Season Preview: Coquitlam Adanacs

 This is the first installment of eight in BCJALL's season preview series. You will be seeing season previews being posted daily in the lead-up to this weekend's games and beyond. The schedule is as follows:

Thursday, April 20 - Coquitlam Adanacs

Friday, April 21 - Delta Islanders

Saturday, April 22 - New Westminster Salmonbellies 

Sunday, April 23 - Port Coquitlam Saints

Monday, April 24 - Langley Thunder

Tuesday, April 25 - Victoria Shamrocks

Wednesday, April 26 - Burnaby Lakers

Thursday, April 27 - Nanaimo Timbermen 

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To say last year’s Coquitlam Adanacs season was a success is a massive understatement, and the team isn’t looking back as they try to build on their status as the National Champions. 

Winning back-to-back national championships in any sport is hard, but doing so in the Minto Cup - where many BC kids only get three years to get their shot at it - is one of the most daunting tasks to accomplish in lacrosse. But if there’s any team that can do just that, it’s the Adanacs, who return last year’s Minto Cup MVP and a young squad full of impact players. 

By the numbers

+160 - The A’s total goal differential from the regular season. 21-0 is impressive enough, but to dominate games the way they have is quite impressive. 

1927:41 - The total amount of minutes Christian Del Bianco played in all competitions. He was a beast the whole way through and if Coquitlam goes all the way again this year, he could even crack the 2000 minutes mark. 

170 - The amount of goals Adanac goalies allowed en route to the Minto. Backup Anthony Dale will likely have competition for that role this season, but he only allowed 10 goals in 110 total minutes. 

6 - The number of regular season 20-goal scorers, of which team hopes to return at least four of this season. Tyler Pace and Jean-Luc Chetner are gone, and the status of American Colin Munro still hangs in the balance. But Thomas Semple scored a hat-trick per game last season despite only playing nine games, and the club has high hopes for John Hofseth, who was second in team scoring with 26 markers.

MINTO CHAMPIONS - COQUITLAM's 2016 STATS

Building from the net out

While Coquitlam boasted a lot of firepower in the offensive end last year, the defence and goaltending were lights out in the Minto. It’s safe to say a lot will be expected of both again this year, with goaltender Christian Del Bianco back and key defensive pieces like Eli Salama back. Teams had difficulty breaking it down all season and you can expect much of the same this time around from Pat Coyle’s crew. They have a number of transition threats that will tear apart teams who aren’t as committed to the up-tempo game. Del Bianco is a credible passer out of the net, and the quicker the defence turns into offence for Coquitlam, the better. 

Semple set to dominate

A questionable hit took Thomas Semple out of much of the Minto, but he’ll be back to show the league how good he is. The Denver University product may not make much of an impact until late in the season, but he’s certainly one to watch for when he returns. He scored 27 goals in just 9 regular season games and had another six in five playoff games. Alongside Hofseth and Armstrong, they’re expected to led Coquitlam past whoever steps up to challenge them. 

He plays like a bull in a china shop and can devastate teams with precision passing and a wicked shot. He can also make quick decisions off the pick and roll and can easily catch and finish in tight spaces. 

Season Outlook

General manager Scott Wortley says there’s no looking back for this team, who some even had pegged as a rebuilding team last season. They have built a culture of winning, and with another Minto Cup added to the resume, can keep it going with a strong returning cast. They’re also becoming a destination spot for players out east looking to come west and compete for titles. 

It may be a slower start to the year with so many kids away at school, but they are such a deep organization that they can afford to take a group of Intermediate A’s and Junior B’s and give them some valuable experience as well.

It’s hard not to see Coquitlam on top this season. Some teams like Delta are going through a rebuilding phase, and a club like Victoria are still stockpiling talent. The Adanacs are the favourite because of the overall strength they have in all phases of the game. 

Prediction: 19-2, BCJALL Champions

Tomorrow: 2016 BCJALL Champions Delta Islanders