In continuing our coverage of the lead up to the coveted Mann Cup, we turn our focus to the West Coast of Canada. The Western Lacrosse Association (WLA), sanctioned by the Canadian Lacrosse Association and sponsored in part by the Vancouver Warriors, gives teams throughout the lower mainland and island, made up of professional and semi-professional players alike, the opportunity to compete against the Major Series Lacrosse champions for the Mann Cup. The WLA will host that seven-game national championship series in September. Though it’s far too early to tell who the major contenders are just yet, what we can tell you is where your favorite players are stationed in the WLA.
Christian Del Bianco has been the talk of the town since his move back to the West Coast; leading the Vancouver Warriors to a six-game win streak and the franchise’s first playoff appearance. In the off-season, Del Bianco is proving once again that he’s a hometown kid, suiting up for the Coquitlam Adanacs. But he’s not alone – the WLA is a family affair! Joining him on the defensive line are Vancouver defenders Tyler Garrison, Tyson Kirkness and rookie Remo Schenato.
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It’s shaping up to be a competitive summer for split-loyalties in Vancouver, as the Maple Ridge Burrards boast four members of your 2025 Warriors. Joining the Burrards’ push for the Mann Cup on the offensive end this season are forwards Dylan McIntosh, Marcus Klarich and Riley Loewen. Their offensive prowess, though impressive, is nothing without a little help from their friends on the d-line. Also joining Maple Ridge this summer is defender Jackson Suboch, currently leading the WLA in penalty minutes (22 PIM).
But that’s only where it begins for Vancouver – stirring the spot still are the Warriors suiting up for the New Westminster Salmonbellies, a balanced mix of Vancouver’s offensive and defensive specialists. Forwards Ryan Martel and Kevin Crowley are back in the rink for the Salmonbellies, though Crowley has yet to make his summer debut. Supporting Martel between the boards, however, are his Vancouver teammates on the back end, defenders Jeff Cornwall and Brett Mydske.
Exchanging one set of greens for another, the Saskatchewan Rush are making their presence known in the summer season. In his first season with the Victoria Shamrocks after being acquired from the Nanaimo Timbermen, Rush superstar forward Zach Manns is already off to a hot start in his new home. As of Thursday, June 12, in three games played, Manns has put up three goals – all three of which came during his hat-trick performance against his former team on May 31– and has assisted on eight more.
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But where one Saskatchewanian finds a new home, another two remain on the home front. Back in Nanaimo, Rush transition defenders Bobby Kidd III and Jerrett Smith remain on the Timbermen roster. However, the two have yet to make their first 2025 WLA appearance.
Across the Strait of Georgia in Coquitlam, however, waits Rush defender Keegan Bell and forward Clark Walter, suiting up in the Adanacs signature purple and yellow. Bell has only appeared in two games so far this season, but is expected to appear more as the season progresses. Walter, on the other hand, made his 2025 season debut Wednesday, June 11, against the the Langley Thunder, tallying two unassisted goals in the Adanacs 11-6 road win.
Compared to their MSL counterparts, the Halifax Thunderbirds presence in the WLA is a bit smaller, but certainly not unfelt. Suiting up in Victoria green is none other than defender Max Wilson. Though his appearances at Scotiabank Centre were limited during the 2024-25 NLL season due to his stint on the Injured Reserve, Wilson was a major contributor to the Thunderbirds first home playoff game on the defensive end, as well as to the Shamrocks’ 2024 Mann Cup run.
On the opposite end of the Shamrocks bench sits forward and fellow Thunderbird Clarke Petterson. Hot off his second consecutive 100-point season with Halifax, Petterson is back in the WLA for his second shot at the Mann Cup with Victoria.
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Bad news for you Bandits fans, there are zero, count ‘em, zero Buffalo Bandits participating in the WLA this summer. Make sure to check out the Six Nations Chiefs, Brooklin LC and the Cobourg Kodiaks across the way in Major Series Lacrosse to get your Bandits summer lacrosse fix!
In a similar situation to the Champs, there are also no Rochester Knighthawks participating in the WLA. Knighthawks fans will have to tune in to the MSL to watch their favorite players suit up for the Brampton Excelsiors and the Six Nations Chiefs.
The WLA Roughnecks, similar to their MSL counterparts, are fiery and competitive… and absolutely everywhere! The only team you won’t find a Roughneck on is the Burnaby Lakers – lucky news for the other six teams! The Victoria Shamrocks are currently carrying Calgary captain Jesse King and dressing forward Mathieu Gautier.
Across the way, the New Westminster Salmonbellies secured themselves a heavy-hitting Roughneck offensive line, carrying active forwards Tyler Pace and Haiden Dickson, as well as practice player Austin Ducommun. Deciding to go the opposite route with their Roughnecks content, the Nanaimo Timbermen instead picked up defender Griffin Hall and goalkeeper Colby Bowman.
Transition forward Riley Isaacs is currently taking shifts for the Coquitlam Adanacs, while defender Brayden Laity – one of the more recent additions to the Roughnecks’ defense after he was acquired from the Vancouver Warriors – and Reece Callies are geared up in Burrards and Thunder gear, respectively.
Despite their allegiance to the MSL, there still exists a Western faction of the Georgia Swarm, albeit a divided one. There are three active members of the Swarm participating in the WLA this summer, each suiting up for a different squad. Swarm goaltender Devlin Shanahan is keeping the pipes protected in his fourth season with the Nanaimo Timbermen, and currently sits within the top 10 for goalie stats in WLA.
Repping the red, blue and white for the New Westminster Salmonbellies is Swarm defender Jeff Henrick, now having tallied a goal and an assist in his two games played. Also suiting up on the West Coast is forward Andrew Kew, decked out in Shamrock green for Victoria the summer. In his two games played, Kew has racked up three goals and an assist, including a hat trick against the Salmonbellies and his regular season teammate, Henrick.
The San Diego Seals in the Western Lacrosse Association far outnumber their MSL counterparts, with defenders Graydon Bradley and Robbie Turpin repping Coquitlam for the summer. The two are also joined by the young Adam Noakes, who currently occupies seventh-place for points scored so far in the 2025 season (21).
But these three musketeers are not without their friendly competition. Looking to ruin Seals-turned-Adanacs from the back end are defender Drew Belgrave, playing for his hometown Salmonbellies, and San Diego starting goalkeeper Chris Origlieri, clad in Victoria green.
Out in Burnaby, the two hometown boys will once again be wearing their city across their backs. Ottawa teammates and Surrey natives Sam La Roue and Jacob Dunbar are back in action with the Lakers for another year. La Roue, though usually a defender in the NLL, is playing transition/forward for the Lakers this summer, and has already stacked seven points (four goals, three assists) in his six games played. Dunbar picked up a goal and two assists in his only game played this season.
On the opposing bench in Victoria, Ottawa goalkeeper Cam Dunkerley stands tall to keep his regular season teammates out of his net and off of his scoreboard, boasting a 8.47 GAA for his 77 saves in five games.
The Colorado Mammoth are on the verge of overrunning the WLA through numbers alone. Suiting up alongside some of their biggest regular season rivals, forwards Thomas Vela and Ben McDonald are quickly laying the hammer down in the early weeks. With 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists), McDonald sits well within the top 10 point scorers of the season so far – just a point behind the Adanacs’ Adam Noakes. McDonald and Vela are also joined in Burnaby by Kai George.
In New Westminster, the Mammoth are heavy on the roster, carrying four of Colorado’s heavier hitters, including defenders Connor Cook, Owen Down and Jordan Gilles. Over the course of his four games played, Cook has already assisted on three goals, while Gilles has just made his season debut and Down has yet to dress. On the front end for the Salmonbellies, however, is one the Mammoth’s big, bad goal-scorers, Will Malcom. Malcom has played in four games so far, tallying nine goals and six assists to start his season.
On the opposing bench in Langley, the Thunder are also parading around another of Colorado’s top shooters, forward Connor Robinson. During the NLL season, Malcom and Robinson ran neck-and-neck beside each other in the race to second place on the Colorado leaderboard (Malcom’s 81 points to Robinson’s 67 points). This summer, they’ve run themselves into another friendly leaderboard rivalry, as Robinson’s four goals and seven assists once again place him just behind Malcolm’s 15 points.
Albany’s representatives in the WLA, though once again low, numbers similar to their MSL counterparts, are a force to be reckoned with this summer. Dialing into New Westminster are defender Zac Masson and sophomore phenom Tye Kurtz. Kurtz, though off to a slow start compared to the NLL regular season, has still secured eight points (two goals, six assists) to his name in his three games played so far this season.
Sophomore forward Alex Simmons is also currently held by the Victoria Shamrocks, but he has yet to dress out for competition this season.
The Wings are spread sparingly across the WLA this summer, with only three representatives across two teams. But despite their low numbers, their impact is nothing short of immediate. Transition Evan Messenger is suiting up for the Langley Thunder this season after being acquired from the Nanaimo Timbermen. In his first six games with the Thunder, Messenger tallied three goals and two helpers.
Around the way, the Salmonbellies are boasting some serious firepower by way of Philadelphia forward Mitch Jones. Jones has already tallied 15 goals and 17 assists in his first five games. As per the Salmonbellies’ roster, Wings’ transition Tony Malcom is also joining Jones out west, but he has yet to take the field this summer.
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Rock defender Elijah Gash suits up for the Victoria Shamrocks as the lone Toronto representative in the Western Lacrosse Association. Gash made headlines and won hearts earlier in the NLL season with his passionate play style during the Rock’s rivalry game with the Buffalo Bandits. In his six games in Shamrock green this season, Gash has assisted on two goals and scored two of his own, and has currently amassed the second most penalty minutes in the WLA (21 PIM), just one minute behind the Maple Ridge Burrards’ Jackson Suboch (22 PIM).
The Las Vegas Desert Dogs have taken over several corners of the WLA, securing a roster spot on four of the seven participating teams. The Salmonbellies secured defender Brandon Goodwin and defender Tyrell Hamer-Jackson, with goalkeeper Justin Geddie backing them up in net.
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In Coquitlam, the Adanacs have boosted their back end with two members of the Las Vegas defense. Desert Dogs defenders Josh Jackson and Jacob Saunders join the purple and gold this summer. Donning their Victoria green, defender Nick Preston and forward Marshal King are suiting up alongside each other with the Shamrocks, while the lone forward Luke Pilcher sticks out as the only Desert Dog of the Nanaimo Timbermen.
To watch the Western Lacrosse Association, be sure to check the official League Schedule and tune into WLATV for stream options and broadcast package pricing.
