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Nanaimo Timbermen have three top ten picks in WLA Draft

Feb 15, 2017 | 7:59 AM

NANAIMO — Could 2017 be the year the Nanaimo Timbermen return to the playoffs?
 
It’s been nine straight years without post season play, after the Tmen faced the Salmonbellies in round one back in 2007.
 
A 4-14 sixth place finish in 2016 was disappointing for everyone in the organization but Head Coach Kaleb Toth feels with six one goal losses, the team was a lot more competitive than their record would indicate.
 
“The guys do believe that we’re moving in the right direction. We’ve put together a team that’s young, and full of energy, and willing to sacrifice and do whatever it takes to win,” said Toth.
 
The team has already added two players via the trade route in former Junior Timbermen scorer Dane Sorensen and Kyle Belton from the Langley Thunder.
 
By far the biggest avenue for adding talent is the upcoming Western Lacrosse Association draft on Feb 16. Nanaimo has three picks in the top ten at number two, three and nine.
 
Timbermen President Chris Bowman believes there are two key areas the team would like to improve.
 
“We need a person who’s that cerebral passer. That guy who’s always looking to move the ball,” said Bowman. “We’ve got some amazing guys who can finish in Ryan Lee, Brody Eastwood, and Cody Bremner but we need a guy who’s that brilliant passer. The other thing we need help in, is in the faceoff circle. We really got dominated some games in the faceoff circle last year.”
 
Once there was a reluctance for the Timbermen to draft outside of Vancouver Island but that has changed in recent years. Bowman says most of the top 50 draft eligible players he’s talked to are interested in joining the Timbermen if they are drafted to the island. Last season Jordan Gilles, Chase McIntyre, and Taylor Stuart were all top picks that came from lower mainland and were regulars in the Nanaimo lineup.
 
There are always some diamonds in the rough later in the draft, take 2016 for example, when the Tmen selected Jake Cullen 16th and Brett Hawrys 17th in the third round. Hawrys went on to score 27 points and Cullen added 23 as the pair finished 5th and 6th in team scoring.
 
Bowman hopes to have similar success in the later rounds with this draft.
 
“If it plays out like I think it will the picks we have in the third round at 16 and 18 will be two players that make an impact this year,” said Bowman. 
 
The 2017 draft will be held in Vancouver Thursday night at 7 p.m. Nanaimo will be setting up a war room here on the island and participate via conference call.

 

dan.marshall@jpbg.ca

On twitter: @danmarshall77