The Vancouver Warriors are ready to get the season started and that all begins with Training Camp.
The Warriors have a lot to look forward to this season due to the fact that there’s more talent on their roster than ever. They currently have 13 first-round picks, including eight that have been drafted by the Warriors, and five of whom were drafted by the team in the last two years.
Payton Cormier, the 2023 fourth overall pick, will be making his training camp debut with the Warriors after going back to the University of Viriginia and putting together a record-breaking campaign last season. Warriors’ defenceman Brayden Laity and goaltender Connor O’Toole were also drafted in the first round in 2023 and will be at camp.
This year’s first round brought in Etobicoke, Ontario product, forward Johnathan Peshko, and Coquitlam native and 2024 Minto Cup winner, defenceman Remo Schenato.
With the talent level reaching new heights, General Manager and Head Coach Curt Malawsky wants to see how the players gel and how they can help the team. In his second year with Vancouver, he’s aiming to hit the ground running at camp as all the returning players are familiar with the system and can help the newcomers along.
“It’s an exciting time just to be able to see what guys can do, how they can fit in,” Malawsky said, adding, “Seventy-five percent of our systems are set, so now we’re just adding layers to it. Being able to see the young guys battle against men, battle against elite competition, and see what they have [is exciting].”
A players’ coach, Malawsky can’t wait to get to training camp to share his knowledge and passion for the game. Oftentimes he coaches year-round, continuing to grow the game and give back. In September, he won gold with Team Canada at the 2024 World Box Lacrosse Championships as an assistant coach.
“I love coaching. Our coaches love coaching. We love teaching guys. For me, training camp is an opportunity, it’s why we’re really in this game, because we want to pay it forward,” he said.
Free agent signing, defenceman Jeff Cornwall, is getting ready for his first Warriors training camp. For the 12-year NLL veteran, it’s one of the marquee times of the lacrosse season and he’s got it circled on his calendar.
“That’s one of the best times of the year. The rest of the season, you meet up, practice and play a game, but at training camp you practice two or three times on the weekend and are getting more lacrosse in at a high intensity and working out the rust,” Cornwall said. “As much as the games are fun [in season], training camp is the time to get to know your teammates, test yourself at where you’re at, and build chemistry.”
The group will align, work on their systems, and make an impression with the coaching staff. They’ll also have a chance to play against other teams in two pre-season exhibition home games against the Colorado Mammoth and Calgary Roughnecks.
“All the young guys that are competing for spots will have a good opportunity over the first two weekends,” Malawsky said.
The Warriors’ bench boss wants to get as close to his final roster as possible for the exhibition games. Pre-season play is crucial for both the coaching staff and players to assess situational play, and for the younger players to get a feel of the NLL speed, time clocks and being able to go all-out against another team.
“Playing that last exhibition game like it’s a regular season game will hopefully give us a good foundation of understanding the speed of the game, the dynamic of playing someone else, and playing the guys that you’re going to potentially be playing with game one of the season,” Malawsky said. “We’re going to act like it’s a regular season game and treat it that way and then when we go to Colorado [game 1 of regular season], it’s like you’re playing game two.”
Getting up to game speed as quickly as possible is the goal, Warriors’ captain Brett Mydske has experienced the benefits of playing games the weeks leading up to the first regular-season showdown.
“We’re going to treat those weekends like actual game weeks, so we get used to that and then get the power play clicking, the short man clicking, five-on-five, and transition so we’re ready to go come opening night,” Mydske said.
As a 13-year NLL veteran, Mydske sees a lot of potential on the roster heading into camp and a lot of value in how the Warriors have strengthened their team through the draft over the last few years.
“The talent level is the highest I’ve ever seen it [in Vancouver] and if you want a championship team you can’t buy a championship team, you have to build it through the draft,” Mydske said. “Curt’s done an unbelievable job building through the draft and we’re excited.”
With a mix of seasoned veterans and promising young talent, the Warriors are ready to make their mark this season. Training camp is just the beginning of an exciting year for Vancouver lacrosse.
