2024 Graduating Junior Draft

2024 Graduating Junior Draft to be held February 6, 2024

For release Tuesday Jan. 16, 2024 at 9 a.m.

Burnaby, B.C., Jan. 16, 2024: The Western Lacrosse Association (WLA) has scheduled its

2024 Graduating Junior Draft for Tuesday February 6 at 7 p.m.

The WLA will be hosting its draft of B.C.’s top 21-year-old players live from the Langley Events

Centre, and the entire event will be available virtually to lacrosse fans throughout North

America.

The draft will be webcast live at WLALacrosse.com and hosted by longtime lacrosse play-byplay

broadcaster, Jake Elliott. A representative from each team will also appear by video link,

along with WLA Commissioner, Paul Dal Monte.

Each team will submit two (2) territorial protections (see below), followed by five (5) draft

rounds, in reverse order of the 2023 final regular season standings. Should a team elect not to

exercise their two territorial protections, they will be awarded compensatory picks following the

1st and 2nd rounds respectively.

As a number of trades affect the first few rounds, the projected order of first round picks is:

1) Maple Ridge Burrards (from Coquitlam)

2) Burnaby Lakers

3) Victoria Shamrocks (from Burnaby)

4) Victoria Shamrocks

5) Nanaimo Timbermen

6) Nanaimo Timbermen (from New Westminster)

7) Burnaby Lakers (from Langley)

For the full, up-to-date draft order, visit WLALacrosse.com.

Draft results will be presented live at WLALacrosse.com and on official WLA social media

channels. Check your team’s social media or use the hashtag #WLADraft2024 to participate in

the conversation.

“The WLA Junior Draft signals the unofficial start of the 2024 season, and we are very excited

about this year’s crop of graduating juniors and what they will contribute to each of our

member clubs”, said Dal Monte.

The 2024 WLA schedule will be announced in mid-February with teams playing a full 18-game

regular season followed by playoffs in the run up to the Mann Cup, hosted by the Ontario

Major Series Lacrosse champion in September.

WLA Territorial Protections 2024

Team Protected Player #1 Protected Player #2

Burrards Declan Fitzpatrick – Langley Thunder Jr. A Will Carriere - Delta Islanders Jr. A

Adanacs Luca Antongiovanni – Coq. Jr. A Adanacs Jack Charboneau – Coq. Jr. A Adanacs

Lakers Sam La Roue – Burnaby Jr. A Lakers Thomas Vela – Burnaby Jr. A Lakers

Shamrocks Davis McCulley – Victoria Jr. Shamrocks Kyle Pepper – Victoria Jr. Shamrocks

Timbermen Levi Verch – Nanaimo Timbermen Jr. A Colby Bowman – Nanaimo Timbermen Jr. A

Salmonbellies Austin Ducommun – NW Jr. Salmonbellies Kai George – NW Jr. Salmonbellies

Thunder Stuart Phillips – Coq. Jr. A Adanacs Cam Ickert – Langley Thunder Jr. A

The Western Lacrosse Association (WLA) is an amateur men’s Senior A box lacrosse league,

sanctioned by Lacrosse Canada. The WLA consists of seven teams based in cities throughout

southwestern British Columbia, playing an 18-game schedule from late May to the end of July.

Each year, the playoff teams battle for the right to compete against the Major Series Lacrosse

(Ontario) champion for the Mann Cup. The championship is hosted alternately between Ontario

and British Columbia every September.

-30-

For more information, contact:

Paul Dal Monte, Commissioner

604.862.6863

[email protected]

WLA social media links:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Snapchat