A new west coast division of the Ontario-based Arena Lacrosse League could create new opportunities for junior and senior players from the Coquitlam Adanacs and Port Coquitlam Saints organizations by developing their skills to help land a pro contract in the National Lacrosse League.
On September 9, the Arena Lacrosse League was excited to announce the partnership with Langley Events Centre that will bring the “ALL” to British Columbia.
The ALL, which is currently preparing for its fifth season in Ontario, is the official pathway league to the National Lacrosse League, providing high-level development for players, coaches, and officials with professional aspirations. The ALL West Division will begin play this December.
It’s considered a big opportunity for lacrosse players that reside in Western Canada as they chase their dreams of one day playing pro through the pandemic. Especially for those that have aged out of the Junior system.
Plans for the ALL West is to have a four-team division that will play their games out of Langley Events Centre. The LEC currently hosts numerous events, tournaments, and multiple sports in addition to the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League. The LEC was also the home of the Vancouver Stealth, now Warriors, who continue to practice at the facility of the NLL. The four teams in the ALL West Division will also use the facility for training camp and practices.
The ALL plays under the same game rules as the NLL, providing high-level competition and exposure that will provide management and executives from the professional NLL ranks the opportunity to monitor individual progress through game webcasting and statistics. With direct access to the National Lacrosse League, players that participate will be provided with the opportunity for high-level coaching, advancement and to improve their skills playing against similar competition while preparing to transition to the pro level. For emerging coaches and officials, it is an opportunity to be a part of a league playing under NLL rules to continue their development and be evaluated.
The ALL West will have its inaugural draft November 20, and players 18 years of age and older are eligible to play. Potential players can now register online through the ALL website arenalacrosseleague.ca.
Training camps will open the week following the draft, with the opening games of the regular season set for the weekend of December 11-12. A minimum 12-game regular season will conclude with Championship Weekend for the West set for March 26 and 27.
Currently in it’s fifth year of operation, the ALL has provided over 100 players to the NLL. The ALL East Division in Ontario currently features the Oshawa Outlaws, Paris Riverwolves, Peterborough Timbermen, Six Nations Snipers, St. Catharines Shockwave, Toronto Monarchs and Whitby Steelhawks.
Along with the mens division opening for registration, the women division has also opened for registration for a season between January – March.
