Photo Credit: OJLL

The OJLL trade deadline has come and gone, with teams across the province loading up for a potential Minto Cup run. As always, the moves made this weekend will have a significant impact on the playoff push in what has been a fairly wide-open season this year. 

Orangeville, Beaches, Whitby and St. Catharines all made significant moves to acquire players for the short-term. As a reminder, St. Catharines is hosting the Minto this year and will get a bye into the tournament. That leaves one spot remaining for the Ontario Champion (or runner-up should St. Catharines win). 

Let’s get right into the moves that were made over the weekend at the OJLL trade deadline.

Toronto Beaches have acquired Josh Mills from Port Coquitlam of the BCJALL.

Let’s begin with one of the biggest moves and the only one involving the BCJALL this year. Mills was a key member on the Saints Minto Cup team last year and should serve as a very capable number two behind Willem Firth. 

Mills is a pure goal-scorer, with 26 goals and 9 assists this year in BC. In total, he scored a combined 98 goals and 63 assists in 53 career games played for the Saints. 

St. Catharines Athletics have acquired Chuck Rawson, Cody Inness and Kyle McMillan from Burlington Blaze in exchange for Adam Ponting, Hudson Dalpe, a first round selection in 2026, a first round selection in 2027, a second round selection in 2026 and a second round selection in 2027.

It was widely known that St. Catharines would look to add lefty scoring at the OJLL trade deadline, and they get their man in Rawson. Other than perhaps Aaron Toguri, Rawson is likely the best player traded at the deadline this year, with 26 goals and 32 assists in 12 games played for the Blaze. He brings a winning pedigree to the Athletics with a Minto Cup ring on his shelf and is coming off a nice season at Johns Hopkins. 

Inness is another graduating player with 10 goals and 9 assists for the Blaze this season, who will look to provide more depth scoring for the Double Blue, while McMillan is a graduating defender with 1 goal in 10 games this year. 

Going to Burlington, Ponting is a second-year player with 7 goals and 5 assists this year, while Dalpe is a Windsor native who was a 2025 draft pick of the Athletics. 

Orangeville Northmen have acquired Aaron Toguri from Mimico Mountaineers in exchange for Evan McDougall, a first round selection in 2026, a first round selection in 2027, and a second round selection in 2028.

The Northmen appear to be going for it again, acquiring Mimico’s Captain Toguri. The Jacksonville University defender has been one of the OJLL’s best for years now and will add some versatility to an already very good Orangeville defence. 

Of course, the trade will unite him with the team that he lost to in last season’s OJLL finals, but such is life in Jr. A lacrosse. 

Mimico will recoup a strong haul as their rebuild continues. 

Toronto Beaches have acquired Cal Brennan, Seth Martineau, Noah Candy and Zach Vanderwal from Kitchener-Waterloo in exchange for a first round selection in 2029, a first round selection in 2030, a first round selection in 2031, a second round selection in 2027, a second round selection in 2030 and a second round selection in 2030.

This is a mammoth trade that basically shakes out to Beaches acquiring four players for a huge amount of draft stock. This is the move one would expect the Beaches to make, as this is the final year for star forward Firth and star goaltender Thomas Kiazyk. 

Brennan is the leading scorer of the bunch and is a graduating player this year. He has 12 goals and 20 assists for KW this season and is coming off a monster 49-goal season at Robert Morris. He will hope to give the Beaches some much-needed production on the right-side to take attention off Firth. 

Candy was the first overall pick last year in the OJLL draft after playing his minor lacrosse for London. He has 6 goals and 5 assists for KW this year after scoring 15 goals and 20 assists in 15 games during his rookie season. 

Martineau is a graduate defender with 1 assist in 12 games this year, who will look to add more presence to the defensive end for the Beaches. Vanderwal is another right-shot with 11 goals and 36 assists for the London Blue Devils Jr. B program this year. 

For KW, the move sets them up with draft capital for many years as they continue to rebuild. 

Whitby Warriors have acquired Nolan Marshall from the Brampton Excelsiors in exchange for Lucas Johnston.

Marshall is a right-handed forward that will join one of the best right-sides in the league alongside Lucas Littlejohn. He handled himself well in the playoffs last year and had 18 goals and 26 assists for the Excelsiors this year. He is another player set to graduate this year. 

Johnston has split time in the goal for the Warriors this year, with an 11.75 GAA.

Oakville Buzz have acquired Peyton Booth from the Toronto Beaches in exchange for a second round selection in 2027, a first round selection in 2027, and a first round selection in 2028.

The Cornell-bound booth will give some much needed scoring to the Buzz lineup. He has had a nice season thus far for the Beaches, scoring 17 goals and 22 assists in 13 games. He had 2 assists last night for the Buzz in his Oakville debut. 

Beaches got back some draft capital in the deal to offset the outgoing haul from the trade outlined above. 

Whitby Warriors have acquired Matthew Ford from Peterborough Lakers in exchange for Robby White, Teagan Dempers, a second round selection in 2027, a first round selection in 2029, and a first round selection in 2030.

In a rare deadline trade between two playoff teams, the Warriors acquire the defender Ford who has played in two games this year. 

Meanwhile, White and Dempers have played in 5 games each for the Warriors this year, with Dempers being a graduating player. They should both find increased opportunities for the Lakers.

Brampton Excelsiors have acquired Joaquin Gatt from Kitchener-Waterloo.

Gatt has 2 goals and 2 assists for KW this year. 

Kitchener-Waterloo has acquired John Logue from Oakville Buzz in exchange for a second round selection in 2027.

Logue is a rookie with 4 goals and 17 assists for the Buzz this year. 

St. Catharines Athletics have acquired  Connor Blondin from Brampton Excelsiors in exchange for a second round selection in 2026 and a second round selection in 2027.

Blondin is the type of physical defender that every team needs in the playoffs, and should give the Athletics some added muscle for the next couple months. 

What do you think will be the biggest move of the OJLL Trade Deadline? Let us know in the comments below.

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