing them in the right way,” Labrosse said in a video posted to the MJHL’s social media after the team’s first practice.

“You don’t have that much time to adapt. You have to get flying out of the gates right away.”

This is the first time the two leagues have combined to host all-star games as a pre-selection camp for the World Junior A Challenge. Scouts from Team Canada West will be watching closely before selecting players to compete.

During the showcase, Labosse was announced as an assistant coach of Team Canada West this year.

The World Junior A Challenge will be hosted in Canmore, Alta., with a pair of Canadian teams joined by USA and Sweden.

There should be more roster spots available to players who play in Manitoba and Saskatchewan this year, as the top teams of the Alberta league left the Hockey Canada ecosystem late last season.

A broader showcase event with players from both prairie leagues will be hosted in Winnipeg Jan. 30 and 31. Instead of sending a single team, both leagues will send three teams of 20 to the event, which will once again be hosted in the Seven Oaks Sportsplex.

For more MJHL coverage, be sure to check out The Carillon’s print edition, which features game recaps, standings and statistics every week.