With the Western Lacrosse Association to hold their annual Junior A draft at the end of this month, teams are announcing two territorial protection picks, and the Maple Ridge Burrards feel like they have a couple of blue chip prospects.
President/GM Lance Andre is excited to have both offensive player Drew Andre and defender Isaac Ngyou back in Burrards jerseys, with their junior careers over.
Every team in the WLA is allowed to take two players from their Junior A affiliate for their roster prior to the draft, so they can’t be drafted by another team.
With only a Junior B team in Maple Ridge – despite local attempts to secure a Junior A franchise – the Burrards are instead able to take players who played minor lacrosse here.
The GM has an obvious affinity for Drew Andre – his son. But the new addition is also one of the top scorers and team captain of the New Westminster Salmonbellies.
Listed at six-foot-two and 185 pounds, he played field lacrosse for the Lewis University Flyers NCAA squad in Illinois, putting up 30 goals and 70 points over 33 games through three seasons. His coach lauded him for having a high lacrosse IQ.
READ ALSO: Andre gets U.S. scholarship with Flyers
“He’s offensively gifted,” said his new GM and father. “He’ll move into our offensive right, and help bolster our team.”
Andre coached Drew and Ngyou in minor lacrosse for Ridge Meadows. Ngyou played Junior B in Ridge, then jumped to Langley Junior A, and has grown as a player in the past few seasons.
The defensive lefty caught the eye of the Saskatchewan Rush of the NLL, who drafted him in the second round, 40th overall, in 2022.
The Rush GM Derek Keenan said “Isaac Ngyou is a young, fast, highly skilled lefty D transition player that first our system well and fills a need. We think he’s got a real high ceiling.”
He also travelled with the Langley Thunder Senior A team to the Mann Cup in 2022
Lance Andre sees a pair of building blocks for the long term in Maple Ridge.
“These are two solid guys who could play for us for the next 10 years,” he said.
The Burrards will continue adding players in the draft, which is coming up on Jan. 31, and can be seen on wlalacross.com
READ ALSO: Maple Ridge Burrards to make picks in WLA junior draft this month
READ ALSO: Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge teams fail to get podium finishes at Goulet Memorial Classic
Have a story tip? Email: ncorbett@mapleridgenews.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.