This is a exciting development. Joey will team up with future Orange Trey Deere & Donny Scott on Orangeville along with Jameson Bucktooth & Koleton Marquis (Hopkins frosh & Deere’s lifelong friend). I watched a ton of OJLL Junior A last summer with their upgraded game streams & am even more pumped to see Hiltz with Peterborough & Finn Thomson with Mimico. I’d really love to see Birtwistle & even Leo join a team as well & wonder if Joey’s brothers make their way up North. Joey’s played box before with a select team but the OJLL has become the premier summer league for HS/college players.
I’m not sure if I previously mentioned this but I loved seeing Spallina & Birtwistle add the Canadian flag decal to the back of their helmet after the first few games. It seemed like a show of respect & comradery with their Canadian teammates Hiltz, Thomson, & Simmons. Gait & March are really pushing our offensive philosophy as positionless “Box Lax on a field”, right down to the horn over the Dome speakers after goals, & having a strong Orange presence in the OJLL will only help attract more & more Canadian/Native talent. The next step is having the Dome lights go off after goals like football does after TDs to give us even more of an NLL feel. Rutgers does it after goals in their outdoor stadium & it looks awesome.