It was an exciting night in the East Coast Junior Lacrosse League January 30, as players around Nova Scotia watched the 2019 draft unfold. Clubs in the new Scotia Minor Lacrosse League saw their athletes and alumna picked through a draft that went 13 rounds deep. The Scotia Minor Lacrosse League offers box lacrosse programs in member clubs, including the Pictou Snipers, Valley Thunder, the Cape Breton Warriors and the Truro Bearcats.
Truro’s Connary McGee was the top-ranked player drafted from one of the SMLL's clubs, picked in a Round 2 trade by the Mi’kmaq Warriors from the Halifax Hurricanes. Christian Gloade (Round 3) and Brodey Hollingsworth (Round 4) were also picked up by the Warriors. In Round 7, the Sackville Wolves selected Breton Philips while, in Round 13, the Warriors took Brayden Steeves.
Valley Thunder’s top-drafted athlete was the Mi'kmaq Warriors’ pick in Round 4 of Brett Reeves, after a trade involving both the Hurricanes and the Dartmouth Bandits. Will Churchill was the fifth round pick of the St. Margaret’s Bay Rebels. Brady Connell was selected by the Warriors in Round 6; Owen Fritz was taken by the St. Margaret’s Bay Rebels, after a trade with the Bandits. Round 7 saw the Warriors pick up another Valley player: Logan Swinamer. In Round 8, the Bandits selected Wyatt Blood. The last Valley player selected, in Round 9, was Logan Gesner.
The Pictou Snipers saw Keegan Walker go in Round 6 to the Rebels, and both Evan Talbot (Warriors) and Ethan Myers (Rebels) in Round 8. In Round 10, Kalem Maloney went to the Warriors, and Aiden Leblanc went to the Hurricanes.
Cape Breton had two players called up: Nick Farrell in Round 11 and Thomas Horechuck in Round 12, both to the Warriors.
The ECJLL season runs from the end of April into July, with teams from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in the mix.
