Growing Pains

February 13, 2008 On Sunday morning the Poco Rec center was the site of the second annual British Columbia Junior A Lacrosse League Midget Draft. Each of the eight teams was represented as the league went through an unprecedented 18 rounds of drafting action. While the event was exciting, in only its second outing the draft is going through necessary growing pains.

Ben Harris the Burnaby Lakers first round selection represented everything the draft should be. A glowing Harris stood in front of the room and donned a Burnaby Lakers jersey posing for the camera. He had a smile on his face that a trowel and a bucket of spackle couldn't remove. This is what a draft is all about. 

Surprisingly Harris was one of only three players present for the draft. In the first round only Harris, the first pick, and Shane Karset, Coquitlam's seventh overall pick, were present. A key ingredient to make the annual draft a true league showcase event is to make sure all your top draft prospects are in the room.

Head Coach of the host Port Coquitlam Saints Karl Christiansen was pleased with how the draft went but addressed the need to have more players present at the draft.

"One of the things we could look at as a league is perhaps moving the draft so it is right after the midget provincials [it] gives the players an opportunity … to be available for [the draft]"

Christiansen says with many kids being multi-sport athletes and leading busy lives they just don't have the chance to be at the draft.

"I think the vision of the league is great and that they want to make [the draft] a big deal they want to have a chance where they can have in the stands the players sitting there and some what [of] an NHL atmosphere and that's huge……we want to make sure the kids are getting that opportunity to be recognized."

Rod Wood Governor of the Victoria Shamrocks thought the draft was very well done but would like to see some changes.

"One thing we think would be advantageous would be to be drafting either intermediate players rather than midgets or if we were to have more control of the midgets that we draft."

Wood says the way it works right now his team doesn't see their draft choices for a couple years. Wood cites the problem with midget draft picks is the added step of going intermediate.

"We can't just arbitrarily bring them up and play them on a team because they belong to the intermediate association, so unless you have an intermediate group that will allow you to age a player up you really can't see [the player] for two years."

Wood says it is a long time to be planning in the future and it would be much better if his team were to get immediate gratification out of their draft picks.

Remo Spagnuolo head Coach of the Burnaby Lakers says his team was very fortunate to get the first pick and land Ben Harris. Spagnuolo says the Lakers will age Harris right up onto the Lakers team to fight for a job allowing Harris to skip intermediate all together.

However Spagnuolo echoes the need for changes suggested by Victoria Governor Rod Wood.

"I would like to see a couple changes. There has been a couple problems with kids being drafted out of midget but their rights don't come to you until they are junior so they can go play intermediate anywhere. I think that is a little bit of a flaw in the draft"

Overall Spagnuolo thinks highly of the draft.

"It is very well done I am in favour of the draft I you know I would like to see a couple changes as we go along here but we're new to it and it's growing, it's good"

Jim Canil Governor of the Delta Islanders understands the problem with drafting midget players but doesn't see the need for changes at this time.

"As long as the intermediate league is strong, stable, and viable here in the lower mainland, which it is, I just don't see it going in that direction at this time"

Canil says he is a big fan of the draft and calls it an exciting event for the league.

For team personnel, players, and fans of the game these are exciting times as the league continues to make changes.

The game of lacrosse will continue to grow and I can't help but feel in a few years we will all look back on this 2nd annual draft and remember how it all began.