In junior lacrosse, there is no bigger honour than the chance to call yourself a Minto Cup champion.
With a maximum of five years to win the trophy, the Minto carries a lot of weight in a young player’s early resume. Memories are etched in the brains while friendships and relationships grow through the tournament that sees four of the best junior teams in Canada come together to battle for the trophy that was first given out in 1901.
The Vancouver Warriors have two draft picks from 2023 in this year’s tournament.
Brayden Laity plays for the Port Coquitlam Saints and is known as one of, if not, the best defenceman in the BCJALL – winning the Reginald “Pop” Phillips Memorial Award for the best defensive player in the league in each of the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Laity played in 18 games with the Warriors and led them in blocked shots last season. Despite being one of the youngest players in the NLL in the 2023-24 season he was named to the NLL All-Rookie Team for his efforts.
Connor O’Toole will be playing for the Orangeville Northmen and is viewed as one of the top goalies in Canadian junior lacrosse. O’Toole was named a 2024 OJLL second-team All-Star and a finalist for the Sanderson Memorial Award, presented to the most outstanding goaltender in the OJLL. O’Toole will look to join the Warriors full-time this upcoming NLL season.
Laity is excited to play in a Minto Cup, but the excitement rises knowing that he will have friends and family in attendance as the tournament is taking place in his hometown.
“This is a rare opportunity for anyone, but having the Minto in BC is cool because I’ll have lots of friends and family coming out,” said Laity. “This doesn’t happen very often for anybody, so, you’ve got to make the best of your opportunity here.”
As for O’Toole, this is not only his first run at the Minto Cup, but his first taste of the postseason in junior lacrosse.
“It’s obviously really cool, I’ve never even made the playoffs in Junior A before this year, and now I’m heading to the Minto Cup, the national championship. I was an Ontario champion already, which I’ve never been to before, either. So, it’s a really cool opportunity. I’m really looking forward to getting out there and just soaking it all in.”
O’Toole was moved from his hometown Brampton Excelsiors to the Orangeville Northmen at the end of June and quickly gelled with his new club.
“It was obviously strange at first. You grow up in Brampton, Ontario and with Orangeville, there’s a huge rivalry,” said O’Toole. “You grow up not really liking all these guys, but they were great the second I walked in the room, it was like we’ve been friends for years, and that’s what Orangeville is – it’s a big family. It’s really helped me fit in and find my groove, and then the game is just playing. It’s the same game I’ve played, just with a different Jersey.”
The long history of the Northmen at the Minto Cup is well documented. Orangeville has won seven Minto Cups, with the last being in 2019.
“Orangeville is lacrosse success,” said O’Toole. “To jump into that and be immediately accepted by the community, it’s really cool to be a part of it. We’re trying to add our own little legacy to that history so that in 10 years, you’re looking back and you’re thinking about this 2024 Northmen team as one of the best.”
Both Laity and O’Toole understand the weight of this tournament in junior lacrosse and are excited about their opportunity to go down in Minto Cup history.
“I see it as one of the hardest trophies to win in all of lacrosse because you only get five years at it,” said Laity. “It’s not like a Mann Cup, where you can play for however long you want. It’s such a short period of time to put together a good team. It’s special to have a chance here to go and compete for it.”
The tournament kicks off this Saturday with Laity and his Saints battling against O’Toole and his Northmen. The game is scheduled for 4:00 pm at Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex.
You can get tickets at www.themintocup.com.
