NLL Insider

The defending BC Junior ‘A’ Lacrosse League (BCJALL) champion Coquitlam Adanacs have announced their tryout dates for 2010, going four weeks in the month of March. With an automatic bid to the Minto Cup next year, the program is looking to have their most competitive camp to date.

A’s General Manager Ken Wood is also lobbying for more trade activity within the BCJALL.

During an interview with the NLL Insider this summer, recapping the 2009 season, Wood stated that BCJALL teams should work more closely together in order to field the best possible Western teams to represent the BCJALL at future Minto Cups.

No Western team has hoisted the national championship since 2005.

The Burnaby Lakers won the title in ’05 and ’04 with Ilija Gajic and Nenad Gajic respectively winning tournament MVPs. The Lakers also captured the coveted title in 2002, 2000 and 1998 during their dominant run of the BCJALL in which they represented the West at nationals in 12 consecutive years.

“One other item on the Minto,” said Ken. “I would give praise to the Eastern teams who seem to completely understand that it is in their best interest to help each other with player movement all in the name of making their Eastern teams stronger for when one or two go to the National Championship.”

“Here in the West we do not have that same ‘all for one’ mentality.”

“We have teams out here selling players back East, bolstering the Eastern teams at the expense of Western teams. The governors and General Managers in the BCJALL need to rethink their positions on player movement. We need to step-up and say out here in the West that we are committed to helping a Western team win back the Minto Cup.”

Wood said Burnaby’s impressive run where they had gone out “buying whatever they needed to dominate” had left a bad taste in GM’s mouths. That run, says Wood, initiated the development of the Midget Draft and lessened the desire of Western teams to help the one or two top teams who had a legitimate shot at going to the Minto.

“Our clubs out here need to do some soul searching and decide what it is we really want to accomplish as a league even,” said Wood. “We are doing a disservice to our Western players by the way we are doing things right now.”

What’s your take?

In effort to capture the coveted Minto Cup, should B.C., Alberta and Ontario franchises in the Junior loop be working more closely together to strengthen their top clubs?

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