For the Burnaby Lakers, last year’s disappointment is about to have its silver lining.
The Lakers expect to get a couple of starters from the Feb. 7 Western Lacrosse Association’s junior draft in Langley, where they hold the second overall pick.
Taken at face value, the selection should bring some balm for the burn that was a 6-11-1 year, only better than Coquitlam’s 2-16-0 mark. It’s the consolation prize for having a season where anything that could go wrong did.
“There are so many factors you have to consider,” Lakers general manager Kevin Hill said of preparations for the draft. “You look at needs, you gather information on each player and you have to do what’s in the best interest of our club.”
League and Minto MVP Christian Del Bianco is expected to go first overall to his hometown Adanacs. The standout goaltender has already made the jump to the National Lacrosse League, after starring at the junior level the past five seasons.
“A goalie like that doesn’t come around often, so that’s a no-brainer,” Hill, a former netminder himself, said of Coquitlam’s likely selection.
At second, Burnaby has options. But among the team’s many needs, an offensive stick is in the crosshairs.
Among the prized graduating standouts who are available are a pair of Adanacs, Ryland Rees and Dylan Foulds, and a trio from Victoria, Braylon Lumb, Marshal King and Brad McCulley.
Rees, although considered more of a defender, has such a well-rounded game that he could be a major asset on both sides of the floor, said Hill.
“You have Rees who, at 21, made the Canadian world championship (field) team,” he noted. “He’s a good two-way defender, but you have weigh the risk of him going (to play in the Major Lacrosse League, a pro field lacrosse circuit based on the U.S. east coast).”
A conference first team All-American at Stony Brook University, Rees played 13 games between his hometown PoCo and Adanacs last summer and netted 14 goals and 17 assists. At six-foot-two and 195-pounds, he is considered physically ready to make the jump to the senior circuit.
Foulds tallied 32 goals and 64 assists over 18 games, and was one of the top snipers in Coquitlam’s run to a Minto Cup title.
Lumb topped the B.C. junior league’s scoring table, tallying 57 goals and 46 assists over 21 games, while King posted the best points-per-game average at 31 goals and 41 assists over just 11 games.
Drafting players from the Island in the past has been a rarity for mainland teams. However, with both Victoria and Nanaimo more inclined in recent years to select mainland players, the reverse is slowly becoming an option.
Adding some drama into the proceedings is the fact that Hill has fielded questions about the pick. Like a good poker player, the Laker GM is not showing his cards one way or another on his willingness to move the pick in return for talent, but he admits he's listening.
"This draft is much the same as most: it's about three rounds deep and you should get a player who can step in right away. At No. 2 overall, you're looking at a very good player," he said.
The team's braintrust, led by himself and coach Peter Tellis, have met and discussed the players and options for the draft. Burnaby also possesses the ninth overall selection, and Hill is hopeful that a potential starter will be available there, too.
Hill said the key is learning a player’s interest and intentions. That interest could give reason to pause, instead of letting better talent pass by as in past drafts.
“It’s similar with eastern imports; you never know if that player is heading back east or staying for a year,” said Hill, noting how the team struck gold when it selected Ontario native Brine Rice in the fifth round last year, after he spent 2017 with New West.
Rice finished fourth on the team in scoring, with 10 goals and 28 assists over 18 games.
His availability in the fifth round was solely based on the thought that he was likely returning to Ontario after his stint in the B.C. junior league.
Although without picks in the third or fourth rounds, the Lakers hope to zero in on a few local boys who could challenge for positions and roles.
“Absolutely, we’ll definitely be going local, especially with the talent that’s available. That’s how you grow your team and how you grow your fan base. Unfortunately, with just two picks in the first four rounds we’re limited,” he added.
Among the Burnaby juniors graduating, Mason Pomeroy, who counted 17 goals in 13 games, and defender Connor Hill, are the top names included on a league list of the top-40 prospects for the draft.
