BCJALL NLL 2020 Draft Preview

The 2020 NLL Draft goes tonight - and it's chock-full of talent from the West Coast. From Coquitlam Adanacs lockdown defender Reid Bowering to towering New Westminster offensive dynamo Tre Leclaire, there will be no shortage of BCJALL players selected in the first round.

There is also a ton of depth coming from BC this year, partially due to the fact that many players decided to go on the league's renunciation list as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on NCAA programs. 

Here's a look at some of the players that could hear their name called virtually tonight. 

REID BOWERING - COQUITLAM ADANACS

A fan favourite due to his aggressiveness, a coaches favourite because of his versatility and a good locker room guy with the potential to be one of the NLL's top defenders and transition players very soon, Reid Bowering can expect to go in the top 5 at the very least tonight. He should be one of a handful of players the Vancouver Warriors look long and hard at drafting with their No. 3 overall selection. 

He's as tough and steady as they come in and plays but still plays under control and with a cool demeanour. He is a bonafide winner who did it all for Coquitlam in his Junior career. He's a 2-time defender of the year, and has won multiple Minto Cups. 

TRE LECLAIRE - NEW WESTMINSTER SALMONBELLIES

All Tre Leclaire has done during his BCJALL career is produce. He scored more than 2 goals per game during the regular season, putting up 155 goals in 70 games. He also has 22 goals in 20 career playoff games. He doesn't have the big game credentials a guy like Bowering has but will provide instant offence to the team that ultimately takes him. Vancouver will want to take a long look at him because you can never have enough firepower coming out of the front gate. 

PATRICK DODDS - VICTORIA SHAMROCKS

As the season wore on and Victoria became a bigger and bigger threat to make a Minto run, Patrick Dodds really started to shine. Addicted to scoring acrobatic, 'can you believe this' type of goals, Dodds adjusted well during his rookie season and has some of the highest ceilings in the draft when it comes to offensive players. The Rookie scoring champ could remind many of Will Malcom, who had a breakout party of his the previous playoffs. He also flashed excellence during the Minto Cup, which has a lot more eyes on it than your typical BCJALL game. 

ETHAN TICEHURST - COQUITLAM ADANACS

Ticehurst was one of the glue guys behind Coquitlam's run to the Minto in 2018 in Alberta and has a bright future as a player who will contribute in a number of facets, whether it be on defence, transition or special teams. He scored some excellent goals in transition and was one of the better players in that role last year. He also earned 2nd Team All-Star defence honours, as well as our Most Inspirational Player award. He may not be a Day 1 starter, but his determination and grit will eventually get him there. He could crack the Top 20 tonight if a team really likes his film.

BRENDAN SZABO - DELTA ISLANDERS

Playing on a team that didn't make the playoffs the last two seasons may not be a problem for Szabo, who let his play do most of the talking. He cut his teeth against some excellent offensive players at the 2019 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships at the Langley Events Centre, likely playing his way onto the radar of some NLL teams looking for quality depth. He showed well for the Irish, putting up 3 assists in as many games. He also has extensive experience donning the Canada jersey at the 2018 World Juniors, scoring what would eventually be the game-winner in the Gold Medal game against the Iroquois. Stephen Stamp also has a nice profile of him which you can check out here. 

JALEN CHASTER - COQUITLAM ADANACS

Another Adanac who has a boatload of big-game experience already, Chaster plays a steady game and shows excellent lacrosse IQ. He also has a strong record of producing. He can play out of either gate. 

JUSTIN GEDDIE - NANAIMO TIMBERMEN

Don't be surprised to see a team take the plunge and draft Justin Geddie higher than his expected value. The Rookie of the Year can be considered one of, if not the top, goaltender prospects to come out of the BCJALL this season. Geddie has already shown scouts he has the ability to transition to big nets and small sticks when he represented Israel in the 2019 WILC. He is likely more of a developmental player, and goaltenders don't always tend to go high in the NLL Draft, but that could just mean he becomes more of a gem a few seasons down the road. 

BRODIE HARRIS - DELTA ISLANDERS

Harris didn't always get the strongest play in front of him, but he made the most of his opportunities all the same. Despite sporting a 2-9 record with Delta in 2019, he stopped shots at a nearly 80 per cent clip despite facing more than 600 shots. His two assists proved he can contribute in the transition game, and he was solid in backup duties when he was dealt to Victoria during their Minto run. 

NATHAN FACCIN - COQUITLAM ADANACS 

Faccin is one of the more athletic goaltenders in the draft and rounds out our analysis of what is one of the stronger goaltending classes to come out of BC in recent memory. Faccin is likely another player teams take with a view towards the long term. He made the most of his opportunity after taking over the crease following Christian Del Bianco's graduation. He's the winner of the 2019 Monty Leahy Award as the BCJALL's Top Goalie. 

CALVIN HAFNER - PORT COQUITLAM SAINTS 

Another goaltending prospect! He eventually won the job in the crease playing behind a rebuilding Port Coquitlam team. He was another who got peppered with shots but kept the Saints in multiple competitive games, and his record doesn't represent his true potential. He's also an athletic freak, which is half the battle to play in net at the pro level. He is one to track over the next few seasons. 

BOBBY KIDD III - LANGLEY THUNDER

Kidd was drafted by the Burnaby Lakers with the 3rd pick in the 2020 WLA Draft, but many know him from his high-flying abilities at the Langley Events Centre. There's a bit of a difference of opinion on where he should go in this draft and so it's hard to project what teams may use him as. IL Indoor's Stephen Stamp admits as much when he put him 30th overall, calling it a polarizing ranking. 

SAM LA ROUE - BURNABY LAKERS

The 2019 No. 1 Overall Pick in the BCJALL Entry Draft, La Roue decided to declare early for the draft and may be an under the radar player. An extremely athletic player with great physical attributes and the lacrosse IQ to back it up, La Roue should become a huge steal relative to his eventual draft position. He can play on both ends of the floor but probably projects to the defensive end of the floor at the NLL level. I wouldn't be surprised to see a savvy team with a bunch of assets like the Saskatchewan Rush take a shot on the former Semiahmoo product. 

STEPHEN STAMP'S FINAL MOCK DRAFT - IL INDOOR

RHYS BLAKE - PORT COQUITLAM SAINTS

Another player who oozes physical potential but doesn't have the production just yet. Rhys has jumped around to a few teams but started to find his groove with Poco in 2019. The 6'7" defender could carve out a similar role that other giants have done, like Tyson Roe of Nanaimo. 

JACKSON BOYD - VICTORIA SHAMROCKS

The NJIT product is another player who decided to come out early. The lefty has a wicked shot which he can launch from different angles, and displays some shiftiness that can make defenders who play out too far on him pay. He also scores pretty goals like this one against Okotoks in the '19 Minto. 

CARSON REES - PORT COQUITLAM SAINTS/LANGLEY THUNDER

Rees may not have the draft pedigree of his older brother Ryland, but he could prove to be an underrated player due to his vision and ability to share the ball. He produced no matter the situation, even if it didn't show up on the score sheet more consistently. He was also dealt from the Saints to Langley when the Thunder tried to make their own Minto run. 

CLARK WALTER - PORT COQUITLAM SAINTS/LANGLEY THUNDER

Another player who made the mid-season switch across the Fraser, Walter is a proven goal scorer who may need to transition his game into more of a grinder role to make an NLL roster. The good thing is that he's well-positioned to do that. Coaches like his buy-in and he's also been a Div 2 First Team All-American on the field side of things. LacrosseFlash's Aiden Yorke believes he can be one of the draft's top sleepers. 

NASH MOOG - PORT COQUITLAM SAINTS

Moog will look to follow Penticton Minor Lacrosse product Jean-Luc Chetner as the next Okanagan player to make it to the big league. He had also cracked the 2020 IIJL Commonwealth Cup roster before the pandemic hit. The feisty defender may not be drafted this season but has a promising future ahead of him given that he's barely 20 years old. 

KIERAN MCKAY - BURNABY LAKERS/NEW WESTMINSTER SALMONBELLIES

McKay has bounced around a few teams in the last few seasons and finally started to find the back of the net consistently with the Lakers in 2018. He then earned another trade, this time to help New Westminster during its playoff run. He also made history as the first Aboriginal player to play for the McGill field lacrosse program. We'll let him tell you why he thinks he should hear his name called tonight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VX1GIZtEtMU&t=68s