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Captain White Ready for 2024
As the Regular Season gets underway, the Warriors will again look to its veterans to show a young team what it takes to succeed in this league. Michael White heads into his final year of Junior lacrosse with an understanding of his team and what they are capable of accomplishing.
"I think we have a solid group this year and a bunch of guys that are capable of getting the job done. We have a bit of a younger team but those guys have stepped up and adjusted quickly. We got some new faces on the coaching staff but they have all been very good to us and they are very experienced in what they are talking about."
Co-General Manager Joel Watson agrees.
"I’m excited, we have a good mix between some veteran guys and some younger new players. We have seen what a good mix of players can do in a wide open league such as the OJLL in 2022 when we won the Minto last."
The Warriors have only twelve returning players. Those veterans will be relied upon heavily, but the opportunities for the new roster members to develop and learn under Head Coach Kevin Jenkins and his staff will be plenty. Depending on how quickly they develop, the results could attract some attention.
"I think we are definitely overlooked going into the season and are playing an underdog role, but with the players and staff that we have, I think we can upset some teams and take the league by surprise." says White.
"I think we have the pieces to compete for an opportunity to represent Ontario at the Minto Cup." adds Watson. "Looking forward to a great summer of lacrosse."
We are too Joel.
PLL Drafts Whitby Warriors Alumni
Another successful Premier Lacrosse League College Draft saw two Whitby Warriors Jr A. alumni selected. Adam Poitras and Dyson Williams heard their names called respectively with Poitras being selected with the third pick in the fourth round (27th overall) by the Maryland Whipsnakes and Williams being taken with the eighth pick in the second round (16th overall) by the defending champions, Utah Archers. Williams and Poitras were both taken number one and two, respectively, in the 2023 National Lacrosse League draft with Williams being taken by the Albany Firewolves who will be making their first NLL Finals appearance this year, and Poitras was selected by the Las Vegas Desert Dogs. Let’s take a look at these two stars in the NCAA at the Division I level. Poitras came into his senior year at Loyola University with hopes of making it to the NCAA Championships, but fell short and missed it. Despite not making it to the ‘The Big Dance’ Poitras rounded out his NCAA career on a high. The 6-foot-2 Attackman was named to the All-Patriot League First Team and the Academic All-Patriot League squad. He was also awarded Inside Lacrosse and USA Lacrosse Magazine honours after racking up 41 goals and tying a team-high with 56 points. Poitras became the first Whitby Jr A alumni Midfielder/Attackman to be drafted. He started his collegiate career as a Midfielder and began his senior year at middie before moving to attack after scoring the overtime goal against Towson, recording two goals and an assist at Bucknell and recording a hattrick against a strong Boston University Bulldogs team, all in consecutive weeks. For Williams, his family name is well-known in the lacrosse community. Dyson’s father, Shawn, played for over 20 seasons in the NLL and was the recipient of the NLL Sportsmanship award in 2010. However, Dyson’s story is a bit different from Shawn’s. For starters, Shawn never attended an NCAA institution. Shawn went to Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario where he had a stellar Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association (CUFLA) career. Dyson, however, has been a starter for the Duke Blue Devils since he arrived, starting all 19 games for Duke in the 2023 season and registering a career high in goals, points and shots on goal. In 2024, Dyson recorded a career high in goals in one game with five in Duke’s round of 16 match against Utah. Dyson was also a member of Team Canada in the 2023 Men’s Field Lacrosse World Championships in San Diego, CA. Williams and Duke are now looking to book their ticket back to championship weekend when the second-seeded Blue Devils face off against the seventh-seeded Maryland Terrapins. These two remarkable players have had stellar collegiate careers and each had very successful Jr A careers. For Poitras, he captained the 2022 team to the organization's eighth Minto Cup, while wearing number 51. The number 51 is to honour Tucker Williams. Shawn and Tamara’s son, and Dyson and Dyalana’s brother who passed away at the young age of eight years old due to a rare form of cancer called Burkitt’s Lymphoma. Shawn started wearing the number 51 when he was playing junior lacrosse and all throughout his NLL career and Dyson wore it when he played for Whitby and Poitras had the honour of wearing it when he won the national championship. “To wear this number on my back each and every game, it’s amazing,” Poitras said in an interview back in 2022 prior to winning the Minto Cup, “The whole legacy and story of Tucker is why I play and why I have a piece of tape that says ‘TW51’ on it and it’s just an amazing feeling to wear this jersey and play for Tuck.” Dyson also talked about his brother and how he was proud of Adam wearing 51 for the season. “I’ve known Adam for years and to have him wear our [family] number, it’s just amazing and I wouldn’t want it any other way.” On behalf of the Whitby Warriors Jr A organization, congratulations Adam and Dyson on being drafted and we know you will continue to honour and represent Whitby on the professional stage.
April 10, 2024
Student Volunteer Opportunities Available
We are actively recruiting students looking to gain Volunteer Hours to use toward completion of your High School Diploma. There are currently two categories: Game Day Operations Team, Team Member
10 Home Games + Playoffs
Home arena is Iroquois Park Sports Centre in Whitby
Arrival time is 30 minutes before game start time. Departure time is at game completion. Average game length of time is 2 hours. So expect to commit 2.5-3 hours per game
Attendance at all games is not mandatory
Expected duties: assisting with Arena Entry Set-Up, Operation and Tear-Down; 50/50 Set-Up, Operation and Tear-Down; In-Game Duties as assigned (could be moving equipment, in-games merchandise sales, etc.)
Game Day Operations Team, Music Operations
10 Home Games + Playoffs
Home arena is Iroquois Park Sports Centre in Whitby
Arrival time is 1:15 before Game Start. Warm Ups begin one hour before Game Time. Departure is after game completion
Experience is not necessary however certainly an asset
Attendance at all games is not mandatory but preferred
Expected Duties: coordinate and operate Warm Up and In-Game Music Entertainment in a professional and entertaining manner. As a family-oriented sporting event, this should be reflected in the music selection.
If you are interested in joining our team, please contact us at [email protected]. Use "Whitby Warriors Junior A Game Day Operations Team" in the Subject Line.
Michael White Named Team Captain of the Warriors
Following the success of the previous season in winning the Minto Cup, coupled with the coaching changes which took place in the off-season, Head Coach Mitch Wilde, and Co-General Managers Greg O’Connor and Mark Mason had some decisions to make.One was who would be the next Captain of the team.Adam Poitras graduated at the end of last season along with numerous others, so the role needed to be filled by an experienced player who could lead a young team.
The list of the candidates contained veterans remaining from the Minto Cup Team, several in their last season of Junior A lacrosse.Typically the Captaincy is held by a player in his final year.It didn’t take long for Wilde, O'Connor and Mason to come to their decision of who would best fit the role.
Whitby Warriors Head Coach Mitch Wilde:
“Michael White was a unanimous decision by our coaching staff to be the next captain of the Whitby Warriors. After losing so many incredible leaders and veterans from our championship team last year, we told ourselves we will take our time seeing who will be the next leaders for this team. Mike really cemented himself as the leader of this team. He exemplifies what anyone would strive to be in a leader. He leads by example. He's consistently our best defensemen each and every night, always competing to the best of his ability and really showing these younger guys how to play at a high level. He's a great vocal leader and strong communicator on the bench, always looking to talk things out if a play doesn't go well, motivating guys to be their best and staying positive amongst this group. Around the team, he is respected by all, he's a fun guy to be around and enjoyed by everyone around him. For those reasons and more, it was clear Mike would be our next captain. Mike and I have a great relationship, he's taking on the role of communicating with me weekly about where the team stands and where we can improve as a whole. It's been awesome to see him grow as a lacrosse player and a young adult. The sky's the limit for his future."
Michael White played his Minor and Junior Lacrosse in Whitby.With many accomplishments throughout his career, including Ontario Midget A Championships, Team Ontario representation, and attending Queens University at Charlotte as a Freshman Attack, White offers the Warriors an experienced player who has been exposed to, and learned from, leaders at many levels.
Queens University at Charlotte Head Coach Nik Colpitts had this to say about White:
“As soon as Michael stepped on campus this past August, I knew he was a special individual. Michael not only possesses athletic attributes such as strength, toughness and physicality that help him on the field but what really sets him apart from his peers is his how he conducts himself personally. Michael has a magnetic personality which brings out the best in his teammates. From the way conducts himself on the field, in the weight room and in our campus community, my favorite thing about Michael is just how great of person he is. I am so happy for him to receive this recognition and trust from his teammates - the leadership of the Warriors is in the best of hands. We are lucky to call him a Royal!”
A team Captain is traditionally a veteran player with the demeanour to steady the team, lead by example, and find ways to bring the team together. White feels he has learned from past leaders in both his Box and Field career to do these things, bringing a quiet confidence to the responsibility of leading the defending National Champs.
As the Warriors get set to open their playoff series this week, the young team will look to the veterans for guidance. White is ready to handle the task, and defend their National title to the best of their abilities.