Last season the Nanaimo Timbermen finished last in the WLA with a 5-13 record. Nanaimo struggled for the majority of the season but also had some bright spots as they were able to push Victoria and Langley to their limits in their regular season meetings.
This season appears to be another rebuilding year or the Timbermen as they have not done anything to help their roster for the present but instead appear to be looking forward to the future. The Timbermen recently made two trades on involving trading defenseman Chris O’ Dougherty to the Burnby Lakers for a second round pick in 2015. The other trading Reegan Comeault to Maple Ridge for Simon Giourmetakis, Danton Nicholson and a 4th round pick in 2015. These two trades both appear to be about stocking the draft cupboard for the future and building a competitive team through the draft.
The Timbermen on offense are thin as they rely on three players to carry the majority of the offensive load. The Timbemen will need Cody Bremner, Cayle Ratcliff, and Blake Kenny to continue their strong play from 213 if they hope at all to be competitive this season. Last season Bremner led the team with 28 goals and 26 assists for 54 points while Ratcliff finished with 17 goals and 35 assists for 52 points. If either of these players falter this year the Timbermen will have an even worse season then last year.
In net the Timbermen will once again look toward Zach Boychuk who struggled last year for the Timbermen. Boychuk finished with a 5-12 record, a 10.72 goals against average and a 0.784% save percentage. Boychuk, also the Toronto Rock back up goalie, will need to improve in order for the Timbermen to have any shot of competing for a playoff position.
With the teams ahead of Nanaimo improving it will be an uphill battle for the Timbermen all season. They also need to overcome the loss of their biggest financial backer as they try to improve on the lacrosse field.
