The Coquitlam Adanacs went down the hill for their first selection in last Wednesday’s Western Lacrosse Association graduating junior player draft held at the Langley Events Centre.
The Adanacs picked Sam DeGroot, of the Port Coquitlam Saints, in hopes his offence will help them climb the WLA standings.
He was selected second overall, after the Langley Thunder plucked New Westminster Junior Salmonbellies’ star Connor Robinson.
But Adanacs’ general manager Mike Petrie said he was hardly a consolation prize.
“We feel Sam is and was the best overall two-way player available,” said Petrie of DeGroot, praising the left-handed shooter for his “fierce competitiveness, and versatility.”
DeGroot scored 25 goals and 26 assists in 17 games with the Junior A Saints last season. He also had four points in three playoff games and was awarded the BC Junior A Lacrosse League’s Al Boles memorial trophy as its most inspirational player. Last September, he was drafted by the Vancouver Stealth of the National Lacrosse League in the third round of their draft.
The Adanacs also looked towards Port Coquitlam for their second pick in the first round —sixth overall – when they selected Saints’ goalie Andrew Gallant.
The former intermediate Adanac who was traded by the Junior Adanacs to the Saints in 2013 for snipers Matt Delmonico and Tyler Pace as well as Mitch Milani, had 18 wins, 19 losses and a 8.90 goals agains average in 44 games over three seasons with Port Coquitlam.
Petrie said Gallant has all the tools of game composure, work ethic and attitude to become a top goalie in the WLA “within a couple of years or sooner.”
With Coquitlam scheduled to make another two picks in the second round, Petrie elected to swing a deal for the team’s ninth selection overall, giving it to the Victoria Shamrocks in exchange for Evan Messenger Jr.
Petrie said the Delta native, who also plays for the Vancouver Stealth of the National Lacrosse League, will bolster the Adanacs’ anemic offence, which managed only 133 goals last season, just two more than last place Langley.
“Evan is going to fit in very nicely on the left side offence,” Petrie said of Messenger, who scored five goals in seven games for the Shamrocks last season but missed two weeks with an injury. “(He) is a true, natural goal scorer.”
The Adanacs then picked Jeremy Bosher of the Jr. Salmonbellies later in the second round.
Petrie said he was surprised the right-handed forward was still available for the 14th pick overall.
“We felt he should have been drafted between eighth and tenth,” Petrie said.
Bosher had 224 points, including 105 goals, in 59 career games with the Jr. ‘Bellies.
He’s a senior attending the University of Denver on a field lacrosse scholarship where he plays the midfield. He was also named to Canada’s national field lacrosse team last October for a series of exhibition games against his university team as preparation for the 2018 men’s world lacrosse championships that will be played in Netanya, Israel, in July.
It wasn’t until the third round the Adanacs looked towards the hometown junior team when they selected Mac Dailly 16th overall. The 6’ defender had 24 points and 41 games over two seasons with the Jr. Adanacs. But he had no points in 23 playoff games, eight of them in the 2016 Minto Cup that was won by Coquitlam.
Other players selected by the Adanacs in the draft’s eight rounds included Jayden Campbell, Trevor Chernoff, Mickey Fitzpatrick and Jesse Gastaldo. The team had no selection in the seventh round.
• The Adanacs will open their 2018 WLA schedule at home May 26 against the Nanaimo Timbermen. Their regular season schedule wraps up July 27 against Victoria at the Q Centre.
