HAMILTON’S CLARK DUNFORD SELECTED FIRST OVERALL IN 2023 OJLL DRAFT
The Ontario Lacrosse League (The OJLL) held its annual Entry Draft on Sunday, January 22, 2023 at the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre in Oakville, Ontario.
Ontario players born in 2006 that are not residentially protected by OJLL teams or protected under OLA R6.43(a) of the OLA Rules and Regulations were eligible for selection in the two rounds of the 2023 OJLL Draft. The 2023 protected lists can be found here.
While not every team held a pick, all 11 teams participated in the draft, with Kitchener-Waterloo General Manager Doug Arthur making the first and second overall selections. There were twenty-two selections in total.
Commissioner Mark Grimes began the OJLL Draft with a land acknowledgement and provided an update on the league’s most recent partnership agreement with Empire Communities, who will the the league’s first official jersey sponsor beginning with the upcoming 2023 season. More on the partnership can be found here.
The Commissioner then welcomed Whitby Warriors General Manager Greg O’Connor to the podium, awarding the Minto Cup champions with an honourary first overall selection in memory of the late Tucker Williams.
Steve Toll, St. Catharines Athletics Head Coach and close friend of the Williams family, also shared a few words before thanking the league for honouring Tucker’s memory in what would have been his OJLL draft year.
Treysen Stewart (5th overall), Zackary Toll (3rd overall), and Tucker Williams (Honourary 1st overall)
Eight of Tucker’s Oshawa Blue Knights teammates were selected in the 2023 OJLL Draft, setting a league record for the most draft selections from a single minor club. The Oshawa Blue Knights U17 squad had a remarkable run this past season, capturing Gold at the 2022 Ontario Summer Games.
Clark Dunford was selected first overall by Kitchener-Waterloo. The multi-sport athlete is a product of the Hamilton Bengals Minor Lacrosse Club, and was also selected by the Hamilton Bulldogs in the 2022 OHL draft.
FIRST ROUND
| Pick | Team | Player | Minor Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| H1 | Whitby | Tucker Williams | Oshawa Blue Knights |
| 1 | Kitchener | Clark Dunford | Hamilton Bengals |
| 2 | Kitchener | Caiden Merritt | Halton Hills Bulldogs |
| 3 | St. Catharines | Zackary Toll | Oshawa Blue Knights |
| 4 | St. Catharines | Ty Wilson | Oshawa Blue Knights |
| 5 | Whitby | Treysen Stewart | Oshawa Blue Knights |
| 6 | St. Catharines | Cameron Wheelans | Oshawa Blue Knights |
| 7 | Kitchener | Tyler Graham | Cambridge Highlanders |
| 8 | St. Catharines | Zack Poirier | Nepean Knights |
| 9 | Kitchener | Joseph Columbus | Centre-Wellington Riverhawks |
| 10 | St. Catharines | Noah Simpson | Oshawa Blue Knights |
| 11 | Kitchener | Nolan Barker | London Blue Devils |
SECOND ROUND
| Pick | Team | Player | Minor Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Whitby | Holden Ranta | Oshawa Blue Knights |
| 13 | Peterborough | Matthew Drimmie | Oshawa Blue Knights |
| 14 | Kitchener | Brayden Mitchell | Wallaceburg Griffins |
| 15 | Six Nations | Quinn Brennan | Windsor Warlocks |
| 16 | Peterborough | Owen Rice | Kahnawake Mohawks |
| 17 | Kitchener | Hunter Roy | Milton Mavericks |
| 18 | Oakville | Kayle Ryan | Clarington Gaels |
| 19 | Brampton | Alexander May | Orillia Kings |
| 20 | Brampton | Nicholas Belmonte | Oshawa Blue Knights |
| 21 | Six Nations | Landon Jaeckle | Niagara-on-the-Lake Thunderhawks |
| 22 | St. Catharines | Josh Manning | London Blue Devils |
Note: Under OLA R6.38(a), minor centres that have a Junior B (OJBLL) or Junior C (OJCLL) team may only have one player selected each year. Only one goalie can be drafted from these centres in a 5-year period.
WANT MORE DRAFT COVERAGE?
Multi-sport athlete Clark Dunford of Hamilton was taken first overall at the 2023 OJLL Entry Draft.
— The Lax Mag (@TheLaxMag) January 23, 2023
More on the Kitchener-Waterloo Lacrosse Club's #1 pick, a beautiful tribute to Tucker Williams, plus the 21 other names teams added today: https://t.co/HepNxZz67O pic.twitter.com/RutwA7xy9k
ONTARIO JUNIOR LACROSSE LEAGUE
The Ontario Junior Lacrosse League (OJLL), established in 1933, is a Canadian junior men’s box lacrosse league that has operated under the Ontario Lacrosse Association (OLA) since the 1800s. The league, comprising 11 teams located in Ontario, is the top provider of talent to the National Lacrosse League (NLL), and is considered the most competitive amateur lacrosse league in the world.
MEDIA CONTACT
Colleen Grimes | pr@ontariojuniorlacrosse.com
