By Derek Holtom /  

Who’s going to be the top team in the Addison Division? That’s a tough one to figure out. At mid-October, a mere four points separated first from fourth. Compare that to the Sher-Wood Division, where the Dauphin Kings are already running away from the pack, as they enjoyed a nine-point bulge on two teams tied for second place.
Here’s how the ultra-tight Addison is shaping up this month.

Selkirk Steelers
The Steelers have had one of the least-intense schedules to start the season, going 6-4 in their first 10 games in the first four weeks of ·the season.
One thing the Steelers have learned early this year is that they have one of the best goaltenders in the MJHL.
Joey Rewucki is the leading netminder a month in with a 2.03 GAA and a .936 save percentage.
They also have a balanced attack – six players averaging a least one point per game, including team leaders Taylor Dickin (14 points), Josh Schappert (14 points), and Wes Pawluk (seven goals, 12 points).
Finding themselves a mere three points out of first place with four games in hand heading into the second half of the month, the Steelers have put themselves in a position for a run at top spot. But whether they can do it is another matter. 

Winnipeg South Blues
Winnipeg had recent success in producing strong 16-year-old talent, and that trend is continuing early this year with the South Blues.
Sixteen-year-old Zach Franko managed to score six goals and seven points in his first seven games of Junior A hockey, earning him the Husky Energy Rookie of the Month award. He was the lone player from the Addison Division to earn an MJHL monthly award.
The Blues, who missed the playoffs last year via the crossover, have jumped out to the early, slim lead in the standings under head coach Don MacGillivray.
The Blues are much older this year, but they are still getting production from rookies – and not just Franko, the team’s leading scorer. Connor Cleverley was tied for sixth in rookie scoring and was fourth in team scoring with two goals and seven assists for nine points in mid March.
The Blues look to be a young, hungry team, something they’ll have to remain if they want a shot at first place in their division.

Steinbach Pistons
The only team not currently in the hunt for first place is the Steinbach Pistons. The franchise has struggled to be competitive in the past few years, but they are by no means rolling over for their opponents this year.
The Pistons finally picked up their first two wins of the season – both against the Waywayseecappo Wolverines – in October. They almost got their first win of the year in Swan Valley against the Stampeders in late September, but somehow blew a four-goal lead in the last 20 minutes.
Steinbach Pistons head coach Rich Gosselin said his team basically imploded on that night.
“I think we probably thought the game was taken care of,” said Gosselin. “We knew the Stampeders were going to come hard, and then we ran into penalty trouble. And the five-minute major was just a killer. That wasn’t very smart on our part.”
The Pistons recently added a trio of players they hope will help improve their team and allow them to close the gap on fourth place, which was only eight points by mid October. Steinbach added 19-year-old forward Jordan Crone from the Winnipeg South Blues, Tyler Lazaruk from the Waywayseecappo Wolverines for Jordan Beardy (both 18), and 20-year-old forward Jimmy Carter from the Dauphin Kings for the rights to 16-year-old goaltender Tyler Oswald.

Winkler Flyers
The Winkler Flyers are one of the hardest teams to figure out early ·this season.
They’re streaky – they already own a three-game winning streak and a four-game losing skid.
They’re also unpredictable – in less than a week they managed to knock off the powerhouse Dauphin Kings 3-2, and days later, fell 7-0 to the Selkirk Steelers.
Despite the up-and-down start, the Flyers were only four points off the division lead in mid October.
They’ve also brought in some new players to help stabilize things. This includes 20-year-old forward David Lawrence from the OCN Blizzard and 18-year-old defenceman Devon Speiss from the Dauphin Kings.

Winnipeg Saints
Keith Cassidy is quickly learning the differences between coaching the Winnipeg Saints and the ·Selkirk Steelers.
Cassidy took over the Saints’ program this year, and more than a month in, he’s still making adjustments. But in the end, coaching is coaching.
“There are organizational differences, there are cultural differences,” said Cassidy. “I’m getting to know my way around, and I’m happy to be a member of the Winnipeg Saints, and I appreciate this opportunity.”
One of the biggest differences has to be crowds. The Saints have been attracting approximately 250 fans early on this season, drawing well for them against divisional rivals such as the Steelers and Winkler Flyers.
Selkirk, though, draws closer to 700 fans a game, and has been known to get around 1,000 for big games later in the season.
Still, Cassidy sees plenty of potential with the Saints, who have a number of new faces in their lineup after losing many of their most talented players last year to graduation or other junior teams.
“We’ve got a good young group of guys who are working hard,” said Cassidy. “There are some obstacles to overcome, but there are obstacles on every team. We just have to address them, and when we do, I think we’ll have a lot of success.”