Canadian Junior clubs producing National Lacrosse League talent, who cranks out the most current pros?

June 11th, 2010 by Paul Tutka

Currently suiting up for the New Westminster Salmonbellies in the WLA, Ilija Gajic is a Burnaby Junior Lakers great.

Over the past few summers the Orangeville Northmen have ruled the world of Junior A lacrosse in Canada, back-to-back Minto Cup champions over the previous two summers, currently ranked the top side in the nation while sporting a perect 11-0 record at the almost halfway point of their regular season.

How many current NLLers do they have playing on the pro stage though? The most of any team across Canada? If not, then who? The Burnaby Lakers and St. Catharines Athletics sported dominating programs not so long ago, while teams like the Whitby Warriors, Victoria Shamrocks, Brampton Excelsiors and Peterborough Lakers always seems to have countless players drafted into the NLL. After the jump, check out the Top 10 most represented Junior teams in the NLL, some of the results might surprise you.

Note: We used the current 23-man (and a bit more in some cases) rosters supplied on NLL.com as of today. While many players have obviously played for more than one Junior A or B team over their pre-pro careers, we only linked them to the Junior club they suited up for the most during their Junior regular seasons.

Below, check out the ten Junior clubs that have produced the most current NLLers…

(T9) Whitby Warriors

Current NLLers: 10
Highest Profile: Gavin Prout and Zack Greer
Surprise: Usually linked to the Vitoria Shamrocks, Rob Kirkby is actually from the East and grew up playing his Junior lacrosse for the Warriors, winning two Minto Cups before making the move out West.
Future Prospect: The Warriors have a ton of top shelf up-and-coming talent, but the Cockerton’s, Matt and Mark, are probably the ones most GM’s are salivating for in future entry drafts.

(T9) New Westminster Salmonbellies

Current NLLers: 10
Highest Profile: Andrew McBride
Surprise: Haling from Edmonton, Alberta, and of course currently suiting up for the city’s Rush, Jimmy Quinlan, before making the move to the Toronto Rock, dressed for the Bellies as a Junior, also spending some time with the Orangeville Northmen during his final season of Junior lacrosse.
Future Prospect: The Salmonbellies studs from last summer, Curtis Dickson and Kevin Crowley, are both likely to be taken within the first five picks of the next two NLL entry drafts respectively, Dickson however a PoCo Saint before last year’s spell in New West.

(8) Kitchener-Waterloo Braves

Although he's done his thing out West for a while now, Matt Disher played his Junior lacrosse in Kitchener-Waterloo. (Photo: Matt J. Wiater)

Current NLLers: 11
Highest Profile: Colin Doyle
Surprise: Actually, two keepers we didn’t include in the mix here because their Junior ball was totalled for the old K-W B side versus the A’s, current Toronto Rock keepers Bob Watson and Steve Dietrich played together in K-W, joining forces again this winter for the first time since ‘90. Another keeper who many probably consider a Westerner, Matt Disher, actually grew up in Ontario and played virtually all his Junior ball in Kitchener-Waterloo.
Future Prospect: A lot of good young talent playing for the Junior Braves including kids like Matt Hummel, Dhane Smith, Dan Keane and Phil Rawn, but the one that will likely fully break into the NLL the soonest is ‘09 Rush first rounder Scott Tinning, who fit into three games with Edmonton this past winter.

(7) Coquitlam Adanacs

Current NLLers: 14
Highest Profile: Chris Gill and Derek Malawsky
Surprise: None
Future Prospects: Trevor Moore, who’s playing his first season of WLA ball with Burnaby but not pro draft eligible until he’s done at Robert Morris (2011), and Robert Church, the BCJALL’s most recent rookie of the year and MVP, coming off a impressive freshmen season at Drexel. Both are guaranteed future NLL first rounders.

(T5) Six Nations Arrows

Currently out with a knee injury, Randy Staats has a bright future. (Photo: Ward Laforme Jr.)

Current NLLers: 15
Highest Profile: Former first rounders Cory Bomberry and Sid Smith
Surprise: Another keeper most associate with the West, Chris Levis is actually from Windsor, Ontario and played most of his junior lacrosse for the Arrows, later joining the WLA’s North Shore Indians, a longtime member of the Adanacs ever since. Ditto for defender and Colorado captain John Gallant.
Future Prospect: Cody Jamieson and Randy Staats

(T5) Peterborough Lakers

Current NLLers: 15
Highest Profile: John Grant, Tracey Kelusky and the Evans brothers, who own a ton of team hardware from just about any level of lacrosse they’ve played
Surprise: None
Future Prospect: Not playing right now during what is his final year of Junior lacrosse, Brock Sorenson was dealt by the Lakers a few months back, the Orangeville Northmen owning his rights, Sorenson rumoured to want a move out West. Either way, depending on who owns the 2012 first pick, Sorenson is a strong candidate already to go #1, as coveted a defensive prospect as Sid Smith was last year, maybe more.

(4) Orangeville Northmen

Searching for his third straight Minto, Adam Jones is a likely #1 NLL pick. (Photo: Cris Anderson)

Current NLLers: 17
Highest Profile: Josh Sanderson and Brodie Merrill
Surprise: Growing up in Maple Ridge, BC and playing his first couple years of Junior lacrosse for the Port Coquitlam Saints, the Washington Stealth’s Travis Gillespie played more minutes for the OLA’s Northmen then he did while in his own backyard.
Future Prospect: With the Northmen rolling with arguably the strongest Junior side in the country last few seasons, playing at the same level again this year, it’s actually the guy on the shelf for the Horn Heads currently, Adam Jones, who’s most prized by NLL teams right now. Jones was Insider’s ‘09 player of the year and our playoff performer of the year the past two seasons as well. Behind Jamieson he’s likely the most coveted pro prospect playing lacrosse today.

(3) St. Catharines Athletics

Current NLLers: 20
Highest Profile: Mark Steenhuis and Billy Dee Smith
Surprise: Although from the US (a short drive from Hamburg, NY), Frank Resetarits impressed immensely while suiting up for the A’s, upping is NLL draft status, going fifth overall to the San Jose Stealth, later traded to the Bandits at last year’s entry draft.
Future Prospect: Andrew Potter is on the verge of breaking into full-time NLL ball and Steve Priolo looked good during his first season in Buffalo, but it’s actually Frank’s brother, Joey Resetarits, currently on the shelf with a foot injury, that might be the most intriguing future NLLer. The younger Resetarits brother was one of the best Junior A players in the country last year, his comeback to St. Kitt’s lineup this summer potentially enough to challenge the Northmen for OLA gold.

(T1) Victoria Shamrocks

Current NLLers: 21
Highest Profile: Gary Gait (Esquimalt) and Lewis Ratcliff
Surprise: None
Future Prospect: Mike Pires, who’ll be entering his Senior season at Ohio State next year, is also entering his first season of WLA ball this summer with the older clovers, a dynamic, versatile forward who at his current pace will likely be a late first or early second rounder in the 2011 entry draft.

(T1) Burnaby Lakers

Toronto Rock rookie Garrett Billings won two Minto Cups with Burnaby. (Photo: Larry Palumbo)

Current NLLers: 21
Highest Profile: Geoff Snider, Garrett Billings, Kaleb Toth and the Gajic brothers
Surprise: Like Resetarits above, although with far fewer Junior A minutes played, Minnesota Swarm athletic defender, Josh Funk, spent a summer suiting up for the Lakers. A former Ohio State captain, Funk is from Poolesville, Maryland, but played for Burnaby in ‘07, including all their Minto Cup contests, finishing second to the Arrows at the national finale.
Future Prospect: Although he hasn’t been with the Junior Lakers for a few summers, Chase Williams, who finished up his NCAA playing career at Bellarmine this year and already entering his second WLA season with the Senior Lakers, is being pegged by some as a late first rounder in this year’s draft, a do everything type player and has absolutely zero quit in him.