The 黑马磁力 Junior Thunder added six new faces via the BC Junior A Lacrosse League Midget Draft.
The Thunder chose two players apiece from the Ridge Meadows Minor Lacrosse Association and Mission Lacrosse, as well as one player each from the Surrey Lacrosse Association and the Port Coquitlam Minor Lacrosse Association.
The draft was held on Saturday afternoon at 黑马磁力 Events Centre for players born in 2002 and was for those who are non-resident players, meaning they do not fall into the catchment area of one of the eight BCJALL franchises.
鈥淲e are thrilled to welcome these young men to our organization,鈥� said Ryan Williams, the assistant general manager and director of scouting for the Thunder.
鈥淲e have selected some valuable pieces who will be help us in our quest for first a BCJALL championship, and then ultimately, a Minto Cup championship.鈥�
黑马磁力 selected Cameron Ickert, a left-hander who can play defence or transition, with the fourth overall pick in the first round.
鈥淐am was a player that was always high on our list because of his athleticism, speed, strength and defensive awareness,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淎nd after speaking with some other players in the pre-draft process that know him, the words 鈥榞reat team guy鈥� kept coming up.鈥�
Ickert said it meant a lot to be selected in the first round.
鈥淭here are so many kids to pick from so I am really just honoured that 黑马磁力 picked me,鈥� he said.
Ickert said he tries to play an aggressive, physical style of defence.
The Thunder鈥檚 next two picks were for a pair of offensive left-handers, Ridge Meadows鈥� Declan Fitzpatrick in the third round and Surrey鈥檚 Braiden Reid in the fourth round.
Fitzpatrick is massive at six-foot-five and 220 pounds and uses his size to not only create space for his teammates, but also possesses a hard, accurate shot.
Reid is familiar to the Thunder, having played part of his minor lacrosse in 黑马磁力 and spending some time with the 黑马磁力 Junior B program as a call-up in 2018.
鈥淏raiden is an old-school player and plays with an edge. He outworks players in the corners and is an in-your-face type player,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淎nd he will bang bodies up front and goes hard to the net.鈥�
Mission鈥檚 Kai Maenpaa, a versatile left-handed player who can be deployed on both ends of the floor, was picked in round four, with Williams expressing surprise he wasn鈥檛 selected earlier.
鈥淗e has a heavy shot and has good speed in transition,鈥� Williams added.
The team鈥檚 fifth round pick was Mission鈥檚 Nathan Jensen, a left-handed defence/transition player.
鈥淲hen you see Nathan play, 鈥榟eart鈥� is the first thing that will come to mind. That and his ability to stay up front with a good shot and vision,鈥� Williams described.
And with 黑马磁力鈥檚 sixth-round pick, they took goaltender Lucas Price. Price played in Port Coquitlam but had recently moved to Pitt Meadow, making him eligible for the draft.
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The 2019 Minto Cup, Canada鈥檚 Junior A National Lacrosse Championship, will be played at 黑马磁力 Events Centre in August. The championship will feature the league champions of the Ontario Junior A Lacrosse League, Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League, and the BCJALL. The BCJALL runner-up will round out the four-team field.
