National Junior Rankings: June 21, 2023
Chris Origlieri, Orangeville Northmen (Photo: Dave Fryer)
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.
Jameson Bucktooth, Orangeville Northmen (Photo: Jeramie Bailey/OLA)
Last week we said the the next seven days of the Orangeville Northmen’s regular season would be their most difficult week-long stretch of their schedule - prior to the playoffs of course. Since the National Junior Rankings dropped last Wednesday, the Northmen played away games in Burlington, Whitby and Mimico, plus hosted Toronto at Tony Rose. They went 4-0, and although they were pressured by some, the finals were not all that close:
12-7 over Burlington (+5)
11-6 over Whitby (+5)
17-9 over Toronto (+8)
13-7 over Mimico (+6)
On average, the Northmen are beating teams by 6.54 goals in games this year. In comparison, British Columbia’s first place club owns a 3.93 GD average in games, the Rocky Mountain’s league leader is at 3.73. That’s a significant spread.
Still obviously undefeated, now 13-0, the Northmen are on one of the most historically perfect regular season runs in league and even Canadian Junior A history. Prior to this past Saturday’s OJLL trade deadline, the Horn Heads acquired defensemen Cameron Pack (Ohio State University), a talented defender that will help fill in for a sidelined Donny Scott (Syracuse University), one of the Northmen’s best defensive-end assets.
While their L column isn’t quite as empty as Orangeville’s, in British Columbia the Coquitlam Adanacs continue to lead the standings, their 13-2 record keeping them six points clear of their closest competitor, the Victoria Shamrock.
Thomas Vela, Victoria Shamrocks (Photo: Micheline Veluvolu)
Speaking of the Shamrocks, the team struck an extremely significant deal on Tuesday, picking up 2002’s Thomas Vela (Rochester Knighthawks) and Marcus Klarich (Vancouver Warriors) from the Burnaby Lakers, who showed promise throughout the year with quality wins against top sides, but owned a record that made them unlikely to qualify for this year’s playoffs. Only the Top 4 teams in the BCJALL qualify for their postseason. Klarich currently leads the league in points (82) and Vela is in the same top spot for goals (40). Vela was also last year’s BCJALL points (71) and goal-scoring (36) champ. The pair made their NLL debuts last winter and are considered two of the most offensively gifted players in BC presently. The Shamrocks have represented their province at the last two Minto Cups, and after Tuesday’s trade, are clearly looking for a third straight trip for a shot at the treasured title. Victoria last won the Minto in 1988, a team that includes local legends like Gary & Paul Gait, Tom Marechek, Greg Pepper, Grant Hamilton, Darren Reisig, Chris Prat and others.
Although mathematically the standings are far from set, it would be surprising if the BCJALL’s final four weren’t the Adanacs, Shamrocks, Nanaimo Timbermen and Port Coquitlam Saints. British Columbia’s trade deadline is Saturday, July 1, and don’t be surprised to see similar sizeable swaps like we saw on Tuesday from this year’s contenders over the next few weeks.
In the RMLL, between the Raiders Lacrosse Club losing an OT heartbreaker to the Calgary Mountaineers (you have to watch this Reel), and the Edmonton Miners sweeping Saskatchewan 3-0 over the weekend (albeit with a couple close contests), last year’s Minto finalists are back in the Top 5, while the Raiders reel back slightly in our Canada-wide standings.
That previously mentioned extra-frame finish pushed the Mounties up four spots in our rankings, the biggest bump of any team this week. The Mountaineers and Raiders go again tonight in a highly anticipated clash at Max Bell (7pm MT). A Raiders win puts them just two points behind the league-leading Miners, while a second straight victory by Calgary would most definitely keep them in a hunt for the coveted second seed.
National Junior Rankings: June 21, 2023
1. (1) Orangeville Northmen (OJLL) 13-0
2. (2) Coquitlam Adanacs (BCJALL) 13-2
3. (4) Burlington Blaze (OJLL) 8-4
4. (7) Oakville Buzz (OJLL) 9-4
5. (6) Edmonton Miners (RMLL) 9-2
6. (3) Mimico Mountaineers (OJLL) 7-5
7. (5) Raiders Lacrosse Club (RMLL) 7-3
8. (8) Nanaimo Timbermen (BCJALL) 9-6
9. (9) Victoria Shamrocks (BCJALL) 10-5
10. (13) Toronto Beaches (OJLL) 7-7
11. (10) Whitby Warriors (OJLL) 6-8
12. (12) Port Coquitlam Saints (BCJALL) 8-6-1
13. (14) St. Catharines Athletics (OJLL) 6-7
14. (18) Calgary Mountaineers (RMLL) 4-5-1
15. (11) Burnaby Lakers (BCJALL) 6-10
16. (15) Six Nations Arrows (OJLL) 4-6
17. (16) Brampton Excelsiors (OJLL) 4-7
18. (17) Peterborough Lakers (OJLL) 3-9
19. (19) New Westminster Salmonbellies (BCJALL) 5-9
20. (20) Delta Islanders (BCJALL) 4-11
21. (21) Langley Thunder (BCJALL) 4-10-1
22. (22) Kitchener-Waterloo Lacrosse Club (OJLL) 1-11
23. (23) Saskatchewan SWAT (RMLL) 0-10-1