With next to no cross over between provinces during the season, people are often left to wonder how teams stack up nationally. The contenders have bolted out of the gate like thoroughbreds  and the best teams in the country have been evident from the jump.
In fact, did you know that the same four teams have been crowned national champions for the better part of two decades? The only exception coming in 2023 when the Burlington Blaze celebrated inside Bill Hunter arena in Edmonton?
That season aside, over the last 18 seasons we have witnessed one of Orangeville, Six Nations, Coquitlam or Whitby take home one of the sports most coveted prizes. And as these power rankings will echo; as much as things change the more they stay the same.
#1. Orangeville Northmen (10-1)
With all their ammunition back in the lineup that offense is picking up where it left off a season ago. Liam Matthews is a dynamic offensive threat that is a clear top five talent in the country. A team that also has a way of finding ways to win tight games, they will be tough to knock off in crunch time. That home floor advantage at Tony Rose could pay dividends come playoff time. Wins over Beaches and Oakville on the weekend did nothing to change this ranking.
#2. Six Nations Arrows (8-3)
They play such a slick brand of lacrosse with great ball movement. What I love most about this team is they are both scary off ball and inside as well outside from the perimeter. If they keep getting decent goaltending and play disciplined lacrosse this team is as dangerous as it gets right now in Jr A.
#3. Whitby Warriors (7-2)
Another deep offence that can simply out score you. How good is Lucas Littlejohn? Maybe the most underrated player on that Whitby team that won it all in 2022. If they can get the goaltending they are a huge threat in Ontario and obviously nationally as well.
A nice win over Six Nations was offset by an 11-10 upset loss to the Burlington.
4. Coquitlam Adanacs (7-2)
They were starting to roll along a bit before they were humbled in Delta last night. Over the past few years this is a team that was built from the back on out and graduated a handful of players. But the experience is still there and the expectation of winning remains. The Adanacs perennially look to add at the deadline and I’d be shocked if the defending champs weren’t really aggressive over the next few weeks.Â
Coquitlam crushed Nanaimo 15-8 yesterday in their only game of the weekend.
#5. Raiders Lacrosse Club (8-0)
The Raiders are balanced, consistent side that is well coached. I like the way they approach the defensive side of the game and are willing to send doubles and place pressure on the ball, something this organization has done well for years. The ability of the transition game to generate chances is also a plus. It’s tougher to gauge where they are really at compared to a lot of other teams but they deserve their place in these rankings after some dominant showings.Â
The Raiders swept the weekend series 27-11 over the SWAT.
#6. Peterborough Lakers (4-5)
Peterborough has lots of options out the front gate in Sage, Roode, and Ward to lead the way and are finally back to full strength, I think they are better than their record suggests.
I really enjoy watching Peterborough games because they tend to be wide open but intense and fast. This is a team that can play multiple styles of games and is a little under the radar. They had a big win over the Beaches last week to give them the edge in these rankings, before dropping a tough one to the Mimico Mountaineers on Friday.
#7. Toronto Beaches (5-4)
Still possessing the best and probably most versatile weapon in Junior lacrosse in Willem Firth and an offence that generally has strong cohesion, the beach boys are relevant in the country’s strongest league. The questions will be can their defence improve enough to keep up with the alphas in Ontario and if they can win enough on the road come playoff time.Â
They had a 2-0 weekend and look to be in good form.
#8. St. Catharines Athletics (6-5)
The Minto hosts have been playing much better ball of late and now have wins over both Orangeville and Six Nations! They are slightly inconsistent, dropping games they shouldn’t, which knocks them down a bit here. But when they are rolling, they play an aggressive, in your face brand of defence that gives team’s trouble. A team that presents an elite distributor in Keaton Zavitz and plenty of guys who can push the pace in transition, the Athletics should be a real factor come playoff time and of course at the dance itself.Â
#9. Victoria Shamrocks (6-4)
The door might be open for the Shamrocks this year but the answers won’t come until playoff time for a team that has under achieved a bit in their biggest games over the years. The talent is usually there but the execution hasn’t been. You can count on Victoria to reach double digits on the scoreboard this year and put pressure on their opponent to keep up. I almost always like the raw talent and tools they have, will the pieces of the puzzle be put together this summer?
#10. Delta Islanders (6-4)
What a victory on Wednesday night at home against the defending champs. Not only winning but winning by margin makes you think this team has a much higher ceiling than people realize. Jared Maznik is a horse that makes an impact all over the floor and a lot of their young front gate players are coming into their own. This next stretch of games, which includes a rematch with Coquitlam and a trip to Victoria should signal if this team is for real or not.
The Islanders dropped their contest to Port Coquitlam but beat the Burnaby Lakers over the weekend.
That does it for this week’s instalment of the National Jr A Power Rankings. You can find me on twitter at Mj_9 and on Instagram at m.jomha. Enjoy the best box lacrosse on the planet and we will talk to you again later this week!