Zach Manns and Ethan Ticehurst headline a list of nine players who joined the Nanaimo Timbermen at the 2020 WLA Draft. Most of the newcomers came through the Junior A Timbermen program. (Gary Johansen)

By Dan Marshall

Hometown Draftees

Nanaimo Timbermen chase elusive championship, add nine players at WLA Draft

Feb 13, 2020 | 3:47 PM

NANAIMO – The last two lacrosse seasons have been a renaissance for the WLA Timbermen.

After only one playoff appearance between 2005 and 2017, the team has made the last two league semifinals.

To take the next step the Tmen will need to improve from within, through trades and through the draft.

President Chris Bowman believes the team has a good chance to finish first and chase down the first Nanaimo Sr. A championship in more than 50 years.

“We’re returning everybody so there’s no reason we can’t finish first in the west,” Bowman said. “I think we’ve grown a little bit, we had a bunch of injuries last year so it was tough.”

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Announcements on player additions and trades will be coming soon but the 2020 WLA draft is already in the books with nine new players added.

Many of the newcomers have ties to the Junior A Timbermen including Zach Manns who began his junior career with the local Junior A’s back in 2017 with 18 points in six games.

In total he had 143 points in 35 games in the BCJALL over three seasons, including a 2019 campaign with 105 points and a league-leading 67 assists.

Nanaimo didn’t have any picks in round one of the draft, but made a big splash to jump into the second round.

The Timbermen acquired the 12th overall pick, the rights to former Junior Adanac Ethan Ticehurst and a 2021 second round pick from New Westminster for Drew Belgrave.

Ticehurst is a transition specialist who spent the last three years in the BCJALL with the Adanacs. He had 55 points in 47 games and was a part of the A’s Minto Cup winning team in 2018.

The Tmen used the 12th pick to grab Burnaby Junior Laker Dylan Kaminski. In his four years of junior with Burnaby and Langley, Kaminski earned 111 points in 49 games.

Hometown defender Graden Soucy was picked 21st overall by Nanaimo and with their next pick at number 25 the team added Liam McDonald from the Delta Islanders.

All of the Timbermen’s remaining selections were from the local Junior A program.

2019 BCJALL Most Sportsmanlike Player Kyle Dawson went 32nd overall, Aiden O’Dwyer was 39th, Matt O’Dwyer came in at number 46, and Cole Christiaens was 53rd in the draft.

Based on the quality of the existing roster, the return of injured players like Baden Boyenko, who missed all of last season and the strength of the current draft class, Bowman said there will be a lot of players competing for a few spots at training camp.

“The coaches are going to have to make some really hard decisions on who’s staying and who we’re going to have to release to a Senior B team. The level of talent we’ll have in camp this year is probably the best I’ve seen in five years.”

Nanaimo’s full 2020 schedule sees the team start at home on Thursday May 21 against the Langley Thunder.

The Timbermen schedule is back loaded at home with only two other games at Frank Crane Arena in May and June.

They’ll host Maple Ridge May 30 and Burnaby on June 27.

The six remaining home dates will be in July, including a visit on from Nanaimo’s Island rival Victoria Shamrocks.

dan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On twitter: @danmarshall77