How does Joey Spallina stack up against the Minto Cup’s all-time point producers?
Joey Spallina, Orangeville Northmen (Photo: Dave Fryer/OJLL)
We’re only two game-days deep into the 2024 Minto Cup in Coquitlam, British Columbia, but that’s been plenty time for Joey Spallina to start statistically sneaking up on some all-time tournament milestones.
The Orangeville Northmen’s leading point producer during the regular season & playoffs, and The Lax Mag’s recently ranked #1 Junior A player in the country, is tied for the most goals (6) at the four-team tournament, and also leads the Minto in assists (10) and points (16) after two games.
While the Northmen have yet to play the 2-0 Coquitlam Adanacs (that happens tonight at 10pm ET), who have by far the best goal differential (+12) and lowest goals against average (7.50 GAA after two games), Spallina’s totals are well, well, well above average in games against the Port Coquitlam Saints and Raiders Lacrosse Club.
While it’s still really, really, really early, how does Spallina’s start stack up against the tournament’s highest single-tournament point producers?
As always, our analysis for the modern-day Minto starts in 2003, when the Cup flipped from an Ontario versus British Columbia seven-game series to the four-team format we have today (AKA allowing Alberta in).
Below are the highest single-tournament leaders at the Minto, again, since 2003, and excluding 2004 because WampsBibleofLacrosse.com digitally died and already sadly has someone cybersquatting on it. It was the only Minto season we couldn’t somehow come up with individual player stats for.
Jeff Teat, Brampton Excelsiors (Photo: Dave Fryer)
GOALS
Jeff Teat, Brampton (2018) 22
Jonathan Donville, Orangeville (2019) 19
Adam Jones, Orangeville (2009) 17
Adam Charalambides, Orangeville (2016) 17
Dylan Watson, Orangeville (2019) 17
Dan Lintner, Whitby (2013) 16
Luke Wiles, St. Catharines (2003) 15
Josh Johnson, Six Nations (2014) 15
Six tied at 14
Clarke Petterson, Brampton Excelsiors (Photo: Dave Fryer)
ASSISTS
Clarke Petterson, Brampton (2018) 30
Mathieu Gauthier, Edmonton (2022) 23
Craig Point, Six Nations (2005) 22
Johnny Powless, Six Nations (2014) 20
Reilly O’Connor, Whiby (2013) 20
Jonathan Donville, Orangeville (2019) 20
Dylan Foulds, Coquitlam (2018) 19
Jack Royer, Edmonton (2022) 19
Five tied at 18
Mathieu Gauthier, Edmonton Miners (Photo: Dave Fryer/OJLL)
POINTS
Clarke Petterson, Brampton (2018) 43
Jeff Teat, Brampton (2018) 42
Jonathan Donville, Orangeville (2019) 39
Adam Charalambides, Orangeville (2016) 33
Mathieu Gauthier, Edmonton (2022) 32
Dan Lintner, Whitby (2013) 31
Mark Matthews, Whitby (2011) 30
Casey Jackson, Coquitlam (2011) 30
Chase Scanlan, Coquitlam (2018) 30
Stuart Phillips, Coquitlam (2023) 30
Six tied at 29
So again, it’s still super early and Orangeville has yet to play the so-far top teams of the 2024 tournament, but…
Spallina’s offensive point averages and full Minto projections are in the ballpark or go well beyond the above player’s end-of-tournament totals. A few others from this year’s Minto are also off to really good starts.
Johnathan Donville, Orangeville Northmen (Photo: BCJALL)
GOALS PER GAME
Shawn Evans, Peterborough (2006) 3.50
Jonathan Donville, Orangeville (2019) 3.17
Jeff Teat, Brampton (2018) 3.14
Joey Spallina, Orangeville (2024) 3.00
Silas Richmond, Port Coquitlam (2024) 3.00
Jaxon Dillon, Coquitlam (2024) 3.00
Adam Jones, Orangeville (2009) 2.83
Dylan Watson, Orangeville (2019) 2.83
Cody Jamieson, Six Nations (2007) 2.80
Mitch Jones, Orangeville (2012) 2.75
Johnny Powless, Six Nations Arrows (Photo: Ward Laforme Jr.)
ASSISTS PER GAME
Joey Spallina, Orangeville (2024) 5.00
Clarke Petterson, Brampton (2018) 4.29
Cody Malawsky, Coquitlam (2024) 4.00
Shawn Evans, Six Nations (2007) 3.60
Johnny Powless, Six Nations (2014) 3.50
Mark Matthews, Coquitlam (2010) 3.40
Robert Church, Coquitlam (2010) 3.40
Jonathan Donville, Orangeville (2019) 3.33
Mathieu Gauthier, Edmonton (2022) 3.29
Shawn Evans, Peterborough (2006) 3.25
Mark Matthews, Coquitlam Adanacs (Photo: Ward Laforme Jr.)
POINTS PER GAME
Joey Spallina, Orangeville (2024) 8.00
Shawn Evans, Peterborough (2006) 6.75
Jonathan Donville, Orangeville (2019) 6.50
Clarke Petterson, Brampton (2018) 6.14
Jeff Teat, Brampton (2018) 6.00
Jaxon Dillon, Coquitlam (2024) 6.00
Cody Malawsky, Coquitlam (2024) 5.50
Mark Matthews, Coquitlam (2010) 5.40
Mitch Jones, Orangeville (2012) 5.25
5 tied at 5.00
So, will Spallina keep this up and suplex some records this year?
Firstly, it will most definitely depend on how many games he gets in. Shawn Evans ranks really high in all of our averages above, but is MIA in the total stat sums. Why? Because the Peterborough Lakers were only required to play four games during that Cup-winning 2006 season and the Six Nations Arrows only five during their historic 2007 run (more on both of those teams here). Back then, the Minto final was a one-and-done contest versus this today’s best-of-three series. Side note: The final was a best-of-five finale in 2016.
More games means more goals, assists and points.
Secondly, if Spallina ends up playing enough games (the Northmen seem likely to play in this year’s semifinal, but technically could still finish first if they smoke the hosts today), can he keep up his preposterous early points pace? Common sense tells you he’ll likely statistically slow down while the tourney thins out and games get even more demanding , defensive and draining. But…
To give us an idea of how he might do, let’s look at Spallina’s series stats averages during this year’s OJLL playoffs.
vs. Toronto Beaches (Quarterfinals)
Goals: 2.67
Assists: 4.00
Points: 6.67
vs. St. Catharines (Semifinals)
Goals: 4.00
Assists: 3.33
Points: 7.33
vs. Mimico Mountaineers (Finals)
Goals: 2.86
Assists: 3.43
Points: 6.29
He had his most success in the second series, which makes sense since Toronto was obviously much better than an eight seed but got bumped there because of a bunch of their regular season games getting overturned.
Spallina’s stats went down depending on the level of opponent and how deep and demanding the Northmen’s series was, but his statistical slouch was so small in most cases, it’s almost not even worth mentioning.
If the Northmen end up in this year’s Minto Cup semis and then go the distance in the finals (so three more games), based on Spallina’s present stats-per-game averages, he would finish this year’s tournament with the following:
21 goals
35 assists
56 points
Scroll back up and see where those numbers would put him. Even at a slower point-producing pace, Spallina’s stats should still stand out if Orangeville can get to the Minto’s mini series starting on August 22.
Update (August 21, 2024): Since our original analysis, Spallina was one of several top Orangeville players who were scratched for the team’s final round-robin game for suspected load management - “…when a healthy player is held out of playing a game for rest or precautionary reasons.” Spallina returned for the team’s semifinal game against Port Coquitlam, and again registered an 8-point performance. Even with that missed game, Spallina is still in range or rewritting some of the above records, especially if the best-of-three Minto Cup Final between Orangeville and Coquitlam goes the distance.