Winnipeg Blizzard Jr A

Manitoba Lacrosse Announcement - Winnipeg Blizzard Accepted into Junior A

Manitoba Lacrosse is proud to congratulate the Winnipeg Blizzard on being officially accepted into the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League (RMLL) Junior A Division! The Blizzard will become the fifth Junior A franchise and will begin competing at this level starting this upcoming season.

This elevation is a natural progression for the program. Over the last 10 years at the Tier 1 Junior B level, the Winnipeg Blizzard have been the winningest franchise in the league, capturing three league championships and appearing in five league finals. Their sustained success, culture of development, and consistent high-level performance have made Junior A the logical next step.

Junior A is the highest level of box lacrosse in Canada for players aged 16 to 21. In hockey terms, it is the lacrosse equivalent of the Western Hockey League (WHL) — a national high-performance pathway for elite junior athletes.

The RMLL Junior A division now consists of:

• Blizzard Jr A - Winnipeg
• Raiders Jr A - Calgary
• Mounties Jr A - Calgary
• Miners Jr A - Edmonton
• SWAT Jr A - Saskatoon

Junior A athletes practice and compete 4-6 times per week, including multiple games, and teams regularly travel between Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, and Saskatoon. This level is fast, skilled, demanding — and has produced numerous NLL professionals, NCAA athletes, and high-performance players.

Each year, teams draft 10 first-year Junior players and may protect up to 50 players on their Protected List. The regular season runs from late April to mid-July, followed by playoffs and Provincials. The RMLL Junior A Champion earns the right to compete for the Minto Cup, Canada’s national Junior A championship.

The acceptance of the Winnipeg Blizzard into Junior A represents one of the most significant milestones in the modern history of lacrosse in our province. This move creates a new high-performance pathway for Manitoba athletes, elevates Manitoba’s presence on the national lacrosse stage, ensures top-level development for athletes aged 16-21, and strengthens the long-term future of the sport in our province.

A huge congratulations goes out to Terry Williams and his entire team for their vision, commitment, and years of hard work that made this possible. Their dedication has built a program worthy of competing at the highest junior level in Canada.

This is big news for lacrosse in Manitoba, and we cannot wait to see the Winnipeg Blizzard Jr A take the floor in their debut season.

Congratulations, Winnipeg Blizzard! The future of Manitoba lacrosse just took a major step forward.