There's a new flock joining the Port Coquitlam Saints' congregation.
The black and gold selected 11 players at the BC junior 'A' lacrosse league (BCJALL) under-17 draft at the Langley Events Centre last Saturday (Jan. 21) — tied for the most picks this year with New Westminster.
This included Luke Neary from the Saanich Tigers at first overall.
He's a six-foot-two, 200-pound forward that's described as a strong offensive competitor across the floor.
"Going first overall was a great honour. PoCo said they liked my size, strength and stick skills," said Neary.
"But you still have to go out and prove yourself. I want to show that I deserved to be picked No. 1."
Neary is also committed to playing field lacrosse at the University of Michigan once he graduates Claremont Secondary in 2024.
"He can play physically on defence, use his strength and speed to get up the floor in transition and can score from the outside or in tight," reads his scouting report.
"He's an athlete and that’s what makes him a great addition to any team."
The Saints finished last in the 2022 BCJALL campaign, winning the first overall pick in last week's draft.
PoCo's 10 other picks were as follows:
- Seventh = Parker M'Lot
- Ninth = Hudson Jenner
- 16th = Markus Chenard
- 17th = Zachary Hulbert
- 25th = Layne Myer
- 28th = Carter Smith
- 33rd = Tristan Dennill
- 40th = James Pratt
- 41st = Noah Webster
- 48th = Christopher Myer
Meanwhile, Coquitlam only had three picks this year after making several trades last season.
The Adanacs selected Cole Van Des (29th overall), Malcolm Lotz (37th overall) and Colton Cap (45th overall).
It was the first in-person draft for the BCJALL since 2020, which was for graduating under-16 players representing associations not affiliated with BCJALL teams.
- with a file from Cleve Dheensaw, Times Colonist
