2004 Jr.A Preview

BRAMPTON EXCELSIORS

53rd consecutive season in league
Minto Cups won: 4 - 1952, 1957, 1958, 1959
OLA titles won: 10 - 1922, 1930, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1962,
1976, 1994
9 consecutive losing seasons
made playoffs last 2 years
Record in 21st Century: 22-63-3
2003 record: 8-14-2

Coach: Brian Beisel(0-0)

Best Player: Andy Secore took his game to the top level last year.

Next Superstar: Jamie Lincoln. We'll simply have to take what we can get this year and wait for him to get past his Founder's phase.

Key To Success: The transition to a new coach will need to be quick or the Excelsiors may start in a hole. Opener in Burlington crucial. With Whitby and Peterborough to follow, Brampton don't want to have to wait until they play Mississauga at the end of May for their first win.

Surprise Prediction: With the bottom four teams in the league anything could happen. I'd like to think they could all surprise.

Forecast: Personally, I wish I could predict a 4 way time for eighth but that would be a cop out. I do think that between Brampton, Burlington, Mississauga and Orillia any one could be a nice surprise. They all have terrific assets. Secore, Todd Bloxam, Ryan Campbell and Mike Carnegie are great players, Lincoln and Matt Quinton, perhaps John McClure, shall be fantastic down the road. I also have to assume the Excelsiors' goaltending is solid. How else could they afford to trade Ryan Blair?

Still each of the bottom teams have their flaws. The biggest concern in Brampton is the coaching change. Beisel may be the next Jim Bishop, however he's a rookie in a league loaded with experienced coaches. It's a handicap the Excelsiors must bear until Beisel gets his feet wet. The other concern is the loss of Dostie, Colin Holbrough, Souilliere and Orr to age. A significant loss for the second best offence in the league a year ago. Lincoln splitting time with Elora will likely mean a delay in his developement. The potential is there for Brampton to be even better this year. However that potential exists with all the bottom clubs. There's only so much room to improve.

Prediction: 8th place.


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BURLINGTON CHIEFS

29th consecutive season in league
Minto Cups won: none
OLA titles won: none
*Semi Finalist in 1978, 1979, 1980, 1988 - swept 4-0 each time
one winning season since 1980
missed playoffs last 2 years
Record in 21st Century: 23-65
2003 record: 3-17

Coach: Jeremy Tallevi(14-31-3)

Best Player: Merrick Thomson is back on form and should make up for last season.

Next Superstar: David Lomas must put a disappointing sophmore season behind him.

Key To Success: The Chiefs have many notable names but will they develop into top players? They could really use a boost from their Jr.B additions.

Surprise Prediction: The magic touch of Jeremy Tallevi won't be instantly golden in the Coaching Graveyard of Burlington.

Forecast: Another rebuilding year for the Chiefs. Given Tallevi's success in Brampton the past two years, I'd say Burlington have gotten the best man available. Yet coaching has never been the Chiefs problem. Burlington is the organisation which seems to rest on the San Andres Fault of lacrosse and there's an annual earthquake every May/June! Nevertheless, on paper the Chiefs are improving fast. Duncan Ross did not come back, however Trevor Meyerhoffer was acquired to replace him. I do believe Trevor Colm and Chris Davey have also come over from K-W. Merrick Thomson is having good NCAA season. Stefan LeBlanc, David Brock and Joel Leveille should all be nice additions from Oakville. Finally #1 draft pick Ryan Bernardi could make an immediate impact. It all sounds very good. Time will tell if Jeremy Tallevi can end Burlington's losing ways then build on his success. I really thought Ted Sawicki was on his way to doing that. How many years ago was that?

I picked a Tallevi coached team to finish last in 2003 and paid for it. It could be a good omen to pick him last again, however I won't be so foolish this time.

Prediction: 10th place.


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KITCHENER-WATERLOO BRAVES

14th consecutive season in league
Minto Cups won: none
OLA titles won: none
*Semi Finalist in 1992 - lost 4-2 to St.Catharines
first winning season since 1998
made playoffs last season for first time in four years
Record in 21st Century: 26-63
2003 record: 12-13

Coach: Corey Hallman(17-28)

Best Player: Ryan Benesch could easily have been scoring champion last year.

Next Superstar: With no distractions Andrew Watt could take his game to the next level.

Key To Success: More balanced scoring. Duncan Ross a great addition. Still, last season's playoff effort(36 goals in 5 games) indicates a clear weakness.

Surprise Prediction: The Braves will have the best defence in the league.

Forecast: The Braves should most closely mirror the St.Catharines A's of past seasons this year. They'll play a similar front door/back door game. They'll get strong goaltending from Mike Poulin. They'll also get great efforts from Benesch, Aaron Wilson, Ross, Mark Tinning and Watt. Will others step up to give the necessary support? More importantly, will the Braves raise their game for the post season and win a series? I'd say they're a solid bet to do well. Career Jr.B star Richard Haan has been acquired. Draft pick Joe Pikul and rookie Alex Inch will merit watching. So K-W is putting the pieces together for a championship run. If we get treated to a Northmen/Brave Final it will be a shame that Brady Campbell is no longer wearing a brown shirt.

Prediction: 3rd place.


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MISSISSAUGA TOMAHAWKS

17th consecutive season in league
Minto Cups won: none
OLA titles won: none
*Finalist in 1967, 1968, 1974, 1975 - lost 4-1 in 1968 ending Gaels
perfect season
1 winning season in last 9 years
missed playoffs last 3 years
Record in 21st Century : 22-42
2003 record: 7-12-1

Coach Al Burton(32-74-2)

Best Player: Scott Gillingham. Great to see him one of the best in Jr.A, rather than another good Jr.B.

Next Superstar: Corey Stringer. He has the pedigree, Wayne Stringer was one of the best Hamilton Bengals ever! Should follow in Andy Secore's footsteps a couple of years from now.

Key To Success: They can't afford to have great efforts sabotaged by weak goaltending or defences lapses.

Surprise Prediction: It'd be nice to see the Tommies return with all their players back and no one quitting in mid season again.

Forecast: Missy has been blessed by dedicated leadership. First Paul Suggate, then Al Burton. Despite such committed coaching, the Tommies have never been able to make ground. Very frustrating! Not sure what's going on in Mississauga this year but they have a number of players who should do well and help the club improve. Veterans in their last year, like the Burtons, Gillingham and Moulson could all be great. My fear with the Tommies is: what will go wrong? Something always does. Two years ago Gillingham wanted to play Jr.B. Last year Shattler quit on them. Going back to the 1990s Missy regularly lost star players to BC. Thus I predict any Tommie improvement with reservations. The talent they have should get them into the playoffs. Murphy's Law says they won't.

Prediction: 9th place.


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ORANGEVILLE NORTHMEN

14th consecutive season in league
Minto Cups won: 3 - 1993, 1995, 1996
OLA titles won: 4 - 1993, 1995, 1996, 2000
11 consecutive winning seasons
made playoff 13 straight years
Record in 21st Century: 71-32-2
2003 record: 26-11-1

Coach: Lindsay Sanderson(145-73-3)

Best Player: Daryl Veltman may only miss 3 games because of school.

Next Superstar: Brady Campbell may always be in the shadow of Veltman and Nathan Sanderson but he ran the power play as a Northmen rookie, something Josh Sanderson did in 1994.

Key To Success: This team is a machine. Of course all systems break down eventually. The Roman Empire fell after 1,000 years. Perhaps the end will come for the Black Shirts then(unless there's still a Sanderson coaching them!).

Surprise Prediction: 32-0!

Forecast: A perfect season is a tall order. Orangeville play only four games in May, which leaves them with a heavy finishing schedule. As I understand it, their prep school kids will miss the first three. That's a big improvement over last year when Nathan Sanderson only played 13 games and Daryl Veltman only 8. Last May they relied upon Jamie Rooney to fill in. This time they'll have Rooney and Dane Dobbie, however the Elora pair will not be available for trips to St.Catharines and K-W. On the two other May dates they play for the Mohawks the night before. The Northmen will definitely be weaker the first part of the season. If they can go through that unbeaten then watch out! As for playoffs, I find it hard to imagine anyone beating Orangeville four times. When a consistently overachieving team finds itself with the best talent in the league then they're a safe bet.

The Black Shirts look even better for next year. If Elora can't win a Founders in 2003 then they might as well give up. Look for Rooney to belatedly make the jump to Jr.A for his final year. Good chance he'll bring Dobbie with him in 2005. Two trips west look to be part of the Northmen travel itinerary. The only monkey wrenches that could be thrown into the plans would be Whitby suddenly returning to powerhouse status or Mike Poulin being as good as Matt vinc. Don't expect either to happen overnight.

Prediction: 1st place.


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ORILLIA KINGS

7th consecutive season in league
Minto Cups won: 3 - 1937, 1939, 1940
OLA titles won: 3 - 1937, 1939, 1940
1 winning season in 6 years
missed playoffs last season
Record in 21st Century: 36-56-1
2003 record: 5-15

Coach: Bob Holder(5-15)

Best Player: Chad Thompson. Time for him to assume leadership roll. Last season he looked more likely to follow his brother's career.

Next Superstar: Mike McLeod, though Kings will have to share him with Jr.B again.

Key To Success: Molding a team with lots of youth and imported talent into a winner.

Surprise Prediction: Thompson a top ten scorer

Forecast: Not much news coming out of Rama so plenty of speculation here. Loads of young talent with McLeod, Mainer, Daikoff, Kerr, Balkwill and Gair. Not sure of the relationship but Jackson Gair is likely part of the Gair family dynasty. Remember Norman Gair who led Mimico to their only Mann Cup win in 1932? Or Jack Gair picked up by the Orillia Terriers for their last Minto triumph in 1940? Perhaps Gordon Gair one of only three players to score 100 goals in an OLA Sr.A season? Maybe Graeme Gair who led Mimico to a pair of second place finishes behind the Green Gaels in the mid sixties? I guess my point is, Jackson has some big shoes to fill. If he only half fills them the Kings will be pleased.

Simply put, lots of talent in Orillia but very young and unproven. McLeod committed to two teams is bad - he'll miss at least 6 games due to conflicts with Owen Sound schedule. They really need Chad Thompson to be a top ten scorer.

Prediction: 11th place.


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PETERBOROUGH LAKERS

46th consecutive season in league
Minto Cups won: 11 - 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1981, 1982, 1983,
1986, 1987, 1989
OLA titles won: 14 - 1961, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1979, 1981,
1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989
1 losing season in 12 years
made playoffs 12 straight years
Record in 21st Century: 57-53
2003 record: 11-14

Coach: John Martin(195-92) - won 1986 & 1987 Minto Cups

Best Player: Shawn Evans could be the league's best if he stays out of the penalty box.

Next Superstar: Corey Vitarelli is running out of time, and his hockey career continues to interfer, but if he ever concentrates 100% on lacrosse then watch out!

Key To Success: Four games the opening week - St.Catharines twice, plus road trips to Whitby and Waterloo. Courageous opening which could net a psychological coup...or a disasterous 0-4 start!

Surprise Prediction: Josh Wasson scores 50 goals.

Forecast: Yes the Lakers led the league in scoring last season, however they only averaged 10 goals per game. That's clearly a statement on how bad the league was offensively. This year Peterborough must replace Dan Carey and Brian Croswell - a third of their goals a year ago. Cole Murray not returning is a blow to their seriously contending. At least they've found young Craig Robertson support in veteran Ryan Blair. That's a nice goaltending combo. Really 2005 looks like the season for the Green Machine to challenge. Hobbins, McIntyre and Wasson will all be in their final year. The youngsters will have had another year to mature. Plus Shawn Evans could be the best player in Junior twelve months from now. Still, don't count Peterborough out this summer. They are always lurking in the middle of the pack, just waiting to pop up and cause grief for some other team.

Prediction: 4th place.


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ST.CATHARINES ATHLETICS

23rd consecutive season in league
Minto Cups won: 6 - 1947, 1950, 1990, 1991. 2001, 2003
OLA titles won: 16 -1914, 1920, 1921, 1932, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1947,
1948, 1949, 1950, 1990, 1991, 2001, 2002, 2003
21 consecutive winning seasons(a league record)
made playoffs 22 straight years
Record in 21st Century: 118-30-2
2003 record: 34-3-1

Coach: Don Smith(67-34-1)

Best Player: Is anyone left? Sean Kimpinski will get his chance to shine. Watch out for Kyle Neufeld.

Next Superstar: Take your pick. The A's are going for youth and there are several potential stars. Strictly guessing, key an eye on Chris Husband.

Key To Success: Don Smith's needs to rebuild the walls of Jericho one day after the trumpets blew.

Surprise Prediction: The Double Blues outscore last year's Minto winners. They'll need to!

Forecast: The Bob Luey Era is over, though his influence will remain. Looking back on his glorious run, it all began in 1998. After playoff success the A's had to replace quite a bit of graduating talent. Then to make matters worse, their top two players defected to Burnaby. Sound familiar? To conclude the story, St.Catharines still managed a trip to the Semi Finals in 1999 and there was no shame losing to an awesome Whitby squad.

Look for the Double Blues to drop some places but don't count on them being down for long. It shall be interesting to see which new stars will emerge this year. The '99 edition had the likes of Conn, Bowman, Russell, Vinc, Floris, Glaves and Rubel. Billy Dee Smith played 3 games and a kid named Greenhalgh suited up once. I doubt the A's have that much fresh talent waiting to ripen but they'll have some. It will also be interesting to see how good St.Catharines is by July and playoff time. A Semi Final appearance not out of the question. Yet the most important issue is another winning season. They just broke Peterborough's mark(1971-1990). A winning record this rebuilding season would likely mean the streak extending to 25 years or longer.

Prediction: 6th place.


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SIX NATIONS ARROWS

15th consecutive year in league
Minto Cups won: 1 - 1992
OLA titles won: 2 - 1992, 1998
2 consecutive losing seasons
made playoffs 7 straight years
Record in 21st Century: 64-46-1
2003 record: 8-16

Coach: not available

Best Player: Stew Monture is coming of a quiet but great year.

Next Superstar: Mitch Nanticoke was awesome as a midget last season. Best in Jr.A since Craig Conn.

Key To Success: If all the Jr.B players return to Jr.A then the Arrows could really make a move up.

Surprise Prediction: In 2003 only 3 players appeared in 20 games, while 20 played 5 or less. A more stable lineup is a safe prediction, don't you think?

Forecast: The return of the prodical sons? Many are expecting the Arrows to have all their top talent this year and to be the most improved club in the league. Personally, I have certain reservations. First, I haven't heard with 100% certainty that all the best players are returning to Jr.A. Second, even if they are in Arrow's uniforms, how good psychologically are players who voluntarily dropped down to a lower level going to be? It reminds me of what the Six Nations Chiefs faced two years ago when their three best young players all chose to play Sr.B. The next year they joined the A club, yet Six Nations still finished fifth out of six teams. Third, last year's playoff embarrassment - being shutout at home - still looms large. It's troubling because Six Nations created that situation themself by giving away their two best players late last season. In what credible league does a playoff bound team trade it's top two players for nothing? Only OLA Jr.A! I stress nothing because I have no idea what the Arrows got for Dus Nanticoke and Tom Montour. They did not receive draft picks because Six Nations did not draft anyone this year! Ultimately my problem is this: even if the Arrows are as improved as many hope for, how can we have any confidence they'll still have Stew Monture and Rayce Vyse in July?

It's normal for Six Nations to take two years to regroup then to bounce back better than ever. It they stick to that schedule then this will be their year to reemerge. The Arrows will be the team most likely to really surprise or really disappoint.

Prediction: 7th place.


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TORONTO BEACHES

7th consecutive year in league
Minto Cups won: none
OLA titles won: 5 - 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919
2 consecutive winning seasons
made playoffs last 3 years
Record in 21st Century: 49-46
2003 record: 18-13

Coach: Jack Chisholm(40-29)

Best Player: Kyle Wailes. Brains and talent are a wonderful combination.

Next Superstar: Matt Keogh makes the jump to Junior.

Key To Success: They don't have as much talent to replace as the A's but they don't have the cushion of having been ten times better than everyone else. Rebuilding Beaches defence with young players will be a huge task.

Surprise Prediction: They'll fall but they won't collapse like they did after 1996. A credit to the organisation Fraser McDonald has built.

Forecast: Six crucial players have graduated. No John McLellan means an unproven netminder. Garett Kikot and Bobby McBride are key offensive losses - especially McBride in the playoffs...Mr.July. The defensive holes will be huge with Jonathan Durno, Ashley McLean and John Smithson gone. It's going to be a trying year for the Beach Boys.

They still have the best player in the league(Wailes) and Matt Holman, who is much better than he showed last season. After that the offence looks thin. Meanwhile experienced defenders cannot be replaced overnight. Yet I expect McDonald to be the most active GM in the league. The Beaches may have a few more assets to work with as we move into the season.

Prediction: 5th place.


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WHITBY WARRIORS

30th consecutive season in league
Minto Cups won: 5 - 1980, 1984, 1985, 1997, 1999
OLA titles won: 8 - 1960, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1997, 1999
10 consecutive winning seasons
made playoffs 10 straight years
Record in 21st Century: 64-50-2
2003 record: 14-14-1

Coach: Jeff McComb(28-26-2)

Best Player: Zack Greer. He'll be available the full year.

Next Superstar: Greer obviously. Let's see if Kyle O'Brien is to Greer what Joel Wilson is to Ryan Benesch.

Key To Success: 8.6 goals per game is an embarrassment for the Warriors. There will be a big improvement on that front. How much they can dominate offensively shall determine whether they separate themselves from the pack.

Surprise Prediction: Whitby will unleash numerous surprises: Strong goaltending, Josh Colley reminding us that he was once as good as Kyle Wailes, plus Tyler Perry and Conner Treacey(two B's about to make an impact in A).

Forecast: One thing was painfully clear in the Semi Finals last year, Whitby was a one man team. Zack Greer carried them. Unfortunately a rookie can only do so much against one of the greatest defences all time. This year, the Warriors need to ride Greer's coattails but they also need to give him the support which will make him the best in Junior lacrosse. Matt Taylor should be available the whole year and Josh Colley can't possibly disappoint yet again. The Jr.B additions will make up for the losses Stephen Hoar and Mark Craig. Goaltending
will be very strong as Rick Passfield establishes himself as one of the best.

One must be careful with Whitby and not get carried away by all the annual hype. Remember the "Run & Gun" offence? That lasted one exhibition game against Orillia! No one returning to the Warriors scored more than 23 goals last year. For a team which needs to have the best offence in the league a number of players are going to have to really step up this season. So I'm setting myself up for a major fall by rating the Warriors so highly. I simply have a hunch that they'll be very good and very offensive minded - like the great Whitby teams of the past. I suppose I'm just wishing that the league will be much better this year than the horrible seasons we've recently had to endure. As I see it, Whitby will lead the league out of the wilderness. Jr.A lacrosse worth travelling to see will be a nice change. Am I dreaming? Better to dream now before the season starts and reality sets in.

Prediction: 2nd place.