Clutch Kings: Junior A Playoffs Edition
Isiah Moran-Weekes, Mimico Mountaineers (Photo: OJLL)
Although we’ve published our Clutch Kings series during the past two National Lacrosse League seasons, for any new Junior A followers we’ve attracted… the Clutch Kings tracks an individual player’s game-tying, go-ahead, and game-winning goals, then weighs them based on when they’re scored, but also in what on-floor situation they’re finished (even-strength, power-play or short-handed goals).
With an NLL game consisting of four 15-minute quarters versus Canada’s three 20-minute periods, we had to tweak our formula a bit, but essentially the logic behind our money math is pretty similar to the pros.
So, who has been the most clutch scorers during this year’s Junior A playoffs across Canada? Well, it’s actually not all that close between #1 and everyone else.
Victoria Shamrocks forward Marcus Klarich (Vancouver Warriors) has a significant lead on our leaderboard thanks to his 5 GTGs, 1 GAG and 3 GWGs. Of those 9 score-shifting snipes, two-thirds have come in the third period or later, including all 3 of the games he iced. Klarich also registered the rarest of game winners when he netted a short-handed OT ender that sent the Nanaimo Timbermen packing courtesy of a Shamrocks series sweep.
Klarich, who the Shamrocks acquired prior to the British Columbia Junior A Lacrosse League’s trade deadline, is one of a number of newly added names to Victoria’s lineup that have paid off during this year’s playoffs. In a deal with the Burnaby Lakers, the Shamrocks picked up Klarich & Thomas Vela (Rochester Knighthawks). Victoria has four postseason wins so far. Klarich has those previously mentioned 3 GWGs, and Vela has the fourth. Silas Richmond (University of Albany), who the team grabbed in a deal with the Delta Islanders, also ranks reasonably high on our leaderboard below. Although not a recent addition, Shamrocks scorer Noah Manning (University of Denver) is our sixth highest ranked Clutch King during this year’s playoffs.
In the second-round series between the Burlington Blaze & Mimico Mountaineers, we’ve already been treated to two dramatic endings in OT. This one from Isiah Moran-Weekes (High Point University)…
…and then another by Burlington’s Cameron York, who excelled with the Junior B Nepean Knights before being called up to the Blaze. He’s not the only Nepean name making an impact in Burlington right now either.
Other newbies that are netting important goals in this year’s playoffs?
Ben McDonald (University of Calgary), who was acquired late in the season by the Raiders Lacrosse Club via a cross-provincial deal with Delta, is the highest ranked Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League player on our list, just ahead of the Calgary Mountaineers’ Nathan Lam (University of Indianapolis). The Alberta rivals are in the middle of a heated first-round war, the winner moving on to face the Edmonton Miners in the RMLL Finals.
Although his clutch rating would likely be even higher had the Coquitlam Adanacs not stormed through their first-round matchup against the Port Coquitlam Saints, the A’s addition of Cody Malawsky (University of Denver) has given Coquitlam another clutch twig in their already impressive lineup. Malawsky currently ranks 17th in our Clutch Kings calculations.
For those reading our analysis and wondering if having players that consistently score game-trying, go-ahead and game-winning goals matter in the grand scheme of things, well…
Over the past two NLL season, a Colorado Mammoth forward has finished the regular season ranked #1 in our Clutch Kings calculations, while Buffalo Bandits forwards also regularly rank really, really high. Those two teams have met in the NLL Finals the last two years, both bagging an NLL Cup.
Clutch Kings: Junior A Playoffs Edition
Rank. Player, Team, Rating (GTG/GAG/GWG)
1. Marcus Klarich, Victoria, 26.00 (5/1/3)
2. Isiah Moran-Weekes, Mimico, 11.50 (1/2/1)
T3. Thomas Vela, Victoria, 8.75 (1/3/1)
T3. CJ Kirst, Mimico, 8.75 (1/1/2)
5. Andrew Bowman, Nanaimo, 8.50 (3/1/0)
6. Noah Manning, Victoria, 8.00 (3/1/0)
7. Cameron York, Burlington, 7.50 (0/1/1)
T8. Will MacLeod, Burlington, 7.00 (3/2/0)
T8. Finn Thomson, Mimico, 7.00 (2/2/1)
T10. Zach Miller, Toronto, 6.50 (1/1/1)
T10. Ben McDonald, Raiders, 6.50 (1/1/1)
T12. Joey Spallina, Orangeville, 6.00 (1/0/2)
T12. Sam Parent, Burlington, 6.00 (2/0/0)
T12. Nathan Lam, Calgary, 6.00 (0/0/2)
T15. Braedon Saris, Burlington, 5.00 (3/1/0)
T15. Alex Marinier, Burlington, 5.00 (0/2/1)
T17. Silas Richmond, Victoria, 4.75 (1/3/0)
T17. Cody Malawsky, Coquitlam, 4.75 (1/2/0)
T17. Dylan Johannes, Victoria, 4.75 (2/1/0)
T20. Liam Matthews, Orangeville, 4.50 (2/1/1)
T20. Riley Arsenault, Nanaimo, 4.50 (2/1/0)
Stats taken from league websites as of July 25, 2023.