11. F Todd Nakasuji—Limestone, Oakville Jr B
The Oakville product might be the highest drafted Jr B player in years. Nakasuji has 106 points in three years in Oakville and he has a knack for scoring in the clutch with 59 playoff points. Nakasuji is a risk pick in the first round but the weak class might allow some teams to take a flyer on more projects.
12. F Brandon Benn—John Hopkins, Chesapeake MLL, Brampton MSL
Benn impressed in his first MLL season with six goals in five games with the Bayhawks. The Orangeville native scored 59 points with the Northmen last season and had eight in his first eight Major Series Lacrosse games this season. His stock has dropped a bit but he should still be a second round pick.
13. F Matt Crough—Dowling, Peterborough MSL
In just four junior seasons with Peterborough, Crough had 154 goals. That’s not points, just goals. Crough is a very dynamic sniper who might even be undervalued. He finished his first MSL season with 32 points in limited touches with a strong Lakers team. Would be a keeper for whoever takes him.
14. D Paul Brebber—Bellarmine, Nanaimo WLA
Brebber is one of the best defensemen available in this draft. The 6’0″ 180 lbs defender out of Nanaimo even put up 38 points this year as a defenseman. In the NLL he might not bring that kind of offense, but he is still very versatile for a defensive player. He plays bigger than he is and would be a solid addition to a team this year, possibly a team like Minnesota who needs more defense.
15. F Tyler Melnyk—Marquette, Langley WLA
Tyler Melnyk has only ever played with his brother Matt, a defenseman also with Marquette and Langley. Tyler has put up the points in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League with 217 points with the Calgary club. He was usually a top 10 scorer in the league and even made the jump over to Sr A ball in British Columbia. He was an all-star in last year’s President Cup with the Sr B Calgary team.
16. D Andrew Smistad—Marquette, Calgary Jr A, Oakville MSL
The weak draft class in 2014 is forcing teams to look to unusual places for top talent, and Jr B has benefited. Along with that is the RMLL, where Smistad is out of. At 6’2″ and 220 lbs, Smistad is a beast of a defenseman. His talent with Calgary brought him out to Oakville, Ontario to play for the Rock in Major Series Lacrosse.
17. T Matthew Bennett—Brampton Jr A
Bennett is a Brampton product and he made his start with Jr B Mimico before joining the Jr Excelsiors along with Oshawa and Brampton in the Canadian Lacrosse League. He has 89 career points in Jr A, all with Brampton, and he racked up 98 penalty minutes last season. He’s 6’0″ and a physical player with the ability to net a few throughout the season.
18. T Shane MacDonald—Brampton Jr A
Another Brampton prospect, MacDonald had 55 points this season and has a career 199 points. His career high came in 2012 when he put up 98 points over 20 games, 37 of them goals. MacDonald’s point production comes mostly from assists but he also has the ability to score some goals. He could sneak into the first round.
19. F Brendan Anger—Windsor Jr B
Winning the best name in the NLL draft, Anger is another Jr B player looking to make a name for himself. He had 111 points this season with Windsor, his career high, after two straight seasons of 70-plus points. He might be the best Jr B player in the draft and at the least the most dynamic.
20. D Matt Melnyk—Marquette, Langley WLA
Melnyk is another good defender who might be on the board in the late second or early third round. A pure defender, Melnyk only had one assist in 16 games with the Langley Thunder this season. The Calgary product has been one of the first star players with the Marquette NCAA program as well.
