NLL Insider

National Ranking, Road to the Minto Cup

The fans are diggin’ Jamieson, Flindell and Bremner for JOTY hardware

Rookie of the year candidate, Nanaimo Timbermen's forward, Cody Bremner.

So, after receiving an insane almost 3,500 individual player votes over the past seven days, you guys have three clear cut favorites and two categories that came down to just a few votes, which is crazy considering how many people checked in.

Anyways, after the jump, check out who “you” picked as the fan favorites for this year’s Junior of the Year Awards, and then next week, on August 26 just prior to the Edmonton Miners and Victoria Shamrocks round robin game at the Minto Cup in Calgary, we’ll be announcing our individual category winners, as well as our First and Second All-Canadian teams. READ MORE »

National Ranking

National Junior A Ranking: Week 12

Man is Orangeville ever cleanin’ up.

Their 29 wins during the summer are well above any other team’s combined regular season and playoff total.

They’re 16-4 in their last 20 games, which next to the Edmonton Eclipse, who’ve only played in-and-around 20 games, is by far the best in the country in that stretch too.

Their trio of Adam Jones, Matt McLeod and Stephen Keogh is still firing on absolutely all cylinders and look as close to unstoppable as you’re gonna get this year. How do you think they stack up against last year’s slick trio in Six Nations of Shawn Evans, Cody Jamieson and Craig Point? READ MORE »

National Ranking

National Junior A Ranking: Week 11

Although Orangeville is leading the National Junior A Ranking for the sixth straight week, they’re NOT one of the two remaining teams left in this year’s post-season that have yet to drop a game.

The two teams?

The Victoria Shamrocks and the team everybuddy loves to hate in Alberta… the Edmonton Miners, who’ve found a spot in the Minto for the past five years straight, but have a hungry as hell Edmonton Eclipse standing in their way this summer.

The two Edmonton based clubs kick-off their best of seven war tomorrow night at Sherwood Park Arena (7PM), and then have the next two weeks to figure out who reins supreme in Alberta in 2008. It’s shapin’ up to be maybe the most anticipated series in junior ball this summer. READ MORE »

National Ranking

National Junior A Ranking: Week 10

Last week the big question out west was, what kinda attitude were Coquitlam and Victoria gonna come out with after having to watch the first round of the post-season from the sidelines?

We speculated they’d either come out guns a blazin’ or as weak as TIm Sylvia’s chin. Both kinda happened.

Victoria took their series by the, well, by the you know whats, and have a commanding 2-0 lead on what looked like a surging New West team. In the other series, Burnaby turned up the heat and chased the Adanacs straight outta the kitchen, taking a two to zilch series lead themselves. Think you can probably figure out which one of ‘em came with their game intact and ready to go balls out from start to finish. READ MORE »

National Ranking

National Junior A Ranking: Week 9

Even though they’ve had issues against the Brampton Excels in Round One, we’ve still got the Orangeville Northmen sittin’ at the top of the charts, givin’ ‘em the slight edge over the Coquitlam Adanacs, who’ve been hibernating as they waited for Burnaby to dust off Port Coquitlam. It’s time to wake up though and nab that picnic basket for both Coquitlam and Victoria. It’s go time!!

Actually, there wasn’t all that much movement on the National Jr. A Ranking this week, outside of the west coast Lake Show takin’ over that ten spot from the Lakers in the ON. Peterborough mighta got dropped against Six Nations in six, but with only two guys graduating and a whole host of their top draws coming back next year, the Borough ain’t lookin’ too shabby for 2009 (plus no U19’s to get in the way). READ MORE »

National Ranking

Jr. A Playoff Impact Ballers & Alberta POTY Hopefuls

We’re kinda running through a week where Alberta is just catching up to BC and Ontario, who are a good week deep into their post-season, so we won’t be naming our finalists for all that year end hardware we’ve been hypin’ until this time next week.

But as we said last Thursday, the final top ten names being considered for The National Junior Playerof the Year will be dropped, along with the five candidates for Defender, Goalie, Rookie and Coach of the Year. All that’s comin’ atcha next week, so keep your pants on, unless you were involved in our NLL Girl of the Year voting, and in that case, do whatever you feel comfortable with, just let me know when it’s gonna happen. READ MORE »

National Ranking

National Junior A Ranking: Week 8

All the favorites have taken early leads in their series in both Ontario and BC, although Burnaby and Six Nations, last year’s Minto Cup finalists, got knotted up at one after dropping games to Port Coquitlam and Peterborough respectively.

At the start of the season, most would have probably agreed last year’s Minto winner and runner up took a small step back in the talent department, but could both be eliminated this early in 2008’s post-season?

How will Monday night’s dust-up between St. Catharines and KW affect the boys tonight? READ MORE »

National Ranking

National Junior Player of the Year: Week 6

We’re less than two weeks away from droppin’ the names that really matter.

Not that the watch-lists from week-to-week haven’t mattered, but once Alberta closes up shop and rips into their post-season, we’ll be making our final nominations for the top ten ballers that will be up for the National Junior Player of the Year, as well as our top five for Defender, Goalie, Coach and Rookie of the Year, all junior ball of course.

Then on the heels of the Minto Cup, we’ll name our winners for each category. READ MORE »

National Ranking

National Junior A Ranking: Week 7

With BC done, and with our own Lauren Ward already previewing what should be a couple interesting series in the opening round out West, Ontario done this weekend and the Edmonton Eclipse two wins away from clinching first place, regular seasons are winding down and the post-season is about to start heatin’ up.

And speaking of clinching, even though they got dumped by a surging New West team last night, Coquitlam, like many expected, took the BC regular season crown, while Orangeville’s stranglehold on the top of the Ontario standings already has them clinching the top spot as well. READ MORE »

National Ranking

National Junior Player of the Year: Week 5

Seriously, you wouldn’t believe the amount of emails that come in for this thing.

Everyday, someone across the country is in my ear about getting their boy on the weekly rundown, so many over the weeks that I can’t even come close to getting back to everyone. So sorry guys if I didn’t hitcha back up with an email.

So do people out there give a sh** about junior lacrosse in Canada, let alone the US? You better believe they do!! Our coverage this summer is finally giving some of the hardest working junior athletes in the country a bit of ink that they never really got anywhere else, and it’s very much deserved. READ MORE »

National Ranking

National Junior A Ranking: Week 6

First up, before we look at this week’s top ten junior A teams in Canada, has anyone else seen today’s top games in each province?

Ontario’s got St. Catharines up against Six Nations. BC’s sportin’ New West and Coquitlam. And then Alberta will see the battle of Edmonton, when the undefeated Eclipse try and keep that zero in their second column intact as the Miners roll into town. You couldn’t have asked for three doper games. If you’re anywhere near Bill Burgoyne, the Coquitlam Sports Centre or Southside, you better be sweatin’ your you know whats off in one of those three barns, cuz it doesn’t get any better. READ MORE »

National Ranking

National Junior Player of the Year: Week 4

Today’s theme? Gotta be the last line of D… the tenders.

With most arguing over the trio out west, that being Joel Weber, Matt Flindell and Sean Tessarolo (although, did you notice who won player of the week??? oh yeah, Scott Lowe), most insiders and experts we talk to are way more impressed with what’s being thrown-down in Ontario, especially in recent weeks.

The trio turnin’ heads in the OLA? Nick Rose, Justin Delormier and the little talked about Evan Kirk. Two of the three are in this week’s watchlist. READ MORE »

National Ranking

National Junior A Ranking: Week 5

We’re definitely at the point now where lacrosse-math doesn’t factor into the National Junior A Ranking. Not that we every really relied on that, but with teams like Akwesasne losing to Peterborough and then beating Orangeville, or Burnaby just straight up getting floored by Delta (no Gajic no W), it’s getting tougher and tougher to justify having one team over another. And that’s just provincially.

The ‘Ville’s loss to the Indians and New West’s win over Victoria rocked the rankings this week, but with Coquitlam and Six Nations taking care of Nanaimo and Toronto respectively in their lone games, the top two spots ain’t movin’. READ MORE »

National Ranking

National Junior Player of the Year: Week 3

With guys heating up and some big name ballers putting in quality minutes, this weekly watchlist of the top junior players in the nation is gettin’ pretty tough to lay down each week.

And as many emails that rained in after week one’s rundown, last week’s list had even more people writing in, either biggin’ up their boy or tearin’ down someone we included.

It pained me to drop a few of the names that weren’t included this week, but gotta make room for guys that are equally deserving of some ink.

Anyways, after the jump, checkout this week’s ten who made the grade, complete with digits and skinny… READ MORE »

National Ranking

National Junior A Ranking: Week 4

We’re four weeks into this thing and already onto our third number one ranked team.

This week? It’s gotta be the Coquitlam Adanacs.

For all the “faults” that their detractors bring up about their game, the Adanacs just keep winning, throwing up a pretty dominating third period to pinch off the Lakers last night.

With Six Nations still not too far off the Orangeville loss, plus barely edging out Akwesasne at home yesterday, and then Orangeville dropping their first to Brampton of all teams yesterday, Coquitlam gets the nod as this week’s top club, riding a pretty impressive five game win streak.

Anyways, the rest of this week’s top ten will be on your ol’ computer screen right after the jump… READ MORE »

National Ranking

National Junior Player of the Year: Week 2

With the flood of emails I got drowned with and the smack that’s been thrown around on some of the boards over the past week, to say our initial National Junior Player of the Year watch-list has created a buzz would be like saying Nick Hogan is in just a little bit of sh**.

Like I mentioned in yesterday’s Money Ballers post, some of the top dawgs, at least the offensive ones, haven’t been finishing at the same clip we saw ‘em firing on earlier in the year. Will that make a difference in today’s player pool?

And the battle for best keeper this year… man!! That’s the email we were hammered with the most over the past week. Lots agreeing with the inclusion of both Nick Rose and Joel Weber and then a ton of others asking us to add names like Matt Flindell, Justin Delormier, Angus Goodleaf, Sean Tessarolo and Gary Muzzin. READ MORE »

National Ranking

National Junior A Ranking: Week 3

The top two teams in both Ontario and BC went head-to-head this weekend, and although all four remain within that upper echelon inside the National Junior A Ranking, everyone ended up in a different chair when the tunes cut.

In fact, for the third straight week, only one team was axed from the top ten. This week it was the Peterborough Lakers, who after getting names like Brock Sorenson and Josh Gillam back full-time over the last couple weeks, went 1-2 since last Monday. The Lakers dropped games to Brampton (8-7) and KW (6-1!!!), while barely inching out the Whitby Warriors in OT (7-5).

Anyways, onto this week’s top clubs, with a new number one for the first time since the rankings dropped… READ MORE »

National Ranking

National Junior Player of the Year: Week 1

Our first pool of players are in the books and don’t think there are all that many surprises, if any, in there at this point.

Like we mentioned last week, we’re selecting guys based almost solely on what they’ve done this year, versus their reps or mass hype. And even though guys like Cory Conway, Stephen Keogh and Brock Sorenson have finally got some games under their belts after coming back from either their pro or college gigs, we’re lookin’ at both quality and quantity, so a lot of the guys just crashing the scene over the last couple weeks, likely won’t be included in these early rundowns.

Anyways, checkout our first top 10 most deserving candidates for this year’s National Junior Player of the Year nod, and check back every Thursday for an updated listing. The watch-list is after the jump… READ MORE »

National Ranking

National Junior A Ranking: Week 2

We’re coming off a couple really high profile games out west that shookup the National Ranking in just the second week of throwing up the Top 10 teams in the country.

New West’s 9-8 win over the previously ranked number two team in Canada, the Coquitlam Adanacs, looked like it woulda shot them up the National Ranking pretty nicely, that was until they dropped a bit of a stinker a couple nights later against the third from last place team in the province, the Nanaimo Timbermen. It was definitely a bit of a downer after the huge win over the A’s mid-week.

On the other hand, the Victoria Shamrocks not only won their big clash of the weekend against Burnaby, 9-8, they also dropped the PoCo Saints a day later, avenging an OT loss to Port Coquitlam from a couple weeks back. READ MORE »

National Ranking

National Junior A Ranking: Week One

Every Monday, NLL Insider will be looking at every Junior A team in the country and dropping our National Junior A Ranking, the best ten teams in Canada, period.

We’ll be looking at the BCJALL, OLA and yeah, even the RMLL. Not only do the boys in Alberta deserve to be looked at for our ranking, they deserve some serious respect from the rest of the country too. Are they churning out Minto Cup caliber ball clubs? Maybe not yet, but some of what’s shakin’ out in the province over the years has been extremely impressive, including the Edmonton Eclipse’s start to 2008.

Anyways, we’ll be looking at team’s records but also the quality of their opponents while we construct our weekly top ten. We’ll be looking at the quality of team’s wins and even losses, cuz as we all know, a gutsy nail bitter against the best team in the province is sometimes bigger than a beat-down of an 0-10 team that has no hope in hell. We’ll do our best to match up teams in different provinces. A tough task, but we’ll try our best, so save the emails that start, “Just do a provincial ranking, it’s impossible to rank across the country when they don’t play one another.” Yawn. READ MORE »