National Junior Rankings: Week 8
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 in the middle of every 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 or lose.
We’re down to four teams still alive in each province after the Orangeville Northmen dispatched the Oakville Buzz in a series-deciding Game 5 at the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre last night. Those teams are…
Ontario: Toronto, Whitby, Orangeville and Burlington
British Columbia: Victoria, Nanaimo, Langley and Coquitlam
Alberta/Saskatchewan: Miners, Calgary, Okotoks and Saskatchewan
The Northmen & Buzz series featured arguably the top two junior-aged goaltenders anywhere in Canada right now: Northmen netminder Chris Origlieri (San Diego Seals) and Buzz backstop Aden Walsh (Georgia Swarm). Both sides showcased strong, athletic defensive games, and clutch scoring too. Many of the legitimate Minto Cup contenders still in the hunt share those same complete-game characteristics, and those that don’t, will likely see their seasons end soon.
It also doesn’t hurt to have a skilled power forward like David Anderson (Yale) either (kinda pulling a Zed Williams), who leads the OJLL in post-season goals, is tied with talented Toronto Beaches teammate Willem Firth in total points, and scored one of the silliest goals of the summer on Monday at Peterborough’s Memorial Centre…
Earlier this week, we reviewed the dominance of #1 seeded squads when it came to capturing a Minto Cup, with a regular-season champion from either Ontario or B.C. winning it 47 times over the past 60 national competitions. With Mimico bounced by Burlington, that leaves Victoria, who top this week’s National Junior Rankings as the last #1 between those two dominant provinces. Alberta, who had arguably their greatest success at the Minto in 2019, have - well - everyone still in the mix, including the #1 Miners Lacrosse Club. Could this be their year for more at the Minto?
The Burlington Chiefs, who’ve recently rewritten Junior A record books, will need to keep carving up the script usually reserved for a #8 seed. Also in our analysis this week, we confirmed that the lowest-ever provincial post-season seed to win a Minto were the 2006 Peterborough Lakers, a #5 finisher during that season. In addition to #1, the only other seeds since 1960 to win a Minto were #2 (8), #3 (4) and then those lower-seeded Lakers.
How strong of a last seed are the Chiefs against the province’s past #8s? Here are all the #8s that have equaled Burlington’s 10-10 regular-season record (or .500 finish) this year, again, going back to 1960.
2007 Burlington Chiefs (8-8-2) - lost 1st rd. 4-0
2006 KW Braves (10-10-2) - lost 1st rd. 4-1
1993 Whitby Warriors (11-11) - lost 1st rd. 4-1
Prior to 1990, an Ontario league with eight or more teams didn’t always exist, and they also split into an East & West Division during parts of the 70s and 80s. But still, those three #8 teams above are the only ones to equal Burlington’s 2022 winning %, most seasons clubs not coming all that close.
Burlington Chiefs (Photo: Gillian Zwolak)
If a #8 is going to make Minto history, Burlington certainly seems like the best candidate Canada has ever had, but the’ll have to get by a bloody good Beaches team, starting in Brampton. This could be one of the hottest (based on talent and temperature in two of the league’s most sweltering barns) we’ve seen in a while.
National Junior Rankings: Week 8
TW. (LW) Team (League) Regular Season (Playoffs)
*Eliminated
1. (2) Victoria Shamrocks (BCJALL) 11-3 (2-0)
2. (4) Toronto Beaches (OJLL) 15-5 (3-1)
3. (5) Whitby Warriors (OJLL) 14-6 (3-0)
4. (6) Orangeville Northmen (OJLL) 13-7 (3-2)
5. (13) Burlington Chiefs (OJLL) 10-10 (3-0)
6. (10) Langley Thunder (BCJALL) 10-4 (4-0)
7. (1) Mimico Mountaineers (OJLL) 16-4 (0-3)*
8. (3) Nanaimo Timbermen (BCJALL) 10-4 (0-2)
9. (7) Oakville Buzz (OJLL) 13-7 (2-3)*
10. (8) Miners Lacrosse Club (RMLL) 12-3 (2-0)
11. (9) Coquitlam Adanacs (BCJALL) 9-5 (2-3)
12. (11) Calgary Mountaineers (RMLL) 12-3 (2-1)
13. (12) Peterborough Lakers (OJLL) 10-10 (1-3)*
14. (14) St. Catharines Athletics (OJLL) 10-10 (0-3)*
15. (15) Burnaby Lakers (BCJALL) 7-7 (1-2)*
16. (17) Okotoks Raiders (RMLL) 5-10 (1-2)
17. (16) Six Nations Arrows (OJLL) 5-15*
18. (18) Delta Islanders (BCJALL) 4-10*
19. (19) Brampton Excelsiors (OJLL) 3-17*
20. (20) KW Lacrosse Club (BCJALL) 1-19*
21. (21) Port Coquitlam Saints (BCJALL) 1-13*
22. (22) Saskatchewan SWAT (RMLL) 1-14 (0-2)
23. (23) New Westminster Salmonbellies (BCJALL) 4-10 (0-2)*