Luc Magnan's 2021 Draft Preview
Aug 25, 2021
I’m back, baby! I can’t wait for the season to get started. The Draft is Saturday, and I’m sure the full regular season schedule will be released soon. Welcome back to a special draft edition of Monday (Wednesday) Morning with Mags. If you didn’t follow this thread the first time around, welcome to a player’s perspective on a variety of different topics on the game of lacrosse. If you have been following, I hope I can make your Monday’s a little more enjoyable, with some lacrosse talk every (almost) Monday morning.
In this particular mini-series, I’m going to cover some of the potential draft picks in this upcoming National Lacrosse League Draft (that’s three days from now, August 28, 2021), next year's draft, and the future players of the game - the young guns. Let’s not waste anymore time and jump right into the Draft, beginning with a brief overview of the Ontario Junior Lacrosse League (OJLL) weekend.
The OJLL has raised the bar. With the vision of Commissioner Mark Grimes, OJLL Public Relations Manager, Colleen Grimes, and Toronto Beaches Owner, Jason Shuttlesworth, this damn thing happened. There were so many others involved to make this happen, but these three people in particular deserve a shoutout.
They got the ball rolling and brought lacrosse back to Ontario after a vacancy of 18 months. Every team played eight regular season games in the span of two weekends (four games a weekend). It’s funny because when you’re a kid, you’d run around in between games playing mini sticks or some game you invented with your teammates and friends while eating Subway or anything that was nearby and, of course, not always the healthy choice.
The OJLL was split into two divisions: five teams in the East and six teams in the West. The top two teams would advance to playoffs, where they would play a semifinals and a final in the third and final weekend. I heard a lot of people say, “This feels like the festival/provincials,” or “This feels like I’m in minor playing in a tournament.” That’s because I’m sure it did.
At this age (22) in junior, the players were resting their legs. The players were getting iced up, massage, treatment, you name it, so they’re ready to go for the next game. It surely was a pleasure to watch the players battle through adversity and gut it out. It’s truly amazing what you can do when you’re mentally tougher than your opponent.
So long-winded introduction short, it was a great three weekends of lacrosse and what a fantastic production from the OJLL staff. Lacrosse is back on the horizon, and things are finally getting back to “normal.” It was amazing to see so many familiar faces and kids playing this sport of lacrosse we all love. Not to mention there was a “Future’s Division” of 2002-born and younger, but I’ll talk about that next week.
Finally, here are some of the players that stood out to me, in my eyes, for this upcoming 2021 NLL Draft, that played in those three weekends:
Kyle Waters, RF- Big boy. In my opinion, he has a similar game and probably most comparable to Tyler Digby of the Colorado Mammoth, but Kyle has a heavy shot. He will slot into an offence nicely. Doesn’t need the ball in his stick, but also showed that he’s a gamer, and he isn’t afraid of the big moment. Sometimes you need that out of your offensive players. Guys that want to score and want the ball. With that being said, most teams already have guys that carry the ball, so, like most people, I can see him being a great asset to any team.
Ryan Barnable, RD - What a warrior. No pun intended. The product of Whitby is someone you’d want on your team. He was a frustrating player to coach against. Of course, Whitby was stacked offensively with Dyson Williams, Adam Poitras, Graydon Hogg and Brock Haley, but what Barnable brought to the team on the back end was amazing. He has an endless motor. He’s an impact player that’s always involved in every single play. It seemed that he was battling injuries throughout the entire tournament, but that didn’t seem to phase him.
Mackenzie Burke, RD - Mackenzie is someone that impressed me throughout the entire season. It seemed to me that Brampton relied on him heavily. He’s an incredible athlete, and he used to play offence for Team Ontario in minor. He can handle the ball and contribute offensively. It’s too bad there isn’t a development league, as he would benefit from that. I can see him cracking a practice roster spot. Just depends if teams are willing to be patient and take time to develop players. Hopefully, there’s a solution for that down the road. That’s what I needed when I first entered the league.
Nathan Grenon, LF - I, like everyone else, saw the impact he made over the course of the season. He’s a scrappy player that isn’t shy to get to the dirty areas. He demonstrated some toughness during the finals, but IMO, that wasn’t a good trade off, and Brampton could have used him on the floor for the remainder of the game. His stock definitely improved over the course of the season. He seems like someone that would be a great fit and ready to play in the NLL. As always, it depends which team he goes to, but he’s someone that will most likely be up and down on the practice roster throughout his rookie season.
Will Johnston, G - I’m biased here as I was lucky to coach him with the Beaches this season. Will is a lax rat. He is someone that wants to take shots. He is someone that wants to improve and has the drive to do it. I’m not a goalie expert, but I think he is the sleeper pick in this draft. I think it’s worth it to take him earlier than “where he’s slotted” in most mock drafts. Why? Well, if you can develop him and keep him in your long term plans, then I think it’s a no-brainer. Ask the Calgary Roughnecks and Christian Del Bianco how it worked out for them. However, with the Las Vegas expansion coming next season, that makes things more difficult. In the end, Will’s upside and passion alone only suggest that he’s going to be a NLL starting goaltender and a successful one. It’s only a matter of time.
Mike McCannel, LD - Talk about an animal. An absolute workhorse. Look no further than Mike McCannel. The star midfielder for Stony Brook University and cornerstone defenceman for the Orangeville Northmen is a special talent. It was bizarre seeing him in a Mimco jersey this past year, but there’s not much he can’t do. He is NLL ready. He is ready to step in and play for any roster. Teams will have to wait one more year to get him, but he is worth the wait. I wouldn’t pass on McCannel.
Carter Zavitz, RF - The OJLL champion is a slippery little player. He’s a small and shifty off player that doesn’t need the ball to be successful. He was a great complement to the dominant St. Catherines offence led by Alec Simmons. He has a knack for finding the soft spots and finishes on his opportunities. He plays with lots of jam and brings lots of energy. I look forward to seeing what he can do at the next level.
Justin Inacio, RD/FO - The dominant face-off man is a beast. He reminds me a lot of Jake Withers, and I do not say that lightly. Jake is a special player, but Justin has the potential to be just that. He plays the game the right way and competes. Justin can play defence and contribute offensively. Whether that’s winning faceoffs and giving his team’s offence more opportunities to score or creating with his athleticism. I don’t think he will go as high as Withers did (2nd overall), but I can see a team needing to address face-offs taking him higher than most people would expect. Then again, teams will have to wait a year, as he has one more year of eligibility.
Trust me, there’s many more, but I’ve named just a few people on everyone’s radar and maybe a few that aren’t. Next week, I’m going to touch on the remaining ‘99 and 2000-born players, and let me tell you, they are a very special age group. That draft is going to be incredible.
Until Next Week,
Luc Magnan #45