The Selkirk Steelers have a history of advancing players from the Manitoba Junior Hockey League to the next level.
Names like Darren Helm, Neil Wilkinson and Andrew Murray headline the list of former Steelers who went on to National Hockey League careers.
In 2025-26, the Steelers had multiple players commit to college hockey programs as the next step in their academic and playing careers.
In recent years, the jump to college hockey has served as a stepping stone for numerous former Steelers who have since turned professional.
This season, nine former members of the club are playing professionally in North America and across Europe.
East St. Paul’s Brendan Shinnimin is among the most notable, having spent a full season with the Steelers before going on to play 12 NHL games with the Arizona Coyotes.
In 2025-26, Shinnimin began his 14th professional season with HC Slovan Bratislava of the Slovak Extraliga, recording one goal and four assists in nine games.
He later returned to his former Swedish Hockey League club, Luleå HF, where he has five goals and six assists in 34 games since joining mid-season.
Since turning pro in 2012-13, the 35-year-old forward has played more than 600 games across the NHL, AHL, NL, KHL, SHL, DEL and Slovak Extraliga.
His lone season with the Steelers in 2007-08 was memorable for both him and the club, as Selkirk finished first in the regular season with a 44-12-1-5 record before bowing out in the first round of the playoffs.
That season also marked his junior debut as a 16-year-old, when he recorded seven goals and 19 assists in 51 games before moving on to the Tri-City Americans of the Western Hockey League the following year.
He is now seeking his third career SHL title with Luleå, which is currently competing in the second round of the playoffs.
Defenceman Joel Messner is another former Steeler playing overseas, suiting up for Fehérvár AV19 of the ICEHL in Hungary.
In 48 regular-season games, Messner led all Fehérvár defencemen with seven goals and 18 assists.
Now 32, he is more than a decade removed from his junior days but spent more time with the Steelers than any other current pro.
He played his entire junior career in Selkirk, appearing in 165 games from 2010 to 2014 and recording 15 goals and 72 assists before moving on to the University of Nebraska Omaha.
His four seasons included a Turnbull Cup final appearance in 2010-11 and an Addison Division title in 2013-14, when he also earned the MJHL’s top defenceman award.
He has since built an eight-year professional career with stops in the AHL, ECHL, DEL2 and Slovak Extraliga, and is now chasing an ICEHL title with Fehérvár, which is currently in a semifinal series against the Graz99ers.
Back in North America, former Steeler forward Caiden Gault is beginning his professional career with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits of the ECHL.
The 23-year-old recently completed his senior season at Northern Michigan University before signing his first pro contract. He has already appeared in six games with Greenville.
Gault began his junior career with the Steelers in 2018-19 as a 16-year-old. After recording one goal in two games, he returned the following season and posted 25 goals and 22 assists in 59 games.
He later spent two seasons in the Alberta Junior Hockey League before starting his college career.
With Greenville, Gault will look to help the Swamp Rabbits — currently 24-28-7-1 — in their playoff push, as they sit six points out of a playoff spot with 12 games remaining.
Former Steelers teammate Jackson Kobelka is also in his first professional season, playing overseas with Laser HT of the Suomi-sarja in Finland.
The 25-year-old centre joined Laser after four seasons at Albertus Magnus College and Castleton University (NCAA Division III).
He recorded six goals and five assists in 28 games in his rookie season, helping Laser finish fifth in the regular season. The team went on to earn a silver medal after falling to Haukat in the league final.
Kobelka played 50 games with Selkirk over the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, registering four goals and eight assists.
Other former Steelers in pro hockey:
F Nolan Dawson — played 17 games with Selkirk in 2019-20
2025-26: 25 GP, 7-12-19, with Indiana and Blue Ridge (FPHL); 11 GP, 1-6-7, with Muik (Suomi-sarja)
F Adam Ingram — played eight games with Selkirk in 2020-21
2025-26: 25 GP, 3-10-13, with St. Cloud State University (NCAA); 3 GP, 0-1-1, with Idaho (ECHL)
G William Desmarais — played five games with Selkirk in 2020-21
2025-26: 26 GP, 4-15-0, 2.66 GAA, .934 SV%, 1 SO, with Nantes (France2)
D Chase Harrison — played one game with Selkirk in 2012-13
2025-26: 22 GP, 1-1-2, with Manchester (EIHL)
F Ryley Lindgren — played one game with Selkirk in 2012-13
2025-26: 47 GP, 35-30-65, with Herforder (Germany3)
