Paronuzzi named MJHL’s most valuable player to cap off record-breaking Pistons season
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For the first time in league history, the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s (MJHL) most valuable player is a Steinbach Piston.
The league announced Connor Paronuzzi as the annual award winner March 7. The MJHL’s MVP award is named in honour of Steve “Boomer” Hawrysh.
Paronuzzi has nearly lapped the field when it comes to scoring points this season. When the news was announced, Paronuzzi had 89 points in 54 games, 24 more than his nearest competition, Northern Manitoba’s Miguel Bouvier. Bouvier and Winkler goaltender Liam Ernst were the other two finalists for MVP.
Paronuzzi continued his assault on the Steinbach record-book in Winnipeg March 11, and now owns the team’s single-season points record, with 92 points, passing Brad Schoonbaert to nab the record. He’ll have two more games to add to the total record.
There might be a fight for ownership of the record-tying puck, as Paronuzzi took a deflected back-door pass from Zhenya Miles, settling the puck before calming setting up affiliated player Blake Farthing for his first career MJHL goal.
In the third period, the record finally fell, as the Pistons forced a turnover with Paronuzzi converting with a shot from a sharp angle which fooled the Blues goaltender. Luke Bogart was Johnny on the spot, picking up the historic puck to commemorate the moment.
Two other Pistons were named as finalists for other league awards, with Reece Gault earning recognition as a top rookie and coach Paul Dyck up for coach of the year.
Gault has earned big minutes for the Pistons, playing on their top defensive pairing alongside captain Noah Szabo. He has 37 points this season to lead all rookie defenders.
Portage goaltender Mitchell Kathler won the award, with first-year coach Matt Melo’s efforts to lead the Winkler Flyers to first in the league earning him coach of the year honours.
Ile des Chenes’ Brody Beauchemin, who plays for Winkler, came away with the league’s Frank McKinnon Memorial Award, which is given to a player who has both outstanding hockey ability and sportsmanship.
Beauchemin has 57 points this season, while wearing an assistant captain’s “A” for the league-leading Flyers.
In addition to award-winners, the MJHL also announced their first and second team all-star teams, with Paronuzzi obviously nabbing a spot on the first team and Gault on the all-rookie team.
Szabo was named to the second team, alongside Niverville forward Adam Vigfusson.
Steve Hawrysh was born in 1918 in Venlaw, winning championships with the Dauphin Kings as well as nabbing coaching championship teams across multiple age levels. Hawrysh helped form the Central Manitoba Junior Hockey League, which merged with a Winnipeg league to form the MJHL.
Frank McKinnon was a long-time Carman teacher and hockey coach. He was key to creating the National Junior A Hockey tournament in 1970 and served as Canada’s representative on the International Ice Hockey Federation’s (IIHF) hockey congress. McKinnon was the MJHL’s commissioner from 1992-2002.