There are just a few more weeks before the MSL and WLA hit playoff season. Right now, teams are fighting for positioning. In each of the seven-team leagues, only the top four teams make the playoffs. Here’s a look at where things sit right now.
*Stats and standings accurate as of 1 p.m., Friday, July 11
In the MSL, the Six Nations Chiefs sit in first place after 14 games with a 12-2-0 record and 24 points. They’re four points ahead of the second place Peterborough Lakers, with the Brooklin Lacrosse Club four points behind Peterborough. The Chiefs led by as many as eight points just last week, but a pair of wins by the Lakers has narrowed the gap. The Cobourg Kodiaks, currently occupying the fourth spot, are four points behind Brooklin. There’s a battle for fifth place, with both the Owen Sound North Stars and Oakville Rock tied with 10 points each, and breathing down Cobourg’s neck. The Brampton Excelsiors are struggling this season, with just one win in their 12 games. That said, Brampton has had six one-goal losses, so they’re not a bad team, they’re just having bad luck. Things change quickly in the MSL with only seven teams and games being played every night except Friday.
Out West, the battle for first place between the Victoria Shamrocks and New Westminster Salmonbellies has become even more muddled: the Coquitlam Adanacs, backstopped by Christian Del Bianco, have entered the chat. Victoria and Coquitlam sit at the top of the standings with identical 10-2-1 records, Coquitlam’s only two losses coming at the hands of the Shamrocks. New West sits in third at 9-4-0. The Langley Thunder and Maple Ridge Burrards are fighting for the fourth playoff spot with 10 points each, while the Burnaby Lakers and Nanaimo Timbermen, with just four and two wins, respectively, round out the league.
Webster, coming off a solid rookie NLL season with Las Vegas, is leading the MSL after 12 games with 61 points. He’s second in goals with 26 and first in assists with 35. He’s nearly doubled his output from last season’s 33 points. He’s had at least two points in every game and two different nine-point outings. Owen Sound is a middle-of-the-pack team in their second year of existence, but Webster is having himself a superstar season as both a scorer and a playmaker. The next highest-scoring North Star is Xander Derktaz with 31 points.
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Smith was acquired by the Chiefs from the Oakville Rock along with Latrell Harris in exchange for Sam LeClair, Mason Kamminga, Zane Dalpe and Kaden Brennan prior to the season starting. Smith last played MSL in 2021 during a shortened bubble season. He’s leading the Chiefs in scoring with 30 goals and 10 assists and leads the league in goals. Coming off an 84-point NLL season with the Rochester Knighthawks, Smith has made an already dangerous Chiefs’ lineup that much more potent. He’s had six games with a hat trick or more.
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Ogilvie, a fan favourite with the Rochester Knighthawks for his hard work and the ease with which he gets on a fast break, missed the entire 2024-25 season rehabbing a concussion sustained last MSL playoffs. It was the second major concussion of his career, and he wasn’t coming back until he was sure he was symptom free. He warmed up with the Lakers for several game to ease back into it and made his debut on June 5th, where immediately got one of his patented fast breaks, but was stopped by Landon Kells in the Oakville Rock net. He made up for that by scoring the game-winning goal in a 9-8 win over Brooklin this week. He’s played six games so far after returning to the game and has shown no hesitation in his play.
Mitch Ogilvie of the Peterborough Lakers (Photo by David Pickering)
New West has a litany of sharpshooters and Jones is at the top of the list, leading the league in points (63), assists (33) and a points-per-game average of 5.3. The longtime Salmonbellie returned to the WLA after spending 2024 playing Sr. B and chasing (and winning) a President’s Cup with the Ladner Pioneers. Jones had back-to-back 90-point seasons in 2018 and 2019 and never lost his love for the city of New Westminster even through the COVID years. Jones finished eighth in NLL scoring this season with 110 points for the Philadelphia Wings.
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Klarich had a breakout season with the Vancouver Warriors with 37 points in 14 games. He’s continuing that success and has a newfound confidence playing with Maple Ridge. He has just pulled ahead of New West’s Haiden Dickson for second place with 57 points. Klarich is also third in goals with 29 and second in assists with 28. With five more games to play, he’s on pace to surpass his 2024 rookie total of 65 points in 18 games, and he’s already surpassed his goal total from last season.
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The Shamrocks’ goaltending tandem of Origlieri and Dunkerley are splitting time in the net and boast a combined record of 10-2-1. Both goalies hail from Ontario; last season, Dunkerley flew out to Victoria from Toronto each week for the game. It’s likely he’s doing the same this season as he runs his own business in Orangeville. San Diego’s Origlieri leads the WLA with a 6.25 GAA, with Ottawa’s Dunkerley in fourth at 8.55. Having two capable goaltenders means that the Shamrocks can rotate them, ideal for a team that plays 2-3 times a week and includes trips to the mainland – the ferry takes about an hour each way.
Scores in the MSL typically mimic those in the NLL, with teams easily hitting double digits. However, this has been the summer of the defender. GAAs are down across the league, with the top five goalies boasting incredibly low numbers. A 6-5 final score is no longer uncommon in this league. Aside from the Chiefs, who have done it three times, no team has scored over 13 goals in a game.
Warren Hill leads the MSL with a GAA under 5.00. (Photo: David Pickering)
Warren Hill leads the league with a 4.99 GAA, and teammate Doug Jamieson is right behind him at 6.15. Despite Brampton’s 1-10 record, goalie Riley Hutchcraft has claimed a 6.67 GAA. Nick Rose of Peterborough is in fourth at 6.93 with Landon Kells of Oakville rounding out the list at 8.00.
Shots are not tracked in every arena so save percentages cannot be accurately calculated.
The WLA names the three stars of every game and keeps track of them with a points system. Klarich leads with three 1st stars, four 2nd stars and one 3rd star selection, with Haiden Dickson right behind him four 1st stars, one 2nd star and one 3rd star. Mitch Jones jumped into fourth place this week, having received two nominations at each level. Marshal King (Victoria/Las Vegas) rounds out the top six with two 1st stars and two 2nd stars.
