Forty-One OJLL Graduates Selected In 2023 NLL Draft
Photo: NLLThe Ontario Junior Lacrosse League (OJLL) is thrilled to extend its congratulations to the forty-one graduates who received the incredible honour of being selected in the 2023 National Lacrosse League (NLL) Draft this past weekend at the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre in Oakville.
The Albany FireWolves selected Dyson Williams, a product of the Whitby Warriors, as the first overall pick in the draft, making it the sixth consecutive year that an OJLL graduate has held the top spot in the NLL Draft. Since the first NLL draft in 1996, twenty OJLL alumni have been selected first overall.
Ontario has long been recognized as a breeding ground for top-level NLL talent, and the 2023 NLL Draft reaffirmed this reputation with fourteen of the nineteen first-round picks hailing from the OJLL. Out of the 97 total selections made during the draft, an astounding 41 of them were OJLL graduates, an impressive 42% of all selections.
As these talented athletes embark on their professional careers, the OJLL expresses its heartfelt gratitude to the coaches, families, and Ontario Lacrosse clubs who have played an integral role in their development. Together, we celebrate this remarkable achievement and look forward to witnessing their continued success on the NLL stage and beyond.
Congratulations to the following OJLL graduates in the 2023 NLL Draft Class.
| Pick | NLL Team | Player | OJLL Team | University |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Albany | Dyson Williams | Whitby Warriors | Duke University |
| 2 | Las Vegas | Adam Poitras | Whitby Warriors | Loyola University Maryland |
| 3 | New York | Callum Jones | Burlington Chiefs | Norwich University |
| 4 | Vancouver | Payton Cormier | Mimico Mountaineers | University of Virginia |
| 7 | Vancouver | Brock Haley | Whitby Warriors | University of Vermont |
| 8 | Georgia | Jacob Hickey | Toronto Beaches | Western University |
| 10 | New York | Jake Stevens | Kitchener-Waterloo | Princeton University |
| 13 | San Diego | Matthew Wright | Mimico Mountaineers | Syracuse University |
| 14 | Albany | Nicholas Volkov | Burlington Blaze | University of Guelph |
| 15 | Rochester | Graydon Hogg | Whitby Warriors | University at Albany |
| 16 | Rochester | Ben MacDonnell | Whitby Warriors | Robert Morris University |
| 17 | Albany | Zachary Young | Mimico Mountaineers | University of North Carolina |
| 18 | Vancouver | Connor O’Toole | Brampton Excelsiors | Brock University |
| 19 | Georgia | Kaleb Benedict | Orangeville Northmen | |
| 20 | Saskatchewan | Thomas Kiazyk | Burlington Blaze | Carleton University |
| 21 | Panther City | Justin Sykes | Mimico Mountaineers | Hofstra University |
| 22 | Philadelphia | Mitchell Armstrong | St. Catharines Athletics | Brock University |
| 24 | Las Vegas | Luke Pilcher | Burlington Chiefs | Rochester Institute of Technology |
| 26 | Georgia | Liam McGrath | Orangeville Northmen | Lenoir-Rhyne University |
| 28 | Halifax | Mike Robinson | Peterborough Lakers | University of Delaware |
| 30 | Rochester | Jake Doolittle | Whitby Warriors | |
| 32 | Albany | Carson Moyer | Mimico Mountaineers | University of Utah |
| 33 | New York | Reed Kurtz | Mimico Mountaineers | University of Delaware |
| 38 | Buffalo | Evan Constantopoulos | Oakville Buzz | |
| 39 | Toronto | Zack Kearney | Oakville Buzz | UMass Amherst |
| 46 | Rochester | Jack Boyden | Toronto Beaches | University of Virginia |
| 47 | Halifax | Andrew Vradenburg | Burlington Blaze | |
| 49 | Toronto | Chase Schiavon | Orangeville Northmen | |
| 50 | Las Vegas | Luke Robinson | Whitby Warriors | Jacksonville University |
| 53 | Buffalo | Jake Rosa | Kitchener-Waterloo | St. Bonaventure University |
| 57 | Las Vegas | Joey Szabo | Mimico Mountaineers | Queens University of Charlotte |
| 58 | Saskatchewan | Curtis Bukta | Mimico Mountaineers | Newberry College |
| 59 | Philadelphia | Stone Jacobs | Toronto Beaches | University of Vermont |
| 60 | Philadelphia | Noah Millsap | Orangeville Northmen | Queens University |
| 65 | Toronto | John Wheller | Whitby Warriors | University of Guelph |
| 69 | Albany | Andrew Kidd | Toronto Beaches | Brock University |
| 71 | New York | Robert Morgan | Oakville Buzz | |
| 79 | Toronto | Brett Handsor | Barrie Lakeshores | Johns Hopkins University |
| 87 | Saskatchewan | Scott Reed | Whitby Warriors | Newberry College |
| 91 | Philadelphia | Hayden Fox | Six Nation Arrows | Johns Hopkins University |
| 94 | Toronto | Luke Dawick | Oakville Buzz | McGill University |
About The OJLL
The Ontario Junior Lacrosse League (OJLL), established in 1933, is a Canadian 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 junior men’s box lacrosse league in the world.
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