Defense/Transition Prospects
Michael Grace, who will play his senior year at Syracuse, is a big and athletic defender who can play both field and box. He was an excellent player for Burlington in Jr. A and showed he can step up to play against men in his limited time with the Brooklin Lacrosse Club. He was also set to play with the New Westminster Salmonbellies this summer but suffered a partial tear of his PCL and opted to spend the summer rehabbing to be ready to play for the Orange. He will be ready for a regular role when he gets to the NLL.
Luca Antongiovanni stood out every time he played for the Adanacs in Jr. A. He is a defensive leader who can contribute in transition and shows a high lacrosse IQ.
Transition Players
Jacob Power has been on the radar as a high pick for a while but has run into some bad injury luck. He missed the entire 2023 summer season with a lower body injury and missed a trip to the Presidents Cup. This year, after a solid start to the season with the Timbermen, he suffered another injury that kept him out the rest of the season. The good news is that this injury wasn’t lacrosse related; Power had a cliff jumping accident in which he broke his wrist and nose. While that’s no fun, there is no anticipated long-term impact on his lacrosse career. Power has been compared to Ryan Dilks by his coaches and the injuries shouldn’t impact his long-term potential. They could, however, hurt his draft stock by limiting opportunities for some evaluators to see him play this summer.
Trent DiCicco has been climbing the draft board after a strong summer with the Shamrocks. He’s fast, can finish and has taken to his role out the back door swimmingly. DiCicco scored 20 goals and 53 points as an 18-year-old forward with Jr. A Kitchener-Waterloo back in 2019. This year was his first full summer season since and he showed his years in Columbus have helped him grow as a box player, as well.
Remo Schenato is a big defender at 6’4” and 230 pounds. He looks like a classic stay-at-home defender when you see him patrolling the defensive zone, but then you see him take off up the floor and realize he has substantial transition skills. Schenato helped the Adanacs win this year’s Minto Cup as part of a deep, athletic and well-coached defensive unit. He scored 32 points in 36 BCJALL games over the last two seasons. Schenato also suited up for half a dozen regular season games with the Black Fish of the Arena Lacrosse League West and scored five goals. He posted a hat trick to lead the club to a 16-11 win in the championship-clinching game, wrapping a run of eight points (4g/4a) in three playoff games.
Transition Threats
Jakson Raposo can play a variety of roles for a team, but going out the back door and looking to push transition seems to be his most productive path to the pro game. He was a key cog in the rise of the Toronto Beaches to Minto Cup contender status. He scored 40 points (including 22 goals) in the regular season then added another 10 goals and 15 points as the Beaches reached the 2022 Minto tournament.
Jake Darlison played a regular role when the Warriors won the Minto Cup in 2022 then took on more leadership and responsibility for his final two years, including serving as an alternate captain this summer. He put up three straight seasons of 20+ points, including back-to-back 12-goal seasons the last two years. While playing out the back door, Darlison was the go-to when Whitby needed a lefty to step up and play some offensive shifts, which he attacked with gusto.
Denton Macdonald is a loose ball magnet. He is a versatile player who can play effectively at both ends of the floor, given his versatility as a Bellarmine Knight. He was top five on his team in goals scored, ground balls and caused turnovers as a junior midfielder. His soft hands led to 48 assists in 12 games in his last season of Jr. A, and as a transition player they make him a threat to score on the run and adept at setting up teammates coming either from the back end with him or off the bench.
