The Mann Cup-champion Victoria Shamrocks are not expected to play a major role in tonight鈥檚 Western Lacrosse Association draft, not selecting until 14th overall, the final pick of the second round.
The Burnaby Lakers have the first overall selection among the seven-team league. The Nanaimo Timbermen have stock-piled 10 selections in the first 25, including the sixth to eighth picks; the 10th, 16th and 17th selections; and are slotted into the 20th, 22nd, 24th and 25th spots.
Victoria 鈥� which has won three straight WLA championships 鈥� selects 14th, 21st, 30th, 35th, 42nd, 49th, 56th, 63rd and 70th. Of course, the team could always trade up, but general manager Chris Welch recently said those chances are very slim.
鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing actively in the works for us. It鈥檚 not the deepest of draft years,鈥� he said, referring to a handful of blue-chip prospects.
Burnaby grabbed the No. 1 overall selection in a trade with Nanaimo in early January, sending the T-Men Casey Jackson and a handful of draft picks to acquire Eli McLaughlin and the No. 1 selection.
The top offensive-skilled player available is Josh Byrne of the New Westminster Junior Salmonbellies who tallied 118 goals in 43 games.
The draft is set to begin at 7 p.m. on the mainland. New Westminster selects second and fourth overall, with Coquitlam third and Langley fifth, rounding out the first round.
Late last month, the Timbermen also traded goaltender Zak Boychuk to Burnaby for third- and fourth-round picks in the 2018 WLA Draft.
