Road to Minto Cup begins in Victoria and Delta on May 11

The journey to be one of two B.C. squads competing for the Minto Cup in August begins tomorrow, May 11, with a pair of B.C. Junior A Lacrosse League home openers in Victoria and Delta.

The Victoria Shamrocks, defending B.C. Junior A finalists, will host a tenacious Langley Thunder squad at 3:30 p.m. at The Q Centre (LIVE STREAM, BC SPORTS TV), while the upstart Delta Islanders host the defending B.C. champion Coquitlam Adanacs at 7 p.m. at the Ladner Leisure Centre.

Here's an early look at each team (listed in alphabetical order); full team previews will come throughout the month of May.

Burnaby Lakers
General Manager: Ken Woolard
Head Coach: Tyler Yanko
Assistant Coaches: Brandon Balewicz, Jeff Dutkewich, Ben Williams
Key losses: Sam La Roue (righty offence, Semiahmoo), Marcus Klarich (lefty offence, Burnaby), Thomas Vela (lefty offence, Burnaby)
Key off-season needs: Full floor players, high energy transition players
2023 Finish: 9-12, 5th Place (did not make playoffs)
2024 Season Outlook: The Burnaby Lakers are excited to enter a new era of collective and culture-based lacrosse. Implementing a speed and energy based style, the program has a wealth of experienced and veteran talent mixed with an infusion of youthful energy. The Lakers possess large aspirations to climb the standings and play championship quality lacrosse. They look forward to welcoming many future Lakers tonight and cannot wait to begin showing them the Laker way.
Graduates to NLL/NCAA: Sam La Roue, Marcus Klarich, Thomas Vela 

Coquitlam Adanacs
General Manager: Scott Wortley
Head Coach: Pat Coyle (replacing Pete Tellis)
Assistant Coaches: Chris Gill (replacing Daren Fridge) and Ethan Ticehurst (returning)
Key Losses: Luca Antongiovanni RD (Captain); Stu Phillips RO / Austin Ducommun RO; Carter Clark LD; Thomas Ungaro Goal
2023 Finish: 18-3, 1st Place (won BC Junior A title, represented B.C. at Minto Cup in Edmonton)
2024 Season Outlook: With a total of eight graduates to the NLL and NCAA, the defending B.C. champion Coquitlam Adanacs have to be considered a favourite entering the 2024 BC Junior A Lacrosse League season. The squad is aiming for a Top 4 finish in the regular season to give them a shot at returning to the Minto Cup, which they host this year in August. After defeating the Victoria Shamrocks in the best-of-seven BCJALL final series in 2023, the Adanacs have retooled with a familiar face returning to the head coaching role with Pat Coyle, a former Adanac himself. He is joined by Chris Gill and returning assistant coach Ethan Ticehurst – Coyle and Gill replace Pete Tellis and Daren Fridge. With spots open in every position, their biggest off-season gap was the need to replace the righty offence with the loss of Stu Phillips and Austin Ducommun. They also lost 2023-captain Luca Antongiovanni and Carter Clark on the back end, and Thomas Ungaro in net.  The team hopes to shore up a Top 4 finish in 2024 to become one of the four playoff teams competing for two spots in the Minto Cup, being held this August in Coquitlam.

Delta Islanders
General Manager: Logan Schuss (new to role, former Delta Junior Islander)
Head Coach: Kyle Goundry (returning, also serves as offensive coordinator with the NLL’s Panther City club)
Assistant Coaches: Jordan McBride (offence), Curtis Hodgson (defence), replacing Justin Doucette
Key returnees: Fifth-year Silas Richmond  (righty offence) and Chase Miller  (righty defence), along with sophomores Blake Young and Scott Williams (both righty offence).
Key additions: From Victoria via trade- goalie Daniel Ramage (expected to start) and Sam Strother LH offence; from Langley: Vaughn Pinchin LH offence.
Key needs: Looking to get bigger and add depth with many picks in the first two rounds of the 2024 entry draft.  
2023 Finish: 6-15, T-6th place (did not make playoffs)
2024 Season Outlook: New general manager Logan Schuss has breathed a new life into the Delta Islanders and the team is already making waves. The goal for the program for the 2024 season is to compete and be in the playoffs, both at the Junior B Tier 1 and Junior A level. Kyle Goundry returns as the bench-boss and the Islanders add two new new pro-level coaches with Jordan McBride running the offence and Curtis Hodgson responsible for the defence. The squad will be reliant on its team athleticism and will be led by the skill of fifth-year returnee Silas Richmond, a righty who will anchor the offence, along with righty sophomores Blake Young and Scott Williams who showed promise in their rookie seasons with Delta. Matt Burt and Austin Lamoureux are also fifth-year offensive players with the squad. Former Victoria Shamrock Sam Strother will be a key addition to the offence as a lefty along with lefty Vaughn Pinchin who was acquired from Langley. Chase Miller leads a strong defensive core, and Delta added two U.S. Division 1 players in Max Neeson and Luke Grove who are going to give the Island depth on the back end. Former Victoria Shamrock Daniel Ramage will compete for the starting role in net.
Graduates to NLL/NCAA: Ben McDonald currently playing for the Colorado Mammoth.

Langley Thunder 
President, Vice-President, General Manager and Director of Lacrosse Operations and General Manager: Rob Buchan
Head Coach: Adam Smith
Assistant Coaches: Coady Adamson (offensive coordinator, replaces Connor Frost); Garrett Lewis (defensive coordinator, replaces Kevin Reid); Keiffer Widen (strength and conditioning coach); and Will Howard (equipment manager)
Key losses: Stuart Phillips Right Hand, Offence, Port Coquitlam; Declan Fitzpatrick Left Hand, Offence, Maple Ridge; Brayden Struss Left Hand, Offence, Surrey; Curtis Goode Right Hand, Defence, Langley; Jayme Brain Right Hand, Offence, Monroe Washington ; Kai Maenpaa Left Hand, Defence, Mission; Liam Taillefer Left Hand, Defence, Langley
Key off-season additions: Returning to team are Cody Malawsky (Coquitlam), Ethan Quinn (PoCo), Jaiden Terry (PoCo), Noah Buchan (lefty defence, Jr BT1, Langley), and Austin Vanichuk (U-17 Langley, Team BC captain). Meanwhile, 2022 Canada Summer Games standout Jack Dulong, a dynamic offensive lefty from Nova Scotia’s Sackville Wolves program will add some grit and depth while fellow Maritime product Ryan Johnston, also a lefty, comes from St. John’s, New Brunswick, and the St. John’s Rapids programs. Through trades, the Junior Thunder also acquired John Gagnon (righty defense) from Port Coquitlam, Calum Munro (righty offence) from Delta, Nathaniel Leroux (righty offence) from Coquitlam, and Govind Saggu (righty defense) from Port Coquitlam.
2023 Finish: 5-15-1, 8th place (did not make playoffs)
2024 Season Outlook: Goal to make playoffs.

Nanaimo Timbermen
General Manager: Chris Bowman
Head Coach: Simon Stocks
Assistant Coaches: Julian Kolb and Brad Dugan (Brad is a recent addition to the staff)
Key returnees: Andrew Bowman (lefty offence); Josh Adey (righty transition); Ty Pilkington (righty transition and offence); Matt Boas (lefty offence); Morgan Trites (righty transition); Aidan Collery (righty transition); Adam Wong (righty transition); Liam Quinn (lefty defence); and Keegan Okino (goalkeeper).
Key losses: Riley Arsenault, right-handed offence, 40 goals, attends Belmont Abbey; Levi Verch, left-handed defender, team captain, attends St Joseph’s University; and Colby Bowman, goalie, led the BCJALL in wins and save percentage, attends Walsh University.
Key addition: Blake Maracle, Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, Ontario (lefty offence)
2023 Finish: 14-7, 3rd place (lost in BCJALL semifinals to Victoria)
2024 Season Outlook: Build on the growth from recent seasons

New Westminster Salmonbellies
General Manager: Warren Goss
Head Coach: Russ Heard (Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame, Former NLL Coach and Player, 1200+ career points in WLA, 2x NLL Champion with Toronto Rock)
Assistant Coaches: Andy Ogilvie (CLHOF, Former NLL Player, 3x Mann Cup Champion, 2x Minto Cup Champion with Peterborough), Kevin Crowley (Current NLL Player, 1st player ever selected #1 overall by MLL, WLA, NLL, Fusion Lacrosse Program)
Key returnees: New captain Tysen Nielsen and assistants Ben Soenen and Lukas Nielsen
Key losses: Former captain Kai George, Ezrah Glanville, Austin Ducommun, Kieran Isbister.
Key needs: Left-handed depth on both sides of the ball and goaltending depth. Had top three picks for 2024 Entry Draft, and four of the five first picks (Riley Alexander, Brendan Marcher, Brandon Kirby and Graham Farstad).
2023 Finish: 6-15, T-6th place (did not make playoffs)
2024 Season Outlook: Goal is in a commitment to be a playoff team in 2024 and will work hard to get one of the two berths into the Minto Cup in Coquitlam.

Port Coquitlam Saints
General Manager: Josh Wahl  
Head Coach: Travis Cornwall
Assistant Coaches: Jeff Cornwall, Ian Patterson, Kevin Schoemaker
Key Additions: Anahalihs Doxatator (lefty offence, Onondaga Community College, originally from London, Ont.); Imani Mitten (goalie, Oshweken, Ont.); Finn Halladay (righty offence, picked up in a trade with Victoria, son of Del Halladay); Jordy Neary (lefty defence, picked up in a trade with Victoria); and 2023 first overall pick Luke Neary, a Michigan commit.
2023 Finish: 10-10-1 (lost in BCJALL semifinals to Coquitlam).
2024 Season Outlook: The Saints look to build off our 2023 4th place finish, and battle for a spot in the 2024 Minto Cup. Currently PoCo has two players returning who played in the NLL this past season, Caelan Mander and Brayden Laity. Major additions include Doxtator, a standout at Onondaga Community College, Finn Halladay (acquired in a trade with Victoria) and Imani MItten in net.

Victoria Shamrocks
General Manager: Rod Wade
Head Coach: Dave Bremner (replaces Terry Dennett)
Assistant Coaches: Grant Hamilton, Darren Reisig and Rob Desormeaux, all three former Victoria Shamrocks Mann Cup winners. They will complete this staff, replacing Mike Pires, Josh Fagan and Matt Yager.
Key Losses: Goalkeeper Adam Bland who has been the starting goalie this past three seasons. He will be tough to replace but Victoria feels confident with their two goalies Angus Snow and Grayson Manning who should be ready to step in right away. Also lost to graduation is Kyle Pepper, a five-year member of the Junior A squad (son of former Shamrock Grant Pepper and nephew of former Shamrock and official Greg Pepper). Prior to making some late season acquisitions, Pepper was the team’s leading scorer and was a force on the right side. Other graduating players include Davis McCulley (righty defence), Aido Solomon (lefty defence), Brodie Wade (righty offence), Cameron Lumb (righty defence), Matt Atkinson (lefty defence), and Graham Goodfellow (righty defence). After losing five defensive players to graduation, the Junior Rocks will be looking to add size and speed to the back end.
2023 Finish: 15-6, 2nd place (lost in the league finals to Coquitlam)
2024 Season Outlook: General manager Rod Wade is going into his first year in the role, taking over from Wade Murray who held that position the previous eight seasons. Wade’s pervious experience has been with the Senior Shamrocks where he his been the assistant GM since 2012. Head coach Dave Bremner, a former Shamrocks defensive stalwart, is back taking over head coaching duties and replacing Terry Dennett who held role since 2017 and took the Shamrocks back into national championship contention. Bremner brings experience at all levels, as he has served as a coach or GM in the league since 2004. Assistant coaches Grant Hamilton, Darren Reisig (who also leads Claremont’s lacrosse academy) and Rob Desormeaux will complete this staff, replacing Mike Pires, Josh Fagan and Matt Yager.

Note: Information and data provided by teams to the the league for previews.