BCJALL 2023 Season Preview: Class is in Session

Written by: Muhammad Jomha

The landscape of the British Columbia Jr A Lacrosse League was hit with a seismic shift at last years trade deadline with more players on the move than what was seen for at least a decade. As Victoria, Langley, Burnaby and Nanaimo pushed all their chips into the middle of the table; New West, Delta, and Poco liquidated many of their assets in looking towards the future. There were no blurred lines between buyers and sellers which sets us up for a season where many teams will have a much different look to their roster than a season ago.

     Of course, after so much change there are plenty of questions that lie ahead for the upcoming season. Who will rebound the quickest after going all in last year? What team in full rebuild mode looks to make the largest strides this season? Who’s the favourite heading in to represent the BCJALL at the 2023 Minto Cup in Edmonton?  However, as much as things change the more they stay the same. After an extensive era of dominance by the Burnaby Lakers through the 90s and 00s, the Coquitlam Adanacs have been crowned BC champions nine of the past twelve campaigns. And in one of those three seasons in which the Adanacs didn’t prevail, BC was hosting and both Coquitlam and Delta qualified for the dance after playing a best-of-three final. Coquitlam would go onto to win the Minto Cup that year inside the Langley Events Centre over Orangeville. The only team to interrupt the current run of dominance by Coquitlam are the defending BC champion Victoria Shamrocks who won BC in both 2008 and in 2022 before making their way to Brampton for the Minto Cup last summer.

     With that, what should be expected as a new season moves up on the horizon. If sports have taught us anything, its that they are unpredictable and provide the most memorable storylines and drama that exist. It will be interesting to see if this is the year that a team slightly off the radar can jump up and challenge the perennial powers for BC bragging rights and a trip to the Minto. Let’s delve into how each club enters the season and how they project moving forward.

Victoria Shamrocks (11-3)

     The Shamrocks come in off back-to-back Minto Cup appearances, losing to Orangeville in the 2019 final before bowing out in the round robin at last summers tournament in Brampton. Victoria will be looking to maintain that streak, even if those trips were interrupted by a global epidemic.

    Victoria, always with no shortage of offensive talent, will be looking to replace a mass exodus of front gate talent that aged out. While they have been a contender for the past few seasons something has seemed to be missing on the island when it comes to stepping up in class and navigating close games. Will this be the year the Shamrocks get over the final few hurdles during crunch time? The biggest key to that success likely lies with starting goaltender Adam Bland who showed flashes of brilliance throughout the 2022 campaign. While not large in stature, Bland’s quick twitch reactionary style and sound fundamental form will provide Victoria with more stability in net than most teams in the country.

Look for Victoria to finish within the Top 3 spots of the BCJALL standings and have a legitimate shot to return as the BC representative at this years Minto.

Coquitlam Adanacs (9-5)

    The perennial powerhouse comes into the season having missed out on the Minto Cup for the first time since 2008. Coquitlam while still an upper tier team in the league, has undergone a bit of a rebuild over the past few seasons and will return 20 players to this years roster including transition dynamo and workhorse Ty Banks. With energy and speed to burn, the right-handed Banks will be emblematic of what this Coquitlam team strives to be, business like and incredibly efficient.

    As usual, Coquitlam’s depth will be its calling card and are the one contender that returns most of its roster. Also unlike the other teams in the mix a season ago, Coquitlam was quiet at the deadline and maintained their future assets which should set them up nicely for this year. The Adanacs will go into the year looking to improve on an offense that averaged 9 goals/game. Something that likely improves with many guys coming back off last year’s experience.

    The winning culture established in Coquitlam will make anything but a Minto Cup appearance feel like a major disappointment. The A’s should be the most balanced team in the BC circuit and have a great chance to make a return to the Minto Cup after a one-year hiatus.

Delta Islanders (4-10)

     Perhaps the biggest wildcard going into the season is the young Delta Islanders. The offensive punch they can provide, lead by the highly touted Silas Richmond (13 GP/31G/22A) and Ben McDonald (14 GP/33G/20A) should be a major threat. The Islanders will want to play a fast brand of lacrosse and an offensive style that revolves around ball control and constant motion off ball. This could easily be the highest scoring team in the league if all goes right and things mesh early on for the Islanders.

     The biggest questions coming into the season for Delta will mostly reside on the opposite end of the floor where they have struggled to contain opponents offensive output. If Delta can get above average goaltending that will go a long way in determining how high they end up in the standings and ultimately how serious of a contender they become for the BC crown.

     Expect Delta to play a quality brand of lacrosse this season that combines pace and poise. Their fire power should present scoring pressure on opponents and make them a tough out all season long. The Islanders are a very likely playoff team in 2023.

New Westminster Salmonbellies (4-10)

     The rebuild started in earnest for New West at last year’s deadline with seemingly over half of the roster dealt despite the fact the Salmonbellies had slid into the final playoff spot. However the moves were smart as they were able to load up on future assets including a bunch of draft capital in this year’s entry draft that should accelerate the process for the storied organization.

     Having said that the Bellies’ still do return 16 players from last season including transition stalwarts Ezrah Glanville and Kai George who are expected to bring speed, aggressiveness and leadership to the lineup. While New West will be very young, especially offensively, they plan to bring a fast paced brand of lacrosse to the floor this year despite what ever growing pains they may go through.

    Meanwhile the organization is hoping to also grow their social media presence and role in the community with New Westminster minor lacrosse in attempt to restore some of the long-standing tradition of lacrosse in the area. It will be interesting to see what type of product New West is able to floor this year but there should be plenty of opportunity for young players looking to establish themselves. The Salmonbellies look to be on their way back, it may just take some time.

Poco Saints (1-13)

     The leagues youngest team from a season ago will return 20 players and look to make a jump into competing for a playoff spot this summer. While last year was tough for the Saints they did make a splash when they brought in Travis and Jeff Cornwall to be behind the bench. It’s that experience and winning pedigree the two former A’s bring that Poco will count on to buoy what is still a young and inexperienced roster.

      Much like New West, Poco will look to develop their young talent while playing a fast and energetic brand of lacrosse. The Saints will look to fifth year goaltender Ryder Bremner for stability as well as from lanky defender Caelan Mander, fresh off his time with the Miners on their Minto run after being picked up at last year’s deadline. Also look for potential breakout seasons from skilled left hander Josh Mills and defender Daylen Nair who returns from an injury that kept him out for the entirety of last season.

      Expect plenty of youthful enthusiasm at the Poco Rec Centre this year from a team that is still rebuilding but is looking to re-establish lacrosse culture back in Poco. With a few other teams around the league entering sizable rebuilding phases, if Poco can bring a long their young players, especially offensively; the door may be open for the Saints to slide into that fourth and final playoff spot.

Langley Thunder (10-4)

    Nobody went for it quite like Langley did last summer and it’s difficult to blame them. With only 10 returning players from last years team the Thunder identified that the window was open and time was now. An offense that was incredibly potent (11.5 goals/game) lead the way for a team that was built around it’s front gate. That offense will need Cody Malawsky and Stuart Phillips to play even larger leadership roles with all the experience lost and so many new faces in the fold.

Langley/Victoria for the 2022 BCJALL provincial championship. Victoria prevailed 4 games to 2.

The Thunder however have done a good job recruiting from the interior grabbing smooth left hander Temeke Gottfriedson who should infuse some more skill into the lineup as well as Chase Schiavon out of Kelowna who is expected to provide speed and physicality out the back gate. Langley also anticipates veteran defender Ethan Quinn to help fill the void left by so many graduating players and be a part of the leadership core.

There will be some necessary adjustment time for this version of the Langley Thunder as chemistry gets sorted out. But this is a team that I would expect to get gradually better over the course of the year, especially after what this coaching staff showed they were capable of last year. It’s reasonable to think Langley will be one of the teams fighting for that final playoff spot come early July as they attempt to reach their first Minto Cup in franchise history. .

Nanaimo Timbermen (10-4)

     Perhaps the most uncertainty that exists around any one club, nobody really knows what this years version of the Timbermen will look like. Gone too graduation are offensive stars Dunbar and Sheridan (among others) as well as long time starting goaltender Zach Geddes. It will certainly be a year of transition for Nanaimo.

     If Nanaimo holds true to form they will likely re-establish their hard working, gritty, and resilient style of play. Which will make it difficult on their opposition, especially when having to travel over to the island.

   It’s likely that Nanaimo will attempt to play spoiler and be the thorn in a few teams sides throughout the season, especially their rivals to the south.

Burnaby Lakers (7-7)

     The Lakers come in off their best season in over a decade. In fact, Burnaby’s 2-1 first round series loss to Coquitlam was their first playoff appearance since 2010! Despite a coaching staff change and a decent amount of roster turnover the Lakers will look to build off their 2022 success.

     Returning are goal scoring threats Thomas Vela (14 GP/36G/35A) and big righty Marcus Klarich (14 GP/25G/29A). Vela capturing the lead league in scoring with 71 pts a season ago. They will be insulated by transition stud Sam La Roue who had a massive playoff a season ago. The Lakers will have no shortage of top end talent and return much of their core. The questions will remain though with depth and between the pipes.

     Much like Delta, expect the Lakers to try and outscore their opponents, something they will often be capable of with the experienced talent they have returning. The jury is still out on what the ceiling is for this team and a lot of where they finish will depend on the development of teams like Poco and those Islanders. It should be an interesting season in the swamp as the Lakers core sings their swan song.

GM Voted Pre-Season Power Rankings:

#1. Coquitlam Adanacs (1.25)

#2. Victoria Shamrocks (1.5)

#3. Delta Islanders (4.25)

#4. Langley Thunder (4.5)

#5. Nanaimo Timbermen (4.75)

#6. Burnaby Lakers (5.5)

#7. New Westminster Salmonbellies (7)

#8. Poco Saints (7)