BCJALL Season Preview: Nanaimo Timbermen

NANAIMO TIMBERMEN

2018 RECORD: 3-17

2018 GOAL DIFFERENTIAL: -100

PROJECTED 2019 RECORD: 5-15-1, 7th Place

Nanaimo is another team that can begin turning the corner. The club has been diligently stockpiling the shelves with talent, and as Dan Marshall with Nanaimo News Now has pointed out, are looking to become a vastly different and improved team than the product they’ve put out on the floor in the past.

Head Coach Dave Bremner told Marshall that the expectation is to make the playoffs this season, and fortunately, you can begin to see a pathway where that could happen. A young core including Thomas Vaesen (37 goals, 66 points), Will Johansen (7 goals, 21 points) and Ryan Sheridan (26 goals, 49 points) make for a strong core to build around.  Johansen, a transition specialist, will don the ‘C’ for the T-Men for outgoing Jake Mickelson. 

Nanaimo also has a strong incoming Midget group who could start seeing time immediately, raising the competition for roster spots. Seven players who played on the A2 team that won the provincials are eligible to play, and that’s on top of a boatload of returning players. Don’t forget about former No. 1 overall pick Arthur Miller, who will be expected to play a bigger role. 

They also have Ontario product Kyle Dawson coming into the lineup. Dawson played for the Wallaceburg Red Devils Jr. B club and notched 53 goals and 87 points in 19 games last season. He also served as an Assistant Captain for Team Canada in the 2018 World Junior Lacrosse Championships and won a Gold medal. He had six goals and 11 points in three games in the tournament. 

There’s a genuine reason to be excited in the Timbermen this season, but it’s important they deliver a few more wins in order to be competitive late into the Summer.