NLL Insider

The Langley Thunder (2-2) used the 2008 WLA Entry Draft to pick up five players in the first two rounds, including Garrett Billings, Mike Grimes and Jamie Lincoln - three players who went to the Minto Cup finals last year with Junior ‘A’ Burnaby Lakers. They are just a few of the good young players Langley has picked up in recent drafts.

“Building around the draft gives us an opportunity to create lifetime Thunder players,” stated Thunder co head coach Gerry Van Beek. “We love the players we traded for but the players we’ve drafted over the last three years are our foundation.”

“The rookies have been great, a couple are performing better than we anticipated,” added Van Beek on the play of his first year players. “Grimes, (John) Lintz and (Eric) Lamothe are all cornerstones of our defense. (Gradeon) Cornfield and (Aaron) Pascas are contributing a couple of points every game. Billings has only played one game so far but we know what he can do.”

Billings, who was taken No. 2 overall in last year’s WLA Draft, played in the 2008 NCAA Final Four with Virginia. Lincoln is finishing school obligations at Denver, but will be in their line up this summer following a MVP year in Junior. Sophomores Tom Johnson and Justin Norbraten are also off to great starts after rookie seasons last year in the WLA and NLL.

In addition to their slew of draft picks this year, Langley also had the No. 1 overall pick in both 2006 and 2007 where they respectively selected Matt Leveque and Tom Johnson. It’s those continued high draft picks that has Langley shooting for playoffs this year, and beyond.

“We have toughness, speed, youth, skill, goaltending… we have everything covered,” said co-coach Shaun Springett in an earlier interview with the Langley Advance. Springett stated then that he’d like to see the Thunder go 12-6 this season, after a 6-12 finish in 2007.

Langley also had the No. 1 overall  pick in 2005 and selected Rob Van Beek, but he was traded to St. Regis last week. Details of the trade are not being disclosed but Langley is saying Rob wanted to play out East so the Thunder helped make it happen. Langley also picked up Kyle McEwen in the first round of that year’s draft.

“The amount of skill we’ve added through the draft - we haven’t jumped just one step, we’ve jumped five steps,” added Springett in another interview with the Langley Advance on this year’s crop of new players.

Around the rest of the WLA, the Maple Ridge Burrards (1-4), Burnaby Lakers (0-4-1) and Nanaimo Timberman (0-4-1) continue to struggle. They along with Langley (2-2) will likely be battling for the fourth and final playoff spot out West with New West (4-0), Victoria (4-0) and Coquitlam (4-1) off to great starts.

Joel Dalgarno of Port Coquitlam went to Maple Ridge with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 WLA Entry Draft. Maple Ridge also had the No. 3 overall pick this year, and used that pick to select Port Coquitlam’s Tyler Codron.

An All-America at Simon Fraser and a decorated Jr. A player for Coquitlam, Kojima began covering lacrosse in 2003 and started working for Inside Lacrosse in 2007. Email him at steve.kojima@nllinsider.com or go to www.laxfuj.com .

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