National Junior Rankings: Week 4
During the 2022 Canadian junior seasons, The Lax Mag will publish our National Junior Rankings, a weekly rundown of all 23 A-level teams across the country. Week 1 will begin on June 1 with future editions published every Wednesday 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 or lose.
We have a new #1 in the Victoria Shamrocks, who are riding a six-game win streak after decisively downing the Langley Thunder this past Sunday (17-7), a team that topped the charts to open our 2022 countdown. The Shamrocks also took over first place in the BCJALL standings, and like we mentioned last week, players like Patrick Dodds (Panther City), Denton Macdonald (Bellarmine), Casey Wilson (Denver), Adam Bland (Calgary Roughnecks) and others right at or near the top of most statistical tables in the province. Wilson and Vic teammate Noah Manning (Denver), who is putting up his own silly goal totals since school let out, both made Team Canada’s U21 roster today. Canada’s Limerick-bound lineup has a ton of this year’s top Junior A talent present. See the entire roster here. The team will be competing at the 2022 World Lacrosse Men's U21 World Championship in Ireland (Aug. 10-20).
Patrick Dodds, Victoria Shamrocks (Photo: BCJALL)
As expected, Dodds was named an NLL Rookie of the Year Finalist alongside Jeff Teat (New York Riptide) and Reid Bowering (Vancouver Warriors). It’s only the third time since 2014, when the league first started announcing a final three, that two BC-born players were in the last-stage running for the NLL’s ROTY Award. The others? Logan Schuss (Minnesota Swarm) & Robert Church (Edmonton Rush) in 2014 and Wes Berg (Calgary Roughnecks) & Jesse King (Georgia Swarm) two seasons later. The last player from British Columbia to win the league’s top rookie prize was Ben McInsoth (Edmonton Rush) in 2015.
The Mimico Mountaineers, who ranked #1 the previous two weeks, slipped a few spots after an 0-2 week, which included losses to the Burlington Chiefs (9-8) and Whitby Warriors (16-8). The Mounties, who’ve been dipping heavily into their AP pool in recent weeks, have been missing notable names like Isiah Moran-Weekes (High Point) & Johnathan Peshko (Johns Hopkins). Stopping their mini slide won’t be easy with the St. Catharines Athletics hosting the Mounties tonight at the Canada Games Arena, and then a highly anticipated clash with the Toronto Beaches at home on Friday (Game 2 of the in-season Crombie Cup).
Will MacLeod, Burlington Chiefs (Photo: Dave Fryer)
One of this week’s biggest risers in the rankings were the previously mentioned Chiefs. Burlington, who came into the season as an expected frontrunner and final-four favourite, have struggled in the first half. Although they presently sit in just the 8th position in Ontario, since last Wednesday’s edition of the National Junior Rankings, the Chiefs have beat both Mimico (9-8) & St. Catharines (11-6), and gave first-place Oakville a serious scare on Saturday too (8-6).
Due to injuries (Trent DiCicco) and others arriving late because of collegiate commitments, the Chiefs have only three players that have played in every game this year: Jack Travassos (Newberry), Cooper Jackson (Davis & Elkins) and Andrew Vradenburg. So far, they’ve been led offensively by the likes of Coltrane Tyson (UMass), Greg Elijah-Brown (Onondaga), Alex Marinier (Ohio State) and Will MacLeod (Robert Morris), who started as an AP but has since signed his A card. MacLeod, who had a spectacular season playing in the Rock Elite League this past fall & winter, has over 50 goals this summer between the Chiefs & Hamilton Bengals (Junior B).
Erik Turner & John Lintz, Colorado Mammoth (Photo: Jack Dempsey)
In the RMLL, the Calgary Mountaineers continue to lead the league relatively easily with an impressive 10-1 record, beating Okotoks (7-5), Saskatchewan (12-8) and St. Albert (13-11) over a successful five-day stretch since last week. Although two games appear to be missing from the RMLL standings and individual stats, the Mounties dominate both. Calgary point producers take up six of the first eleven spots on the league leaderboard, Kyle Playsted (Bellarmine) and Nathan Lam (Indianapolis) sitting one-two at the top. Calgary goalie Tyler Lowe (the saves & soundtrack on his sizzle reel are super spicy) is doing the same, ranked first in GAA (4.00) and first in save percentage (.895) too.
And while on the topic of talented Albertans, a total of six from the province just won an NLL Cup with the Colorado Mammoth: John Lintz (Edmonton), Dylan Kinnear (Calgary), Brett McIntyre (Calgary), Josh Sullivan (Red Deer), Erik Turner (St. Albert), and although sidelined for the season, Brett Craig (Calgary).
National Junior Rankings: Week 4
1. (2) Victoria Shamrocks (BCJALL) 9-2
2. (4) Oakville Buzz (OJLL) 11-3
3. (3) Nanaimo Timbermen (BCJALL) 7-3
4. (9) Whitby Warriors (OJLL) 10-4
5. (1) Mimico Mountaineers (OJLL) 9-2
6. (7) Toronto Beaches (OJLL) 9-4
7. (10) Calgary Mountaineers (RMLL) 10-1
8. (8) St. Catharines Athletics (OJLL) 9-4
9. (6) Langley Thunder (BCJALL) 8-3
10. (5) Coquitlam Adanacs (BCJALL) 5-4
11. (14) Burlington Chiefs (OJLL) 5-7
12. (11) Orangeville Northmen (OJLL) 5-6
13. (12) St. Albert Miners (RMLL) 8-3
14. (13) Peterborough Lakers (OJLL) 6-7
15. (16) Six Nations Arrows (OJLL) 3-9
16. (15) Burnaby Lakers (BCJALL) 4-5
17. (17) New Westminster Salmonbellies (BCJALL) 3-8
18. (18) Delta Islanders (BCJALL) 3-6
19. (20) Okotoks Raiders (RMLL) 4-7
20. (19) Brampton Excelsiors (OJLL) 1-10
21. (21) Port Coquitlam Saints (BCJALL) 1-9
22. (22) K-W Lacrosse Club (OJLL) 0-12
23. (23) Saskatchewan SWAT (RMLL) 1-12