Game On Magazine 2017 Game On Magazine - Regular Season Edition | Page 94

of midget, I was a lot more
confident. When I came
into the MJHL, I had some
confidence and (the coaches)
put me in good situations and
I took advantage of that.”
While Schoonbaert’s
offensive numbers have
been impressive this season,
it’s been his attention to
detail at both ends of the
ice that has impressed the
Pistons’ coaching staff.
Head coach Paul Dyck
calls him one of the most
complete players he’s ever
coached and refers to him as
a 200-foot player he can use
in any kind of situation.
“He’s a very intelligent
hockey player. There’s not
just one thing that jumps out
at you when you watch him
play. He makes very good
decisions with the puck. He’s
very cerebral,” Dyck said.
“He’s very committed to
improving his game and
you can see that. He does
all the little things, on and
“
WITH TEAM SUCCESS
INDIVIDUAL SUCCESS
USUALLY FOLLOWS
off the ice. He wants to get
to the next level and he’s
very motivated to do that.”
Schoonbaert credits Dyck
with helping him to develop
into a more complete player
the past three seasons.
Although scoring remains a
priority, he now understands
the importance of being
defensively consciousness
in both ends of the rink.
“When I first came into
the league I was more on the
offensive side of things. Paul’s
done a great job of helping
me make my style more
complete,” said Schoonbaert,
who lists Edmonton Oilers
Leon Draisaitl as one of his
favourite NHL players.
“I always want to
produce offensively.
9 4 | G AME ON | R EGU L A R SEASON ED ITION 2018
”
That’s my main job. But
contributing defensively is
just as important. If you’re
contributing defensively you’re
going to get scoring chances. I
think being good defensively
helps my offensive game.”
Schoonbaert has
established himself as not
only one of Steinbach’s
scoring leaders, but one of
the team leaders period.
Although he might not be
one of the chattiest guys in the
Pistons locker-room, he’s one
of the first guys to speak up
when something needs to be
said. He also freely shares his
own experiences with many
of his younger teammates.
“We had some good leaders
when I first got here, guys
that took me under their
wing. I’m one of the older
guys now and I’m trying to
do the same thing with the
younger guys,” he said. “I want
to build relationships with
the younger guys and make
them feel more comfortable.”
The Pistons are looking
pretty comfortable on the ice
these days. They had the best
record in the MJHL after 32
games at 27-7-1-0 (55 points).
The strong start has helped
ease some of the sting of last
season, when the team was
knocked out in the second
round of the MJHL playoffs
by the two-time defending
champion Portage Terriers. Still,
that loss hasn’t been completely
forgotten, and neither have the
lessons Schoonbaert and his
teammates learned from it.
“Last year, our game started
to deteriorate in February
and in the playoffs. We had
some injuries and stuff…
but you can’t just turn the
switch on or off,” he said.
“This year, we’ve been
harping on about getting
better as the season goes on
and making sure we get better
every week. We want to make
sure by the time February or
March rolls around we are
playing our best hockey.”
Where Schoonbaert plays
hockey after this season
is not yet known, but it’s
almost certain to be in the
U.S. college ranks. A handful
of Division I schools have
already expressed interest in
him, but he says he’s a long
way from making any kind
of a decision on the matter.
“(Playing college hockey) is
definitely my goal but nothing’s
set in stone at this point,” he
added. “Right now I’m just
worried about this season.” ❍