The 2018 Canada World Junior Lacrosse roster is out, and it’s a beauty. I mean, they’re all beauties up there, but this roster is definitely a special sight to behold. You’ve got players from five different provinces, and a whole lot of JR A talent coming together here, and with head coach Jeff Dowling at the helm of this ship Canada is looking like a really solid favorite to win it all. This team has got a lot going for it, and to see players from all over the country is fantastic.
Canada has at least one player from Nova Scotia, at least two from Alberta, four players from British Columbia, six from Saskatchewan, and nine from Ontario. Randy Trobak will serve as the team’s assistant coach, and watching Dowling and Trobak line this team up should be really interesting. How will the guys from different provinces mix and match? Will they at all? My guess is yes because they are ALL really good players, and that’s what really good players do!
Check out the list below and pay special attention to where these guys are playing their JR lacrosse. This is a high caliber group that comes from newer and older programs in Canada, but one thing remains consistent – these guys know how to win a game of box lacrosse.
Make no mistake about it, Canada is very much here for Gold.
2018 Canada World Junior Lacrosse Roster
# – Position – Name – Hand – Hometown – Junior Team and/or College
00 – G – Laine Hruska – Right – Warman, SK – Saskatchewan SWAT (RMJALL)
2 – F – Tanner Buck – Left – Orangeville, ON – Orangeville Northmen (OJBLL)
4 – T – Jordan Ackie – Right – Burlington Chiefs (OJALL)
5 – D – Hunter Aggus – Right – Edmonton, AB – Hamilton Bengals (OJBLL)
6 – T – Tanner Deck – Left – Saskatoon, SK – Saskatchewan SWAT (RMJBLL)/Tusculum University
7 – D – Brendan Szabo – Left – Surrey, BC – Delta Islanders (BCJALL)
8 – F – Haiden Dickson – Right – Delta, BC – Delta Islanders (BCJALL)
9 – T – Colin Berglof – Left – Saskatchewan SWAT (RMJALL)
10 – D – Jacob Saunders – Left – Burlington Chiefs (OJALL)
11 – D – Brad Lyons – Left – Courtice, ON – Peterborough Lakers (OJALL)/Durham College
12 – F – Quinn Ingalls – Right – Moose Jaw, SK – Saskatchewan SWAT (RMJALL)
13 – D – Jordan Trottier – Left – Ottawa, ON – Peterborough Lakers (OJALL)/RIT
16 – F – Thomas Vaesen – Left – Victoria, BC – Nanaimo Timbermen (BCJALL)/Univ. of Montevallo
18 – D – Keagan White – Left – Saskatchewan SWAT (RMJALL)
21 – F – Johnathan Peshko – Right – Etobicoke, ON Mimico Mountaineers (OJALL)/Johns Hopkins
22 – T – Liam McGrath – Left – Halifax, NS – Orangeville Northmen (OJBLL)
23 – D – Wyatt Haux – Right – Estevan, SK – Saskatchewan SWAT (RMJALL)
24 – D – Matthew Wright – Right – Oakville, ON – Burlington Chiefs (OJALL)/Cornell commit
27 – D – Kyle Dziwenka -Right – Edmonton, AB – Edmonton Blues (RMJALL)
33 – G – Brody Harris – Right – Ladner, BC – Delta Islanders (BCJALL)
43 – F – Kyle Dawson – Left – Florence, ON – Wallaceburg Red Devils (OJBLL)/Western Ontario
47 – D – Ethan Riggs – Left – Hamilton Bengals (OJBLL)
71 – F – Mitch Linklater – Right – Saskatoon, SK – Saskatchewan SWAT (RMJALL)/Lenoir-Rhyne
What’s really neat about a lot of these top level Canadian lacrosse players is that you have guys playing multiple sports, whether it’s Brendan Szabo or Liam McGrath playing football in school, or Brad Lyons playing hockey in the PJHL, the Canadians are skilled, tough, and know the game, but they are also excellent, well-rounded athletes. This squad also has some speed, and it has some serious size in certain places with only one guy standing below 5’10” tall. A couple of defensive giants and some bigger O players in the post will cause problems for the competition, but it’s never all about size.
With this group it’s also about grit.
Most of these players are used to the long hard grind of a JR A lacrosse season, and many of them play for some of the best programs around. A number of these Canadian players are also US college players, and it’s always fun to watch a guy from Hopkins (Johnathan Peshko) or a guy headed to Cornell (Matt Wright) play in the box. Plenty of players like that have seen success already, and now we get to see a couple more trying to make it happen on the same level. These added layers make Canada even more interesting, apart from them just being the favorites here early on.
What you’re going to see from Canada is smart and skilled team lacrosse where individual players will also make spectacular things happen. A couple of the goals will stick in your mind for years, and then you’ll be watching an NLL game down the line and and see the same kid pull the same move, and it will all come back.
If you want to see great lacrosse, or learn from the best, check this team out. Every game. Don’t miss it. This is going to be fun, hard-nosed, high-skilled lacrosse, and I can’t wait to see every minute of it.
Stay tuned to LaxAllStars.com for LIVE game streams from the 2018 World Juniors, and see what the future looks like. Here’s a hint – it’s bright!
