2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships Preview
Latrell Harris (Photo: Dave Fryer)
The inaugural World Lacrosse Box Championships (originally titled the World Indoor Lacrosse Championships, only in recent years swapping “indoor” for the much better “box” classification) took place during the spring of 2003. Four Ontario cities hosted the international tournament: Oshawa, Mississauga, Kitchener and Hamilton.
A total of six men’s national teams participated that year: Canada, Haudenosaunee, United States, Scotland, Australia and Czechia.
Now two decades later, the 2024 WLBC will see 28 men’s teams and for the first time in the tournament’s history, a women’s division that will feature a total of ten nations competing in Utica, New York.
Competing Nations at the WLBC
The Lax Mag looks at the World Lacrosse Box Championships’ past and present in our 2024 WLBC Preview.
The Ways to Watch
Streaming
The 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships will be broadcast globally through ESPN and WL TV.
ESPN will present 26 games of the dual men’s and women’s championships in the United States. In Canada, the same 26 games will be available on TSN platforms. Additionally, ESPN will extend coverage to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The remaining 107 games will be broadcast on WL TV, which will also carry the 26 ESPN games for all global markets outside of the U.S. and Canada.
Tickets
Games will be held at Utica University Nexus Center, Adirondack Bank Center, and Mary C. Winder Community Center. Click here to purchase tickets for games at all three venues.
Rosters, schedule, standings and stats
Nick Rose (Photo: Dave Fryer)
The Teams
Firstly, here are those 27 men’s and ten women’s teams taking part in the 2024 tournament. Click on each nation for their team page on the official World Lacrosse website to keep up with their journey at this year’s event.
For the men’s teams, we’ve also included what current National Lacrosse League players are suiting up for the squad. Although not listed, collegiate players like Syracuse’s Joey Spallina (United States) & Trey Deere (Haudenosaunee), Georgetown’s Lucas Dudemaine (Italy) and Albany’s Chris Crapanzano (Poland) will also be appearing in this year’s WLBC. Former NLL pros like Chet Koneczny (Czechia), Joel White (United States), Jean-Luc Chetner (Israel) and others will also be suiting up for various nations this September.
Men
Australia (0): None
Austria (1): Josh Dawick (Toronto)
Belgium (0): None
Canada (23): Wes Berg (San Diego), Josh Byrne (Buffalo), Bryan Cole (Georgia), Tanner Cook (Calgary), Zach Currier (San Diego), Christian Del Bianco (Calgary), Mitch de Snoo (Toronto), Matt Gilray (Rochester), Latrell Harris (Toronto), Graeme Hossack (Halifax), Nicholas Chaykowsky (Albany), Robert Church (Saskatchewan), Shayne Jackson (Georgia), Ian MacKay (Buffalo), Steve Priolo (Buffalo), Challen Rogers (Toronto), Nick Rose (Toronto), Eli Salama (Calgary), Dhane Smith (Buffalo), Ryan Smith (Rochester), Jeff Teat (Ottawa), Dillon Ward (Colorado), Jake Withers (Halifax)
China (2): Leo Stouros (Albany), Ben Stewart (San Diego)
Chinese Taipe (0): None
Czechia (0): None
England (2): Cam MacLeod (Calgary), Corey Small (Toronto)
Finland (0): None
Germany (0): None
Greece (1): Evan Constantopoulos (Buffalo)
Haudenosaunee (19): Adam Bomberry (Buffalo), Brendan Bomberry (Georgia), Blake Gibson-McDonald (Las Vegas), Warren Hill (Halfiax), Thomas Hoggarth (Halifax), Doug Jamieson (Albany), Cody Jamieson (Halifax), Ron John (Ottawa), Travis Longboat (Albany), Justin Martin (Toronto), Eli McLaughlin (Colorado), Tehoka Nanticoke (Buffalo), Randy Staats (Halifax), Larson Sundown (Ottawa), Kason Tarbell (Georgia), Jeremy Thompson (Georgia), Lyle Thompson (Georgia), Nonkon Thompson (Halifax), Zed Williams (Colorado)
Haudenosaunee National Team Practice (Photos: Lucky Penny Media)
Hong Kong (1): Jalen Chaster (Colorado)
Hungary (0): None
Ireland (1): Devlin Shanahan (Ottawa)
Israel (1): Parker Pipher (Colorado)
Italy (0): None
Jamaica (2): Damon Edwards (Ottawa), Marcus Minichiello (Philadelphia)
Japan (0): None
Mexico (0): None
Netherlands (1): Sam Hines (Toronto)
Poland (0): None
Puerto Rico (0): None
Scotland (0): None
Slovakia (1): Jackson Suboch (Vancouver)
Switzerland (0): None
United States (20): Gowah Abrams (Halifax), Zack Belter (Buffalo), Charlie Bertrand (Las Vegas), TJ Comizio (Georgia), Tim Edwards (Colorado), Eli Gobrecht (San Diego), Jack Hannah (Las Vegas), Drew Hutchison (Halifax), Connor Kirst (Las Vegas), Danny Logan (San Diego), Joe Nardella (Albany), Ethan O’Connor (Rochester), Mac O’Keefe (San Diego), Joe Resetartis (Philadelphia), Blaze Riorden (Philadelphia), Brandon Robinson (Rochester), Dylan Robinson (Buffalo), Dalton Sulver (Colorado), Ryan Terefenko (Halifax), John Wagner (Albany)
U.S. Virgin Islands (0): None
Team Australia training day at the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre (Photo: Dave Fryer)
Women
The Odds
We’ll get into past tournament-winning trends in a sec (there’s actually not all that much to analyze), but here are the pre-tournament, gold medal-winning odds from Coolbet.com (as of Thurs. Sept. 19, 2024):
Men
Canada -625
Haudenosaunee +450
United States +1500
England +7500
Japan +7500
Israel +8000
Czechia +10000
Finland +10000
Jamaica +10000
Puerto Rico +10000
Women
Canada -143
United States +285
Haudenosaunee +775
Finland +1800
England +1900
Australia +2000
Netherlands +2000
Germany +2200
Ireland +2300
Hong Kong +2500
Steve Priolo and Dhane Smith (Photo: Cliff McCaig)
The Past
The Canadian men have won gold in all five previous tournaments, and not only that, they’ve yet to lose a single round-robin or obviously knock-out or medal game either. Their pristine all-time winning percentage is by far the best in the box tourney. Below are the Top 10 W% of nations that have previously competed in the WLBC (includes all tiered division results too).
Country (Years Participated) Overall Record (Win %)
Canada (2003-2019) 28-0 (1.00)
Haudenosaunee (2003-2019) 21-8 (.724)
Finland (2015-2019) 8-6 (.571)
Germany (2015-2019) 8-6 (.571)
United States (2003-2019) 18-14 (.563)
Israel (2015-2019) 7-7 (.500)
Turkey (2015) 4-4 (.500)
Austria (2019) 4-4 (.500)
Australia (2003-2019) 15-16 (.484)
Serbia (2015-2019) 7-8 (.467)
Slovakia (2011, 2019) 6-7 (.462)
The Haudenosaunee’s only losses have come to the Canadians, although the United States have given them the odd scare. The American’s only L’s have been to Canada and the Haudenosaunee, and one long forgotten one against the Scots during round-robin action in 2003 – a loss the easily avenged in the bronze medal game that year. One of the biggest stories during that first-ever event was Scotland’s John Marr, the team’s 63-year-old backup backstop that was all smiles from start to finish. Marr was playing behind Canadian-born talent in keepers Derek Collins and Joe Bell, but still managed to munch some minutes between the pipes. He’s the oldest player to ever take part in the tournament.
The Times Canada Lost
While Canada has never lost at the World Lacrosse Box Championships, they have technically lost to the Americans twice before.
Back in 1985, three years before the National Lacrosse League (well, Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League) was founded, the short-lived International Box Lacrosse Association held an eight-game series between all-star squads from Canada and the United States. Canada would win the series 7-1, but below, check out the one game the Americans won. Plus, click here for a thorough breakdown of the 1985 Super Series written by Steve Holroyd of CrosseCheck.com.
Prior to the 2003 WLBC, the two nations held an exhibition game in Mississauga, Ontario on October 2, 2002. The one-game showcase, which has been played only a handful of times since, was and still is called the Heritage Cup.
Canada was expected to decimate the Americans. They didn’t.
The quicker and more athletic Team USA sprinted out to a commanding 8-0 lead (Canadian coaches pulled starter Bob Watson as a result, although he was far from the one to blame for the blowout), eventually winning the game 21-16, and leaving the Canadian’s speechless. While Team Canada was an all-out all-star team selected for their credentials and not necessarily their style of game or on-floor role, Team USA was built specifically to counter Canada’s star-studded approach, emphasized with transitional speed and suffocating pressure. It’s the only time under World Lacrosse’s governance that the Canadian men have lost.
The Podium
We’ve already mentioned that Canada is five for five when it comes to winning gold here, but silver and bronze have the exact same tournament-closing consistency with the Haudenosaunee winning all the silvers, and Americans taking every bronze since 2003.
While the game is seemingly spreading internationally based on this year’s expanding lineup of nations in Utica, box lacrosse is still obviously very much a North American game, the podium stranglehold proof of that.
We recently polled our X and Instagram followers and asked them who will win gold this year. This is what they told us:
X
Canada 67%
Haudenosaunee 20%
United States 10%
Someone else 3%
Canada 79%
Haudenosaunee 14%
United States 6%
Someone else 1%
Between Coolbet’s professional sports betting odds above, our mostly industry individuals on X, and our young far-reaching fanbase on IG, everyone feels this year’s men’s podium will look precisely like it has since 2003.
Will it though?
Lyle Thompson (Photo: Ontario Lacrosse Association)
The Rivalry
If anyone has plans of creeping up on Canada and knocking them off the top of the podium, as always, it appears to the Haudensuanee, but maybe even more so this September.
Firstly, they’ve come incredibly close to beating Canada before, although it’s been a bit. Below are all the results between the two box-leading nations:
2003
Round Robin: Canada 15-3 over Haudenosaunee
An extremely close game played in a sold out Oshawa Civic Centre and broadcast on SportsNet across Canada. Still one of the all-time best games in tournament history. The atmosphere was absolutely electric.
Gold Medal: Canada 21-4 over Haudenosaunee
Nothing like their earlier meeting, and Copps Coliseum felt empty for a final that should have had way more interest.
2007
Gold Medal: Canada 15-14 (OT) over Haudenosaunee
An all-timer that is easily the WBLC’s greatest ever game, hosted in Halifax long before the Thunderbirds took flight. This back-and-forth battle needed a Jeff Zywicki OT goal to determine a winner. Very little exists online from the 2007 tourney, but click here to see some grainy highlights from this historic game.
2011
Gold Medal: Canada 13-6 over Haudenosaunee
Like in 2007, the two top teams played in different opening-round divisions and didn’t see each other until the final, which wasn’t overly compelling or close to their previous classics.
2015
Round Robin: Canada 11-9 over Haudenosaunee
Gold Medal: Canada 12-8 over Haudenosaunee
The Haudenosaunee served as hosts and had an extremely strong roster in 2015. Although they were very competitive in both games they clashed with Canada, the Canadians again came out victorious.
2019
Round Robin: Canada 19-12 over Haudenosaunee
Gold Medal: Canada 19-12 over Haudenosaunee
Although the Haudenosaunee held a few early first quarter leads, the Canadians would prove too powerful, winning gold in maybe their most impressive tournament win to date.
2024
While the consensus is that nothing will change when it comes to gold, silver and bronze this year, the Haudenosaunee come into this year’s tournament with arguably their most impressive lineup since 2007. The team also sports about a dozen players that just won the Mann Cup with the Six Nations Chiefs, including both of the backstops, Doug Jamieson and Warren Hill.
This year’s gold is far from guaranteed.
The Women
The women’s side of the tourney feels like it will be the same Top 3 finishers, but the opportunity for an upset is much, much higher than with the men.
Canada are most experts’ pick for gold, although there is a small subsection that feels the Americans, who own nine outdoor World Lacrosse (Field) Championship medals to Canada’s none, could push the tournament’s faves for first.
Although there are many more unknowns since female box is played so infrequently at the international level (or any level in many countries), an American gold-medal win would rank right up there with the men’s 2002 Heritage Cup victory when it comes to all-time upsets.
The Photographers
Two of box lacrosse’s very best photographers who don’t always see much of in more recent years will both be snapping shots at this year’s tournament: Larry Palumbo and Cliff McCaig.
Palumbo, who’ll be following Team Israel, shot the NLL for many years and has taken some of the league’s most iconic photos, while the Alberta-based McCaig captured dozens of tremendous all-time images from the last WLBC in Langley, BC five years ago.
Follow them on Instagram: @coyotemagic & @cliffmccaigphotography