In 2006, we named Shawn Evans the #1 Junior A player in all of Canada.

After a long hiatus, last year Joey Spallina was our top ranked player across the country.

This year? Well…

Unlike our NLL Top 100, ranking juniors is a bit, actually a lot, trickier. With players returning from college sometimes well into the season, others taking time off after playing collegiately or some even professionally already, different sized schedules amongst all three of Canada’s Junior A leagues during both the regular season and playoffs, roster depth discrepancies, a glaring gap between provinces, stats and streaming availability, as well as another dozen or more issues makes balancing a loaded list like this tremendously difficult to order.

With probably close to 600 players taking part in the Ontario Junior Lacrosse League, British Columbia Junior A Lacrosse League and the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League’s A loop this summer, it took a while to narrow down today’s elite eight-ish percent.

Below, see who made our Top 50 for 2025, our reasons why they’re here, plus of course, who clocked in at #1.

50. Jameson Bucktooth

Team: St. Catharines Athletics
Position: Forward
NLL Draft Eligible: 2026

While his regular season points per game average (2.85) only ranked him 38th in all of Ontario, Bucktooth cracks this year’s Top 50 due to his ability to come up so consistently clutch, his elevated play during St. Catharines’ single post-season series this summer, and that he scores some of the filthiest goals in all of junior lacrosse. If the Athletics have any hope of winning this year’s Minto as the tournament’s hosts, believe that Bucktooth will be playing his best ball yet to make that happen.

49. Carson Mann

Team: Raiders Lacrosse Club
Position: Defense
College: Florida Institute of Technology
NLL Draft Eligible: 2028

Although he got no love in the Rocky Mountain’s year-end accolades, the season Raiders captain Carson Mann had (and is still having at the Minto Cup) most definitely needs some recognition. Captaining what still has to be one of if not the youngest top-to-bottom roster in the country, in addition to high-end leadership, Mann has a motor that doesn’t quit, a work ethic to match, and effectively pushes the pace in transition for an extremely dynamic Raiders defensive unit.

48. Grayson Manning

Team: Victoria Shamrocks
Position: Goalie
College: University of Denver
NLL Draft Eligible: 2028

We didn’t get a full summer indoors from Grayson Manning, who was late to the regular season coming back from Denver and then jetted off to Jeju before the BCJALL Final was done, but when he was in Vic’s crease, few goalies were as good as the Shamrock’s starter. Mobile, money and mature beyond his years, Manning was sensational during this year’s playoffs, frustrating Coquitlam forwards in the final. Impressively tied at two apiece after Game 4 in that series, Victoria would decisively drop their next two without Manning between the pipes.

47. Ries Bower

Team: Calgary Mountaineers
Position: Defense
College: Adelphi University
NLL Draft Eligible: 2027

Likely the RMJALL’s runner up for DPOTY, Calgary captain Ries Bower is a lot. After a superb soph season with Adelphi, Bower came back to Calgary and was equally as electric for the Mounties. Tough, tenacious and truculent, Bower has strong defensive shutdown skills, is a turnover-causing machine, and can connect on the press occasionally too. Bower was also one of the Raiders’ Minto roster adds, giving the RMJALL champs another beast in the backend while they look to make history in St. Catharines.

46. Elijah Edwards

Team: Orangeville Northmen
Position: Defense
College: Robert Morris University
NLL Draft Eligible: 2027

There were a handful of players from Orangeville’s well-built backend that just missed this year’s Top 50, but Elijah Edwards sneaks in courtesy of his high-octane compete level, defensive dependability & consistency, ability to score or set up some game-swaying transitional goals this year, and his overall effectiveness versus top-end teams & targets in 2025. Younger brother of 13-year NLL vet Damon Edwards, Elijah’s dynamic defensive game will do well at the next level.

45. Trysen Sunday

Team: Six Nations Arrows
Position: Forward
College: Onondaga Community College
NLL Draft Eligible: 2028

Only a handful of OJLL players poured in more than Trysen Sunday’s 34 goals during the regular season, scoring at least a goal (often more) a game in the first 13 GPs of the Arrow’s impressive turnaround campaign. As skilled as Sunday is with the ball in his twig, he’s pure sandpaper up front too, a pain in the ass to cover, never giving up an inch of ILA turf as he weaves the floor looking to fire. He was as clutch as they come in 2025 too, scoring nearly half (6) of the Arrows’ winners in 13 regular season Ws this year.

44. Noah Everson

Team: Raiders Lacrosse Club
Position: Defense
College: Newberry College
NLL Draft Eligible: 2029

Athletic, aggressive and Alberta’s all-around best defensive player this past season, Noah Everson bagged his second straight RMJALL DPOTY nod in recent weeks. A strong shutdown defender, high defensive IQ, a ridiculous work rate, and even some offensive upside on the press, Everson would standout no matter what province he plays in.

43. Sam Trumble

Team: Peterborough Lakers
Position: Defense
College: University of Denver
NLL Draft Eligible: 2027

Last year’s OJLL TPOTY, Trumble seemed just as effective a year late, even though he had a small decline in his press-point production (which is likely what cost him being on the award’s final three again this year). Easily one of the junior game’s top loose ball snaggers and press kick starters, Trumble has good size, smarts and speed, and plays that old school true transitional game that allows him to impact both sides of centre.

42. Owen Tapper

Team: Whitby Warriors
Position: Defense
College: Robert Morris University
NLL Draft Eligible: 2027

A Swiss-Army-Knife skillset that sets him apart from one-dimensional defenders, Owner Tapper plays a pivotal role in Whitby’s dangerous defensive unit, easily one of the best backends in all of Canada. A Minto winner with Whitby in 2022, where he scored a critical early goal in Game 2 of the final against Edmonton, Tapper is an athletic, physical, zero-quit defender that provides legit value in transition too. His late game-tying goal versus Orangeville in Game 4 of this year’s OJLL Final is easily one of this year’s most memorable moments.

41. Jaden Ciappara

Team: Orangeville Northmen
Position: Defense
College: Cornell University
NLL Draft Eligible: 2027

A tough & tenacious pure defensive talent in Orangeville’s famed backend, Jaden Ciappara leads one of the country’s top D units, again steering this talented & tight Northmen group to another Minto Cup appearance. At times giving Glen Bryan vibes, Ciappara is as dependable and durable a pure defender as there is today.

40. Jeremy Wudrick

Team: Nanaimo Timbermen
Position: Forward
College: Ladner University
NLL Draft Eligible: 2026

Limited to only eleven games during the regular season after making a move from Edmonton to Nanaimo, the Saskatoon stud is a legit power forward (6’4”, 230lbs) that can put the ball in the back of the net. His 4.1 points per game was one of the highest averages in the province. In fact, his goals per stretched over a full 17-game season, would have pushed Wudrick from tied for seventh (based on his 26 goals in 11 this year) to second overall with 42 finishes. On his size and scoring touch alone, expect Wudrick to go reasonably high in next year’s NLL Entry Draft.

39. Liam Aston

Team: Toronto Beaches
Position: Forward
College: Guelph University
NLL Draft Eligible: 2025

He may not have the rep that some forwards that were left of this year’s list have, but the Top 50 is about what you did this year, and few produced at a pace that Liam Aston did for the Beaches in 2025. He was Top 15 in the Ontario for points per game during the regular season (3.90), and during the playoffs, his game day average (3.80) was only bettered by three names you’ll have to scroll down a while to find: Liam Matthews (5.42), Willem Firth (5.30) and Lucas Littlejohn (4.29).

38. Chris Rathwell

Team: Kitchener-Waterloo Lacrosse Club
Position: Forward
College: Lehigh University
NLL Draft Eligible: 2028

Back in the OJLL Playoffs for the first time since 2017, a big reason for KW’s steady growth and visible on-floor improvement is due to the play of team captain Chris Rathwell. He was just a goal shy of hitting the 30/40 mark during the regular season (only nine players got there this years), and then easily led the team in points during their early exit in the playoffs against Orangeville, who they came close to upsetting in Game 1. The rebuild in KW has been built around a core group, and Rathwell easily leads the pack. He’ll be representing Team Canada at the U20 World Lacrosse Championships in Jeju this month.

37. Charlie Boon

Team: Oakville Buzz
Position: Forward
College: Hamilton College
NLL Draft Eligible: 2029

They traded away a lot of outgoing top talent at last year’s deadline, saw others graduate, and traded away some more later on. It’s pretty obvious that the Oakville Buzz are restocking their roster and building for something better, so this summer’s tenth place finish was really not at all shocking. What may have surprised some, however, was the breakout season for the Hamilton College-bound Charlie Boon, who nearly tripled his offensive stat line from a season earlier. The Buzz’s Boon finished eighth in OJLL year-end point production (81) and buried at least a point in all 20 of Oakville’s regular season games. In addition to Boon, Oakville features several high-end 2006 and 2007 players: Jameson Steele, Thomas Bagnall, Finn Morgan, Liam Luzza, Easton McCafferty, Becker Lippert, and American Peyton Booth, who the team picked up in a trade with Toronto. Expect the Buzz to be much more competitive next year.

36. Luke Bowen

Team: Edmonton Miners
Position: Forward
College: Tusculum University
NLL Draft Eligible: 2027

Twelfth in points in 2022 & 2023, third last year, and second overall this year, Luke Bowen has steadily climb up the RMJALL scoring charts, this year also voted the league’s top offensive player during the 2025 Rocky Mountain regular season. A quick first step and above average rip, Bowen should garner attention from several pro squads looking to add some offensive depth during his coming soon draft year.

35. Carter Quested

Team: Victoria Shamrocks
Position: Forward
College: Mount St. Mary’s University
NLL Draft Eligible: 2028

Called up twice to rep the green & white during the BCJALL regular season last year, Carter Quested followed that up by earning a full-time gig with Victoria and then led the entire province in assists (47) in 2025. Not bad. His playoff performance was strong too. One of this year’s top on-floor facilitators, expect even more from this stock-rising ‘05 in 2026 while Quested co-leads a Shamrocks team that should contend again.

34. Tyden Redlick

Team: Whitby Warriors/Edmonton Miners
Position: Goalie
NLL: San Diego Seals
Drafted: 84th overall 2024 NLL Entry Draft

A top tender in the RMJALL and already gaining experience in the NLL with the San Diego Seals, Tyden Redlick was already widely regarded as a strong stopping option. After his performance during the OJLL playoffs with the Whitby Warriors, his stock has most certainly spiked even further. While an early season scrap gained him social media popularity, his .851 SV% and 6.93 GAA during the Warriors’ postseason shoulda turned a ton of heads too. No goalie anywhere in Canada came close to the amount of playoff minutes Redlick registered this year:

Playoff Minutes Played

Tyden Redlick, Whitby (1,047)
Evan Constantopoulos, Orangeville (865)
Grayson Manning, Victoria (602)
Thomas Kiazyk, Toronto (597)
Jack Kask, Coquitlam (589)
Waukiigan Shognosh, Peterborough (541)

33. Wyatt Viste

Team: Raiders Lacrosse Club
Position: Forward
College: New Jersey Institute of Technology
NLL Draft Eligible: 2029

“He was at the Minto last year, but Wyatt Viste is definitely one of those players. He took a big step this year. I think he is one of these kids that's really coming to his own on the offensive end, really playing with a lot of confidence, really taking his game to the next level with or without the ball, and is the type of leader in what Brett (Hickey) wants on the offensive end. I think that the biggest compliment I can give him, is that he makes things happen. Those are the types of players you see at Mintos every year, making a difference and dictating how the games are won and lost. We’ve seen him making some unreal plays this year and you feel like you’re watching an elite player from Ontario. That's the kind of thing that we need if we’re going to get this done. Wyatt had really elevated his game in terms of that.” – Raiders GM Andrew McBride (Q&A: A Window of Opportunity)

Viste would later be voted the RMJALL MVP, and while his playoff point production didn’t match what he racked up during the regular season, make no mistake, Viste’s play will be critical if the Raiders hope to have success at this year’s Minto Cup. Last year, Viste led the team in points at the Minto, in on nearly 50% of all Raiders goals.

32. Andrew Bowman

Team: Nanaimo Timbermen
Position: Forward
College: Marquette University
NLL Draft Eligible: 2026

Nanaimo’s Andrew Bowman was one of only three players in the BCJALL to finish in the Top 7 for goals, assists and points:

Goals

3. Nathan Chalmers, Coquitlam (37)
4. Jaxon Dillon, Coquitlam (32)
7. Andrew Bowman, Nanaimo (26)

Assists

2. Nathan Chalmers, Coquitlam (41)
3. Jaxon Dillon, Coquitlam (37)
4. Andrew Bowman, Nanaimo (34)

Points

1. Nathan Chalmers (78)
2. Jaxon Dillon (69)
6. Andrew Bowman (60)

The Timbermen’s offensive talent is a complete package up front, who has good size, is a great decision maker under pressure, and can be effective as a facilitator or finisher.

31. Chuck Rawson

Team: St. Catharines Athletics/Burlington Blaze
Position: Forward
College: Johns Hopkins University
NLL Draft Eligible: 2027

The St. Catharines Athletics have taken a lot of flak for their auto entry at this year’s Minto as tournament hosts, especially after being iced in the opening round of the OJLL playoffs. With that said, this is a strong team. Very strong. From goaltending on out, the Athletics present sizeable problems for every team at this year’s national title tournament, and not just due to being rested.

Chuck Rawson is one of those obstacles, a key trade deadline addition to an offense that already sports the likes of Jameson Bucktooth, Lucas Nielsen, Zakary Toll, Colton Armitage and an additional offensive punch via their athletic press. Rawson has the team’s highest goals (1.68), assists (2.16) and points (3.84) per game averages from the regular season (partly spent in Burlington too), and outside of Toll in playoff helpers (averaged a tiny .2 more than Rawson), ditto in the postseason. If any team sleeps on St. Catharines like many social media experts seem to have, Rawson will be the first to make them pay. If the A’s get to the final, don’t be surprised.

30. Jordan Reed

Team: Coquitlam Adanacs
Position: Defense
College: Canisius University
NLL Draft Eligible: 2027

The last time Jordan Reed was in St. Catharines, he was part of a Team BC squad that stunned Ontario in the 2022 Canada Games Final, 7-6. He’s back and looking to help Coquitlam pull off what has been the impossible for most going back to the 70s: win consecutive Cups (Coquitlam won it all last year) AND win in Ontario. Reed is coming off a very strong sophomore season with Canisius University, the middie scoring 24 times in 16 games, and netting the game winner in a third of the school’s wins last spring. He also quietly had another impressive campaign with Coquitlam, stepping into an elevated roll after the likes of Jaxon Fridge, Connor Nock and Remo Schenato aged out. A hardworking defender with a ton of upside in transition, if Reed has room to run, his press presence is most definitely a game-changing X factor at this year’s Minto.

29. Jett Klassen

Team: Victoria Shamrocks
Position: Forward
College: Lafayette College
NLL Draft Eligible: 2029

Jeff Klassen doubled his goal production from 2024 to 2025 (22 to 44), leading the province in goals while also helping a Shamrocks squad that improved from fifth to second and back into Cup contention. He’ll hurt you from downtown but can bounce around and finish in tight too, netting some of this summer’s nastiest goals. Starting at Lafayette and a ways away from being NLL draft eligible, Klassen is one of several pro prospects that already make 2029’s early rounds really tempting.

28. Dylan Sanderson

Team: Orangeville Northmen
Position: Forward
College: Providence College
NLL Draft Eligible: 2029

It can be hard finding a role and identity in an offense as loaded and lethal as Orangeville has. Dylan Sanderson did just that this year, and put an acclimation mark on that statement with his heroic Game 6 OT winner that sent Orangeville to a second straight Minto. It doesn’t get much more money than that. Like his old man, Northmen and NLL legend Josh Sanderson, Dylan can hurt you with a quick heater or sting you with an elusive feed to a teammate in an optimal scoring situation. Sanderson can take a licking finding space, but keeps on ticking and coming back for more. Sure, he’s one of the younger names that cracked the Top 50 this year, but on his strong stat line alone, he easily belongs.

27. Jared Maznik

Team: Nanaimo Timbermen/Delta Islanders
Position: Forward
College: Harvard University
NLL Draft Eligible: 2028

There were only eight 40-goal scorers in Junior A this year, and only two of those eight resided in British Columbia. Jared Maznik was one of them.

40-Goal Scorers

Justin Tavares, Mimico (52)
Nolan Byrne, Whitby (50)
Lucas Littlejohn, Whitby (49)
Jett Klassen, Victoria (44)
Liam Matthews, Orangeville (43)
Willem Firth, Toronto (42)
Daylin John-Hill, Six Nations (42)
Jared Maznik, Delta/Nanaimo (41)

Probably at power-forward status based on his above average size (6’2”, 190lbs) and way above average scoring ability, Maznik is always going to be a matchup issue for any opposing team. Nanaimo’s Delta-add proved pivotal in the playoffs too, leading the Timbermen in goals and points during their back-and-forth series against Victoria.

26. Jacob Janke

Team: Brampton Excelsiors
Position: Forward
College: Hobart & William Smith Colleges
NLL Draft Eligible: 2029

Last year’s OJLL Rookie of the Year followed up that fantastic first year with an even stronger season for the Excelsiors, Brampton’s young captain impressively up for the Transition Player of the Year award even though most of his game-day damage is done up front. Janke, who averaged the sixth most assists per game in Ontario this year, was only topped by Lucas Littlejohn (69) and Liam Aston (55) for most total year-end helpers in the OJLL (55). He also played a handful of games for the Senior Excels this year, finishing seventh on the Senior team in scoring after just five starts (9G, 8A). While Brampton struggled to secure wins in the OJLL in 2025, the team is loaded with quality 2006s and 2007s, and are developing a good core headlined by Janke.

25. Wyatt Wiggins

Team: Peterborough Lakers
Position: Defense
College: Harvard University
NLL Draft Eligible: 2027

One of this summer’s top pure defensive standouts, Wyatt Wiggins is a suffocating presence in Peterborough’s own end. A physical and formidable match up for the opposition’s top offensive talent, Wiggins regularly limits quality looks, causes turnovers, and is as tough as they come. He finished fourth during the regular season in total penalty minutes (64), and then added another league-leading 48 PIMs during Peterborough’s nine playoff games. Expect Wiggins to be one of the top defensemen taken in a high-profile 2027 NLL Entry Draft, and one of several Lakers scooped up in the draft’s early rounds.

24. Max Kruger

Team: Orangeville Northmen
Position: Forward
College: Uncommitted (The Hill Academy)
NLL Draft Eligible: TBD

Is sitting inside the Top 25 too high for a 2008? Not if you’re Max Kruger, who after showing glimpses of greatness as an Orangeville call up last year, had a ridiculous rookie run that continues into this year’s Minto Cup in St. Catharines. He finished sixth in OJLL scoring, behind a short list of today’s absolute best Junior A talent. The only other rookies to even register in Ontario’s Top 50 regular season point producers were Toronto’s Kaleb Tatarek, who tied for 30th, and Burlington’s Bodhi Gillies, who just make it at 50. During the provincial playoffs, Kruger finished fourth in points and co-led the OJLL postseason in goals with Northmen teammate Liam Matthews (23). Kruger scored the one-second-left tying goal in the Game 6 of the OJLL Final, a game Orangeville would then win early in OT. Kruger’s 2025 was anything but a rookie-like run, and honestly, while some of you are likely whining we’ve overrated him here, honestly, he’s probably not high enough.

23. Nick Roode

Team: Peterborough
Position: Forward
College: University of Michigan
NLL Draft Eligible: 2027

Just missing last year’s Top 50 by a few spots, Nick Roode saw a slight statistical bump in his goal & point production this year (11th best PTS/GP in Ontario this year amongst full-time players), but the big reason why he’s one of 2025’s biggest rankings risers is his crazy clutch touch. If we ran the numbers into our Clutch Kings calculator (like we do annually in the NLL), there is no doubt Roode would be near or right at the top of our money marksmen list. In addition to his three game winners during the season, Roode’s name is often on the scoresheet next to game-tying and go-ahead goals too. A quick first step and stick, Roode has a high on-floor IQ but also battles as hard as anyone in traffic while creating real estate for himself and his teammates.

22. Josh Ford

Team: St. Catharines Athletics
Position: Defense
College: University of Michigan
NLL Draft Eligible: 2027

Appearing on the Top 50 for a second straight summer, Josh Ford jumped 22 spots after a really impressive year with the Athletics – St. Catharines trading for the Michigan middie prior to the start of the 2025 season. Ford is big (6’3”, 195lbs), athletic, defensively dynamic, and always a threat in transition. A DPOTY finalist last year, this year the league voted Ford their top two-way player, the Oakville native almost quadrupling his goal total playing for the NLL’s first-ever TPOTY in Steve Toll this summer in St. Kitts. While there are many elite-level offensive players expected to headline a stacked 2027 NLL draft class, Ford’s up-tempo game is so perfect for the pros, so expect him to go really high in a few falls.

21. Jack Oldman

Team: Whitby Warriors
Position: Defense
College: Ohio State University
NLL Draft Eligible: 2027

Although he was one of this past summer’s top face-off takers across all of Canada, Jack Oldman is anything but a FOGO. Surprisingly excluded from the OJLL’s TPOTY final three, Oldman kinda does it all, an old school transitional defender that puts up serious offensive stats (17G, 26A). He finished third in team scoring behind only league MVP Lucas Littlejohn and 50-goal scorer Nolan Byrne. Between his FO battles and scooping skills away from centre, if the OJLL tracked loose balls, Oldman would surely lead the loop. Right now, Oldman’s style of play is highly in demand in the NLL, and even though the 2027 entry draft is shaping up to be one of the most talent rich in league history, Oldman has legit first-round potential.

20. Thomas Kiazyk

Team: Toronto Beaches
Position: Goalie
NLL: Saskatchewan Rush
Drafted: 20th overall 2023 NLL Entry Draft

He looked starter strong in the Saskatchewan Rush games he got into while Frank Scigliano was MIA, Thomas Kiazyk backing up the NLL’s GOTY straight to the Finals this past pro season. Himself, a GOTY finalists for a second straight season (he won the award last year), Kiazyk certainly had the stats and highlight reel to garner serious consideration for the honour again. With many Junior A goalies struggling to transition to a full-time NLL gig, not only has Kiazyk already excelled in his role as a backup, he still feels destined to eventually star as a starter too.

19. Daylin John-Hill

Team: Six Nations Arrows
Position: Forward
College: Jacksonville University
NLL Draft Eligible: 2028

High-end skill, sandpaper and an elite-level scoring ability, Daylin John-Hill went from a very good junior ball player in 2024 to easily one of this year’s best. John-Hill tripled his regular season point product (from 28 to 83), is a special-teams superhero, and was a big reason why the Six Nations Arrows had one of this summer’s biggest turnaround campaigns. With a year of Junior left, expect John-Hill to be challenging for next year’s OJLL scoring title, and maybe the PIM lead too.

18. Waukiigan Shognosh

Team: Peterborough Lakers
Position: Goalie
College: University of Ottawa
NLL Draft Eligible: 2028

How odd was it that the OJLL voted Waukiigan Shognosh this year’s best backstop, arguably the most important position on the floor, but didn’t honour him as this year’s top rookie too? Possible, but also kind of not. Either way, Shognosh took over the starting spot in Peterborough early on, and only got better and better as the Lakers’ season progressed. He finished second in SV% (.856) and fifth in GAA (7.36), but it was Peterborough’s W% with Shognosh between the pipes and his ability to come up with unreal timely stops that likely swayed voters when their GOTY ballot was cast. And while his regular season was fire, Shognosh may have been even better in the playoffs, holding the Arrows to single digits in Peterborough’s opening-round sweep, and keeping the Northmen’s goal count low in the next round. A tall (6’2”) tendy that can move well across his crease, plays his angles well, but is so athletic he can get down and dirty to take away low lasers and bouncers that most would let in.

17. Ryan Colsey

Team: Coquitlam Adanacs
Position: Forward
College: University of Virginia
NLL Draft Eligible: 2027

No player in the BCJALL has scored more goals over the past two playoffs combined than Ryan Colsey, who finished with 15 in 2024 while trailing only Silas Richmond (19), and this year leading the league with 17 in just nine GPs. A highly skilled baiter who can rip from range but can also crash the crease with his hard to handle 6’3” frame, Colsey, who played box a lot growing up in Connecticut, is an extremely important piece of Coquitlam’s lethal offensive unit. Colsey was one of last year’s top goal getters at the Minto Cup, and should be right up there again as Coquitlam looks to make it back-to-back titles, this time in enemy territory.

Victoria’s Owen O’Farrell (Syracuse University), another American making an impoact in the BCJALL (like Colsey, especially during the playoffs), just missed this year’s Top 50. While his numbers during the regular season were kinda average, O’Farrell heated up during the playoffs, finishing third in goals (16), assists (19) and points (35) while leading the Shamrocks statistically across the board.

16. Trey Deere

Team: Orangeville Northmen
Position: Forward
College: Syracuse University
NLL Draft Eligible: 2027

A drop in overall offensive production slipped him a bit after being ranked #4 a season ago, but Trey Deere still sits super high due to everything else he does both with and without the ball for the Northmen. Few players draw as much attention as the dynamic Deere, allowing his teammates more room to roam, feed and finish. Whether scoring or not, Deere is also the ultimate makes-everyone-around-him-better type player, his work ethic, determination and relentless approach on every shift forcing everyone on the floor with him to be at their very best.

15. Hayden Hiltz

Team: Burlington Blaze
Position: Defense
College: Marquette University
NLL Draft Eligible: 2028

Last year’s OJLL DPOTY and a finalist for TPOTY, you could argue that Hiltz had an even stronger summer a season later, albeit just a final three mention for top defender. He almost doubled his goal scoring total (jumped from 6 to 11 via the press, four of which were unassisted and two stung shorthanded) and was still a defensive stalwart for a Blaze team still restocking their shelves after 2023’s Minto victory. Hiltz is a first-round lock when he becomes pro eligible ahead of 2028’s NLL Entry Draft. In fact, right now, he’d be our highest ranked D-door prospect by a healthy margin.

14. Daniel Clark

Team: Peterborough Lakers
Position: Forward
College: University of Denver
NLL Draft Eligible: 2027

Although you won’t find his name right at the top of the OJLL’s scoring charts due to his DU commitments keeping him away early on, Daniel Clark still had the fifth highest PTS/GP in the province, a game-day average that would have easily got the Peterborough point producer to over 100 on the year. In fact, he was one of only six players in the country with a PTS avg. of over five. Clark would go on to lead the Lakers in offensive playoff production, in on (either a goal or assist) 55% of the Lakers postseason goals. After Peterborough was eliminated from the OJLL playoffs, the Senior A Lakers called Clark up for a critical playoff game in the MSL semifinals versus Brooklin.

13. Evan Constantopoulos

Team: Orangeville Northmen
Position: Goalie
NLL: Buffalo Bandits
Drafted: 38th overall 2023 NLL Entry Draft

He just barely missed last year’s lists, but after winning the league’s Robert Melville Memorial Award (lowest team GAA with partner Garrett Thomson) and then more importantly being awarded the OJLL Finals MVP, not only is Evan Constantopoulos on this year’s 50, not too many players rank ahead of him. At an imposing 6’6” and 230lbs or maybe more, it’s easy to jump to the conclusion that the Greek Freak (not sure anyone even calls him that past TLM’s group chat) just takes up spaces between the pipes. Well, fake news. Sure, the Yao Ming of box backstops presents problems due to his towering presence, but Constantopoulos has mobility, instincts and has clearly picked up some pointers while playing behind goaltending GOAT Matt Vinc and the steady Steve Orleman on the Buffalo Bandits.

Evan Constantopoulos (Photo: Dave Fryer)

12. Nolan Byrne

Team: Whitby Warriors
Position: Forward
College: Formerly Lafayette College (renounced remaining NCAA eligibility)
NLL Draft Eligible: 2025

An MVP finalist in the OJLL with Brampton a year ago, while he wasn’t up for the honour this summer - largely due to new Whitby teammate Lucas Littlejohn having an unreal run - Nolan Byrne was hands down again one of Canada’s most complete, composed and clutch forwards. Another in a long line of Ottawa-born ball players impacting the junior game at an elite level right now, the Warriors gave up a lot to add Byrne to their team this year: Riley Knox, Liam McKendrick, Drew Cairns, plus two future first-round picks and three seconds. While his boys already smashed the glass at Iroquois Park, Byrne may be done his junior career, but is far from hitting his ceiling. Renouncing his remaining NCAA eligibility earlier this summer, Bryne should be an easy first rounder in next month’s NLL Entry Draft.

11. Sakaronhiotane Thompson

Team: Six Nations Arrows
Position: Goalie
College: State University of New York (SUNY) Potsdam
NLL Draft Eligible: 2026

The same thing happens in the NLL, season-ending votes are cast for the GOTY award based largely on team success versus simply what your stopper has done between the pipes. Over the first two-thirds of the season, it seemed certain that Six Nations’ Saka Thompson would bag that best backstop honour. Then the Arrows faded down the stretch (later swept in the first round of the playoffs too), losing their last three, even though Thompson twice held high-power offenses like Orangeville and St. Catharines to single digits during that run. Thompson was up for GOTY for a second straight summer, and honestly, could have just as easily been an MVP mention too. Only the Northmen (149) gave up fewer goals than the Arrows (153) during the OJLL regular season. The 2026 draft has a lot of top-end talent, but depending on how the draft order shakes out, don’t be surprised to see Saka become the first goalie since Dillon Ward in 2013 to be selected inside the first ten picks.

10. Nathan Chalmers

Team: Coquitlam Adanacs
Position: Forward
College: University of Utah
NLL Draft Eligible: 2028

Look at this regular season stat line comparison for Nathan Chalmers…

2024: 15GP, 21G, 29A, 50PTS, 3.3PTS/GP
2025: 16GP, 37G, 41A, 78PTS, 4.9PTS/GP

The only player in Canada who had a bigger breakout season statistically was Mimico’s Justin Tavares, who is just below Chalmers here. A gifted goal scorer with one of the better outside snipes in junior ball today, Chalmers can also tuck in tight while tip-toeing the crease. A very complete forward who put up nasty numbers during the BCJALL playoffs, Chalmers has all the tools to do similar damage at the Minto tourney too.

9. Justin Tavares

Team: Mimico Mountaineers
Position: Forward
College: University of Denver
NLL Draft Eligible: 2029

Earlier this year, we did an in-depth data dive to show just how rare Justin Tavares’ 50-goal season was in the OJLL’s modern era. What that statistical shakedown didn’t show, however, was just how rare it was for those other top-end players to go from 9 goals to 50-fucking-two a year later, Tavares with an all-time stats spike surely. In 2024, Tavares was largely a two-way pest that ran the floor for Mimico while getting under the opposition’s skin on a regular basis. With a ton of Mounties aging out, Tavares was given the green light to go up front in 2025, and damn did he ever.

8. Aaron Toguri

Team: Orangeville Northmen/Mimico Mountaineers
Position: Defense
College: Jacksonville University
NLL Draft Eligible: 2026

Another on this year’s 50 that just missed making it last season, Aaron Toguri took home 2025’s OJLL Defensive Player of the Year award - a menacing own-end presence first with his hometown Mimico and then Orangeville after a massive trade deadline deal sent him to the silver & black. Tough as nails, physical as fuck, yet still a calculated decision maker both in his own end and in transition, Toguri has made Orangeville significantly harder to match up against. While the Northmen have a star-studded cast up front, if they end up winning their first Minto since 2019 and eighth all time, trust that it will be their D that sealed the deal.

7. Jaxon Dillon

Team: Coquitlam Adanacs
Position: Forward
College: St. Bonaventure University
NLL Draft Eligible: 2027

Over the past two seasons, there may be no more consistent a goal scorer in Canada than Coquitlam’s Jaxon Dillon, who excels no matter who else is in the Adanacs’ lineup. When names are still MIA early in the year, Dillon produces. When everyone’s back and new bodies are added (or re-added), he still stacks the stats. In fact, Dillon elevated his game even further during the BCJALL playoffs, leading the province by a mile in point production and owning one of the best PTS/GP in the playoffs across the country. During 2024’s Minto final, Dillon scored 14 times in the team’s first four games and outperformed our #1 from last year, Joey Spallina, when it mattered most. Dillon is easily one of the top big game performers in the country, and will get a chance at this year’s Minto to grow that rep even further.

6. Lucas Littlejohn

Team: Whitby Warriors
Position: Forward
College: University of Richmond
NLL Draft Eligible: 2027

Skilled, scrappy and producing more points than any other player in the country this year, Lucas Littlejohn clearly took his game to another level in 2025. Although the Top 50 doesn’t take into account a player’s collegiate season, in last Year’s Top 50 we said, “Entering his sophomore season at Richmond this year, expect Littlejohn to play a more prominent role for the Spiders this the spring.” Well…

2024: 11GP, 9G, 0A, 9PTS, 7GB, 0GWG
2025: 18GP: 40G, 13A, 53PTS, 38G, 4GWG

He did similar this summer in the OJLL, leading both the province and country in points…

2024: 20GP, 42G, 32A, 74PTS
2025: 20GP, 49G, 69A, 118PTS

5. Liam Matthews

Team: Orangeville Northmen
Position: Forward
College: Penn State University
NLL Draft Eligible: 2027

Last year, Northmen supporters were outraged that Joey Spallina was left off the league’s MVP finalist list. This year, the same can be said of their feeling when Liam Matthews wasn’t an MVP or MOP final three, which saw Willen Firth, Lucas Littlejohn and Justin Tavares up for both highly regarded year-end accolades. Come the playoffs, however, Matthews has all three statistically beat and for the second straight summer is Minto bound.

Regular Season Points/Games Played

1. Willem Firth, Toronto (6.29)
2. Lucas Littlejohn, Whitby (5.90)
3. Justin Tavares, Mimico (5.56)
4. Liam Matthews, Orangeville (5.47)

Playoffs Points/Games Played

1. Liam Matthews, Orangeville (5.42)
2. Willem Firth, Toronto (5.30)
3. Lucas Littlejohn, Whitby (4.29)
19. Justin Tavares, Mimico (2.67)

In fact, Matthews is also the only one whose production went virtually unchanged from regular to postseason, not something that is typically too easy to achieve. Although the Northmen failed to win last year’s Minto, Matthews did lead all players in goals during the tournament, and continues to come up clutch when his team needs him most.

4. Ty Banks

Team: Coquitlam Adanacs
Position: Defense
College: Georgetown University
NLL Draft Eligible: 2027

The only thing keeping us from putting Ty Banks #1 is his lack of game action through most of the regular season. He is a defensive dominator, an own-end leader, and pound-for-pound the best D-first player in the country. From shutting down the opposition to kick starting Coquitlam’s dangerous offensive press, no defensemen in the country does as much and impacts a game to the degree that Banks does. He helped quiet an Orangeville offense in last year’s Minto final, one that had been scoring at a record-setting rate earlier in the tournament. While goaltender Jack Kask and their electric offense garner much of the glow when talking of Coquitlam’s success, Banks was just as critical to last year’s Cup win and this year’s post-season success.

3. Jack Kask

Team: Coquitlam Adanacs
Position: Goalie
College: Marquette University
NLL Draft Eligible: 2027

During the start of last year’s Minto Cup tournament, broadcaster Jake Elliot commented that at #10, we had Jack Kask ranked far too low on 2024’s list. He was right, and after his nearly perfect performances during the most important Minto games, Kask honestly coulda been as high as #1. Jack Kask is hands down the top tendy in junior lacrosse today, and could easily be argued as the most important player in all of Canada too. He is as complete a goaltender as the junior game has seen over the past decade, arguably right up there with former Junior Adanac legend, Christian Del Bianco, especially if the Adanacs can do the impossible and win the Minto on St. Catharines soil this summer.

2. Willem Firth

Team: Toronto Beaches
Position: Forward
College: Cornell University
NLL Draft Eligible: 2027

Without a doubt, and with the hardware to prove it, Willem Firth has been the best player in the OJLL over the past two if not three seasons, and that’s not up for debate. An MVP in 2022, an MOP last year and again this year, Firth’s Junior A resume reads like a future hall of famer in literally every lacrosse hall of fame every invented. Determined, defiant and deadly with or without the ball safely secured in his pocket, while he came close back in 2022, the only thing missing from his exceptional Junior A career was claiming a Minto Cup with a Toronto team that seemed worthy of that prize in each of the last three seasons.

1. Cody Malawsky

Team: Coquitlam Adanacs/Langley Thunder
Position: Forward
College: University of Denver
NLL Draft Eligible: 2027

We’ve gone back and forth dozens of times between putting Firth or Cody Malawsky #1 on this year list, Malawksy ultimately taking the top spot. Why? Well, since last year’s Top 50, Malawsky had another powerful performance at the Minto, coming up huge in the Cup-clinching game versus the Northmen, where he netted four of Coquitlam’s nine goals in that Game 2 win. For those that argue that Malawsky has a distinct advantage and has only succeeded due to playing on a significantly stacked Adanacs roster, well, pump yo breaks. Did you see what he did with Langley before being traded (again) to Coquitlam? The Thunder, who were on a 26-game losing streak earlier this year (it extended back to the 2023 season), snapped it and pushed themselves into legit playoff contention. That improved play lined up almost exactly to when Malawsky returned from Denver. That’s no coincidence. Malawsky is a rare talent that will succeed on a struggling roster, but still stand out in a lineup loaded with some of the country’s absolute best talent. He was incredible during the 2023 Minto in a losing effort, clutch AF at last year’s national tournament, and based on his flawless track record, will give a repeat performance in St. Catharines shortly. Cody Malawsky, who expects nothing less than perfection every time his sneakers touch the floor, is our #1 ranked player in 2025 due to his immense individual and team-specific success.

The Top 50 Junior A Players: 2025 Edition