Photo Credit: OJLL / Ray MacAloney

As we near the halfway point of the OJLL season, I wanted to check in with a league-wide roundup. In the spirit of positivity, I decided to make note of one thing each OJLL team and fanbase should be excited about. 

Without further ado, let’s get right into it. We will go in order of the standings how they appeared Friday morning.

Toronto Beaches 

Beaches should be excited because…

If there was a draft of players in the OJLL, Willem Firth would go either first or second. Thomas Kiazyk would probably go in the top five. Matt Collison would go in the top ten. No other team has such a concentration of elite talent. 

The Beaches are deep, talented, and well coached. Thanks to Greg Palmer, they are also still undefeated. 

Whitby Warriors

Whitby should be excited because…

They have a great goalie, and a number of players who have a Minto Cup ring on the shelf at home. 

After a slow-ish start to the season, the Warriors are one of the hottest teams in the entire country, and are up to second place in the OJLL in terms of points. Their defence looks to be one of the best on the circuit this summer, and they just held the Mimico Mountaineers to 3 goals while handing them their second loss in a row. The Warriors won’t have as much hype as some other contenders, in part because of their lack of a dominant offensive player, but they will be a pain to play down the stretch. 

Mimico Mountaineers

Mimico should be excited because…

Remember that hypothetical draft we discussed? Finn Thomson is the other player in contention for the top spot, and Mimico will have the best player in any non-Beaches playoff series. Even in that case, they still might have it. Lucas Dudemaine and Mark Watters are grown men on the left-side, and the defence (like most Mimico teams) is mean.

The Mountaineers are likely to be aggressive at the trade deadline and will look to shore up a few perceived weaknesses. But this team is talented and ready for a playoff push. It’s been a crappy week in Mimico with the back to back losses, but I think this team is more similar to the one that was undefeated a week ago than the one that scored 9 goals in the two losses. 

Brampton Excelsiors 

Brampton should be excited because…

The Excels have an NLL calibre goaltender, and a big defence with some of the most talented guys in the league. Tye Scott’s return from Denver gives the potential for a three headed monster to accompany Bowie Horsman and Nolan Byrne, who have been awesome thus far.  

Another team that has quietly put some wins together, the Excelsiors seem to be a group that is built for later in the summer. They are a big, strong team that plays in the smallest rink in the OJLL. Secondary scoring will be the thing to watch for the rest of the summer. But the same is true for a lot of teams. 

Orangeville Northmen

Orangeville should be excited because…

Joe Spallina is still arguably one of the best three offensive players in the OJLL, and he was essentially free (they did not have to develop or draft him). Not many teams can just find a superstar, but the Northmen did with Spallina and he will look to polish off one of the best ever careers by an American in Jr. A lacrosse. 

Unfortunately for Orangeville, Spallina missed the last game and will look to get back on the floor soon. Until then, Trey Deere and Liam Matthews will need to pick up the slack. Stop me if you have heard this before, but the Orangeville defence is undersized but well coached and fast. They also might be a team looking for some size at the deadline. 

Six Nations Arrows

Six Nations should be excited because…

Their record of 4-7 might not feel great, but they could well still be in the playoffs when the other teams catch up in games played. Thunder Hill has been incredible, and the Arrows have some rookies like Mccay Jimerson and Chase Cogan who will be fun to watch throughout their careers. 

The arrows lead the league in games played, but they have won four of them. The bar for making the playoffs in a given year will not be that much higher than four, so a few wins in the home stretch might be enough to do it. They have been up and down this year. If the up is what comes next, they will be a playoff team. 

Burlington Blaze 

Burlington should be excited because…

Burlington should be excited because: They hung a Minto Cup Banner in Central arena. That should be enough. Will Macleod is also one of the best players in the country. 

It has obviously been a re-building year for the Blaze following the graduation of the majority of their Minto Cup winning roster. In the ebb and flow of Jr. lacrosse, this is how it works. If they can get into the playoffs though, Macleod will make them a tough out. 

KW Jr. A Lacrosse Club

KW should be excited because…

For the worst team on the circuit last year, they have three wins and a tie (for now) through eight games. They also have a pair of proven scorers in Chris Rathwell and Max Frattaroli who give them a puncher’s chance. 

Sure, KW will wish their record was better, but after a disheartening 2023 season, they have been winning some games this year. Rathwell and Frattaroli are fun players to watch, and KW has as good of a shot as any of the other teams in this tier. 

Oakville Buzz

Oakville should be excited because…

Despite their record, they have one of the league’s top scorers. Will Sheehan has been incredible this year for Oakville. They also have a strong goaltender in 6’7 Evan Constantopolous. Elite scorers and goalies are the hardest thing to find in our sport, if they can improve in some other areas they will be ok. 

Oakville has lost to some good teams, including a heartbreaker Wednesday against the Beaches. They are the team most likely to break out of the bottom of the pack, as they are tied for the lowest number of games played, and they have a positive five goal differential despite their 3-5 record. 

Peterborough Lakers

Peterborough should be excited because…

They handed Mimico their first loss of the season on Sunday, and are tied for the fewest number of games played this season. Nicholas Roode has been solid up front. 

The Lakers got a second wind for their season with the win over the then-undefeated Mountaineers. Two focuses for them should be cutting down on penalties (they are third in the league despite playing three less games than the leading team) and defending their home turf. Peterborough is one of the toughest road-trips on the OJLL calendar, and if they can get better results at home, their season still has life. 

St. Catharines Athletics

St. Catharines should be excited because…

They have already played most of their games against the top-ranked teams, and they have talented players on their roster. Also their building and new locker room are beautiful, and they will host the 2025 Minto Cup.

Obviously it has been a tough stretch in St. Catharines, but count Steve Toll coached team out at your own risk. After a brutal schedule to begin the season, the Athletics may have under-estimated the rest of the teams in the OJLL. They have time to climb out of the hole, but not much time. The turnaround needs to happen soon in St. Catharines.

Stay tuned for more box coverage all summer long, and subscribe to The Box Lacrosse Roundup below.  

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