The Vancouver Warriors have won their fourth straight game and climbed their way back into the playoff picture. They sit just one game back of a playoff spot. You can give credit to a lot of people for the surge. Whether it’s Keegan Bal, who has 20 goals in his last four games, Adam Charalambides, who continues to prove he’s one of the top players in the National Lacrosse League, or general manager and head coach Curt Malawlsky. The important thing is that the Warriors are playing their best lacrosse when it matters most.
The star players are performing well, but enough can’t be said about the Warriors’ young studs. For example, Brayden Laity and Owen Grant won NLL Rookie of the Week in back-to-back weeks. Goaltender Aden Walsh has shut the door during the winning streak and has taken over the starting role for Vancouver between the pipes.
Following their win against the Halifax Thunderbirds, Charalambides spoke highly of his young netminder. “I thought Walsh was great, he made some huge saves down the stretch there. Halifax has a very potent offense, very skilled guys into their third and fourth lefty and right (forwards) and I thought Walsh had a great game.” Walsh has started every game for the Warriors since week 11 and hasn’t looked back, posting a 5-2 record.
Your Week 18 Player and Rookie of the Week are in! Fuelled by Gatorade Canada 💪@dhanesmith92 x @owenngrantt pic.twitter.com/WvCUem9P7w
— NLL (@NLL) April 2, 2024
Not many teams would have as much faith as the Warriors do in their young players, especially in critical games down the stretch. Malawsky notes how important it is for the young players to get experience playing meaningful games at the end of the season.
“You can’t buy experience, you have to go through it, you have to play in games like this. You have to go to Philadelphia where it’s tough, and win on the road with bad travel and bad sleep. All that stuff for those young guys, you put that experience together and they’re better and better. You fight challenge after challenge, so having young guys that can play through this and understand what it takes to be in a grind it out is important for the organization.”, said Malawsky.
The playoffs aren’t a guarantee for the Warriors this season, but they are just getting started for years to come. This late-season push is a testament to the culture Malawlsky is building in Vancouver and how the young guns have risen to the occasion.
Walsh has been a big part of the current win streak, Laity leads the team in blocked shots and is fifth in caused turnovers, and Grant is second in caused turnovers. All of these players are under 24. This team is still headlined by Charalambides, Bal, and Ryan Martel, but the young guns are pulling their weight and will be ready to take over the reins when the time comes. The franchise is turning things around and building for big things in the future.