NOTE: Our rankings began before Casey Jackson declared for the draft. He would have been ranked #11.
6. D Robert Hope—Pfieffer, Peterborough MSL
Hope is a Peterborough product through and through. He is far and away the best defenseman in the league and it’s easy to say that he could be a top five pick. Hope is 6’2″ and 192 lbs and throws his weight around. With 59 career junior points, Hope is strictly a defender. In his rookie season with the Senior Lakers he was an impact right away with 19 games and followed up with 17 this season. He would be a top three or four defenseman on nearly every NLL depth chart this season.
7. F Ty Thompson—Albany, Rochester MLL, Kahnawake Sr B
The Thompsons have taken the lacrosse world by storm and Ty is no doubt an immediate impact player on an NLL team. The Awekwesane Jr A player had 30 points in seven games with Kahnwake this season and 37 in 12 last season. He had 87 career points with Awkwesane Jr A as well. Thompson is a dynamic player and the lefty could fill some slots for teams looking for a consistent point getter.
8. D Sheldon Burns—Dowling, Brooklin MSL
Burns is the next best defender right after Hope. The Whitby product came up through the Warriors system before joining the Brooklin Redmen. The defenseman has played in Clarington, Whitby, and Brooklin to have seen three different levels of Canadian lacrosse. At 6’1 he plays a big game and should crack an NLL lineup.
9. F Dan Keane- Delaware, Brampton Jr A
Keane is another Brampton star that will be selected this draft. He’s had three straight seasons of 70 points in Jr A including his 71 last season. In 2010 he had 87 with Kitchener-Waterloo’s Jr A squad. A righty, Keane is small at 5’9 and 155 lbs. But he has the ability to bury some goals and has had 40+ assists in his last three seasons.
10. F Mike Melnychenko- Chestnut Hill, Kitchener-Waterloo MSL
A lefty, Melnychenko is a good bet to make an NLL roster. He has 38 points in parts of three MSL seasons where he has been on three different teams. He had 115 career points in junior. He can develop more but he looks like a nice early second round pick.
