NLL Insider

NLL Entry Draft: Picks do not reflect National Lacrosse League landscape

Last year at around this time, we delved into ”the roots” of the National Lacrosse League, looking at what areas from across North America the league’s players come from, focusing on Ontario, BC, Alberta, the US and players of Iroquois decent.

Ontario alone makes up close to 50% of the NLL. The US a growing almost 18%. Canada as a whole, making up in the ballpark of three-quarters of the league’s population.

So with that said, why is almost every draft year’s “roots” breakdown look like almost the opposite of what the full-time NLL is actually made up of?

Although Canucks almost always make up a large portion of the first two rounds of most year’s drafts (players usually taken inside the first 20 picks are considered “locks” by most teams), Americans always make up a majority of the players taken past that point. READ MORE »

Mann Cup: Excelsiors climb the all-time scoring chart, Bellies to follow?

10th place is where the 5-foot-9 forward Josh Sanderson now sits on the all-time Mann Cup scoring chart. With eight points in his last two games, Josh topped the century mark with 101 points through 23 Mann Cup games.

One more point and Sanderson will tie Paul Gait for ninth place in the record books. The Brampton Excelsiors’ forward could even climb as high as third place before this series is done; The Top 5 all-time Mann Cup scorers and more on New West’s top young guns after the jump. READ MORE »

Minto Cup: Trevor Moore on pace to make some history, maybe

The Coquitlam Adanacs offensive leader and Junior of the Year finalist, Trevor Moore, could be on pace to make some Minto Cup history this year in Brampton, if his boys can extend their season tonight.

Since the Minto invited an Alberta rep to the national dance in ‘03, the highest single player goal total (aka Minto scoring champ) has been passed around between some of the game’s biggest current names at both the NLL and Sr. A level. The best single tourney total since the Minto format change is shared between Dane Dobbie and Craig Conn, both posting 29 points, Dobbie with the Burnaby Lakers in ‘05 and Conn with his hometown St. Kitts A’s in ‘03. READ MORE »

MSL: Excels & Lakers usually involved in almost shutouts

The Brampton Excelsiors 8-1 demolition of the Peterborough Lakers on Sunday night in Game 1 of the MSL’s Sr. A provincial final, was the closest we’ve come to seeing a team getting the door completely shut on them… the rarely scene boxla shutout.

Kinda crazy to almost see it happen with Ontario’s two strongest clubs battling for a spot in the Mann Cup, but back track over the past ten (and a bit) seasons, and it really shouldn’t have been much of a surprise these two teams were involved in another one sided low scorer. READ MORE »

The Money Ballers: Jr. A Post-Season Edition

Breaking last week since we’re down to just three series in the lead-up to the Minto Cup, The Money Ballers is back, a trio of Brampton Excels forwards crashing the party, Andrew Potter taking the lead in the rundown and Michael Burke constantly getting his twig on game winners as the E’s drown the Northmen in the OLA final. READ MORE »

The Money Ballers: Jr. A Post-Season Edition

He may have played his last Jr. A game for Burlington last night, the Chiefs eliminated from this year’s post-season by the Brampton Excelsiors, but clutch performer Kevin Brownell didn’t go away quietly, leading The Money Ballers this week after scoring more big goals right up until the end of his Jr. career.

Brownell’s stick was critical in the Chiefs’ lone win in the series against this year’s Minto Cup hosts, his four game winning points during this year’s playoffs the best total anywhere in the country so far in ‘09. READ MORE »

The Money Ballers: Jr. A Post-Season Edition

Last week we crowned Brampton Excelsiors (and previously St. Catharines Athletics) sniper, Andrew Potter, as out ’09 regular season clutch scoring king.

This week we hit up ’09’s already pretty heated post-season with our Money Ballers playoffs edition, the charts currently knotted at the top with two guys that have taken seemingly different paths during the playoffs so far. One just came outta this summer’s tightest series, a series  in which he played a pretty monsterous role in. The second has played considerably fewer games, but has still managed to get his stick on virtually every game swaying marker his crew has buried.

After the jump, check out which two OLA studs are at the top of our first edition of the post-season Money Ballers, and who else has cracked the leaderboard. READ MORE »

The Money Ballers: Jr. A Edition Regular Season Finale

With the OLA still playing out their regular season last week, ditto for Alberta, and BC already full-on into the post season, we let everyone catch up to speed before we crowned this summer’s regular season Money Baller champion.

This summers most clutch, cash-money goals scorer in the junior A loop across the country? Clue? It’s actually not season long leader Tyler Digby. READ MORE »

The Money Ballers: Jr. A Edition Week 5, plus BC rookie scoring records

He’s back, after a short one week absence from the top spot in The Money Ballers.

That of course being New Westminster Salmonbellies ‘91er, Tyler Digby, who for the first time last week, wasn’t ranked #1 in the clutch countdown. Digby ranks just tied for 16th in provincial scoring, his goals weighing heavily however in the Bellies’ success this year.

Last week it was Port Coquitlam power forward, Scott Jones, who knocked Digby aside, that ranked first, but after a handful of game tying and go-ahead goals and assists in a couple close battles for the Bellies, Digby is back on top, his 2.5 point lead the biggest he’s had since opening the year tied with then St. Catharines Athletics sniper, Andrew Potter. READ MORE »

The Money Ballers: Jr. A Edition Week 4

For those starting to fall in love with Tyler Digby’s mug (namely a recently hitched Bob Chavez), this is not your week.

Even after a sensational performance in last night’s controversial, heated and pivotal OT heartbreaker against the Coquitlam Adanacs, Digby (4 goals 3 helpers last night) has finally been dethroned a month into the ‘09 Junior A Edition of The Money Ballers.

The new leader?

Port Coquitlam’s power forward and one of the guys mentioned in our mid-season JOTY hopeful list, Mr. Scott Jones, who’s not only scoring in bunches (third in BCJALL scoring), he’s scoring and helping out on some of the Port Coquitlam Saints’ biggest goals this year too. READ MORE »