National Junior Rankings: June 14, 2023
During the 2023 Canadian junior seasons, The Lax Mag will publish our National Junior Rankings, a weekly rundown of all 23 A-level teams across the country. The opening edition will begin on June 7 with future rankings published in the middle of every week (date dependent on league schedule for that week) until the start of the Minto Cup.
The rankings will include the Ontario Junior Lacrosse League (OJLL), British Columbia Junior A Lacrosse League (BCJALL) and Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League (RMLL).
The Lax Mag’s rankings will position teams based not only by overall record, but also the strength of their opposition and the quality of their results - win, lose or draw.
Trey Deere, Orangeville Northmen (Photo: Ontario Lacrosse Association)
Earlier this week, when we reviewed just how rare & dominant a start the Orangeville Northmen’s 9-0 regular season run has been, they were already anointed this week’s easy #1.
Since last week’s National Junior Rankings dropped, the Northmen annihilated the Athletics (15-3), held on to beat the Blaze (11-7) and then escaped the Buzz in OT (7-6). They also got Trey Deere (Syracuse University) back in the lineup, who as expected, has been a next-level boost to an offensive unit already giving netminders never-ending nightmares this year. In three games, Deere already has 10 goals, including the 5 spot he netted in his 2023 debut.
The MVP chants for Northmen goalie Chris Origlieri (San Diego Seals) have already started, Orangeville’s starting stopper holding down a GAA under 5.00 and a save percentage nearing .900. He’s coming up big when it matters most too, making 43 saves in that previously mentioned extra-frame W over Oakville, which included six stops in OT.
The Northmen have a stiff test tonight when they travel to Burlington’s Central Arena to take on the Blaze (8pm ET), but that’s just the start of an extremely interesting week for the talented team. When we revisit the rankings Wednesday next week, Orangeville will have played four more times in four not-so-easy affairs (at Burlington, at Whitby, vs. Toronto, at Mimico). Can they keep their superb season-starting win streak alive during a busy & bruising week? It’s an important seven-day stretch for Canada’s top-rated team.
In the BCJALL, the Coquitlam Adanacs are still leading the league, three wins clear of their closest competitor in the standings. They’ve now won seven straight, are getting clutch stopping from both of their goalies (Thomas Ungaro & Jack Kask), sport an athletic yet responsible defensive core anchored by leaders Luca Antongiovanni (University of North Carolina) & Ty Banks (Georgetown University), plus get an unselfish & effective offensive effort led by players like Jack Charboneau (Johns Hopkins University), Jaxon Dillon (Claremont Secondary ‘22), David Charney and others. Oh right, Max Semple (Drexel University) hasn’t even stepped on the floor yet. While the Northmen continue to hog the headlines, not sure they rest of the country realize how low-key loaded this lineup already is, again.
Parker Kennedy, Coquitlam Adanacs (Photo: Shelly Fey)
In the RMLL, things remain a tight two-horse race between the Okotoks Raiders & Edmonton Miners, who are miles ahead of the league’s only other two teams: the Calgary Mountaineers & Saskatchewan SWAT.
The Raiders tied their in-season series with the Miners, beating last year’s Minto finalists 7-5 this past Saturday, a result that flipped their provincial positioning in our rankings. Kean Moon (Robert Morris University) leads both the Raiders and the RMLL with 18 goals, two-thirds of those strikes happening in even-strength situations. He’s just two points behind league leader Davis Dame of the Mounties (31), who many outside of the province likely remember from 2022’s Minto when Dame scored eight times in six games for the rival Miners.
At just 3-5-1 so far this year, many were expecting better results from Calgary this summer, who need to figure things out fast if they hope to spark a second-half comeback of some sort. Of their remaining six games, the Mountaineers see the first-place Raiders four times.
Jackson Foord, Calgary Raiders/Robert Morris University (Photo: @raidersjralax)
National Junior Rankings: June 14, 2023
1. (1) Orangeville Northmen (OJLL) 9-0
2. (2) Coquitlam Adanacs (BCJALL) 12-2
3. (5) Mimico Mountaineers (OJLL) 6-3
4. (4) Burlington Blaze (OJLL) 6-3
5. (8) Okotoks Raiders (RMLL) 7-2
6. (3) Edmonton Miners (RMLL) 6-2
7. (9) Oakville Buzz (OJLL) 8-4
8. (6) Nanaimo Timbermen (BCJALL) 7-6
9. (7) Victoria Shamrocks (BCJALL) 9-5
10. (11) Whitby Warriors (OJLL) 5-5
11. (16) Burnaby Lakers (BCJALL) 6-7
12. (12) Port Coquitlam Saints (BCJALL) 7-5-1
13. (13) Toronto Beaches (OJLL) 4-6
14. (10) St. Catharines Athletics (OJLL) 5-5
15. (14) Six Nations Arrows (OJLL) 3-5
16. (17) Brampton Excelsiors (OJLL) 3-6
17. (15) Peterborough Lakers (OJLL) 2-7
18. (18) Calgary Mountaineers (RMLL) 3-5-1
19. (20) New Westminster Salmonbellies (BCJALL) 4-7
20. (21) Delta Islanders (BCJALL) 3-10
21. (19) Langley Thunder (BCJALL) 3-9-1
22. (22) Kitchener-Waterloo Lacrosse Club (OJLL) 1-8
23. (23) Saskatchewan SWAT (RMLL) 0-7-1