21-piston education
Jonah Wasylak, Matt Franczyk, Colin Baudry and Dan Taillefer are all attending post-secondary school part-time

The Steinbach Pistons continue to set their focus on building a program and not just a hockey team.

The Pistons started an education fund giving players a chance to attend post-secondary school part-time free of charge while they play for the team.

"We want to be more than just a hockey team," said Pistons Head Coach Paul Dyck. "We want to support guys in their life after hockey and as they segue into college hockey as well."

The Pistons knew they wouldn't be able to do this on their own, so they approached a bunch of local businesses to see if they would join in and share their vision for the future of their players. Dyck said it didn't take long, and they had a few businesses step up with  W.S. Steel leading the charge.

"This season we have been able to support several of our players who are taking courses at the University of Manitoba," Dyck said. "I'm not sure how many would have done it if we wouldn't have offered this to them. We are thankful that the program has expanded in this direction."

The program currently supports up to 10 players and so far those 10 spots have been full last semester and this semester.

"It just gives you an opportunity to further your education," said Pistons Defenseman Matt Franczyk, who's family was also excited that the team was giving him this opportunity. "A lot of guys have taken advantage of that, and you can see by how many guys have turned out."

Players aren't limited to only the University of Manitoba Dyck says any post-secondary option is available to the team whether it is  local or in Winnipeg.

"It's up to them," Dyck said. "We've had a few of the American players take online classes and we have had a player take a course through the Red River campus in Steinbach."

The plan is to grow the program so that it will give every player who is not attending high school a chance to take post secondary courses in the future. Not only is this benefiting the players now, the Pistons are hoping that it will also benefit their program in the future when attracting new talent.