The Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League governs major lacrosse in Alberta.
The information provided below has been sourced from RMLL material and is provided by Southern Alberta Chaos as a courtesy for interest only.
Please visit the RMLL website for official league and Franchise news, announcements, floor times, tryouts, and updates.
INTRO TO MAJOR LACROSSE
The Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League (RMLL) is the governing body / league for Alberta amateur lacrosse players who have aged out of Minor Lacrosse and still wish to play competitively. There are six Divisions and 60 teams in the RMLL including three Junior Men's Divisions – Jr. B Tiers I and II and Jr. A – which complement each other and allow for development of both players and teams (or "franchises" as they are referred to in major lacrosse.) The age category for Junior lacrosse is 17 to 21 years old. With five years of eligibility, the average age of the players on any given Franchise varies by Division with the youngest usually in Tier II and the more seasoned veterans playing Jr. A. The main difference between each Tier / Division is an increased level of play. As players develop their skills, the game becomes faster, harder hitting and, with each level, strategy becomes even more integral to a Franchise's success. A player’s time commitment also increases with each level: a Tier II player is most likely on the floor 2 to 3 times a week while a Junior A player is on the floor 4 to 5 times a week. The Junior B Tier II Franchises are the entry level teams for most first-year Juniors. In 2024, of the 213 first year Juniors who played in the RMLL, 4 played on a Junior A Franchise, 78 played on a Junior B Tier I Franchise and 131 played on a Tier II Franchise. During the five-year span of Junior Lacrosse, players are encouraged to move up through the Divisions as skill levels develop.
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The RMLL Junior B Tier II Division
The Tier II Divisions (North/Jim Andrews & South/Cindy Garant) absorb the majority of Graduating U17s and serve as an important training opportunity for skilled players wishing to pursue the game of box lacrosse to their fullest potential. Starting out in T2 allows time for players to mature physically and develop their games as well as get used to the significant differences between Minor and Major lacrosse, some of which are listed below:
- game format: games have a minimum 30-minute warm-up with three 20 minute stop time periods and two 10-minute intermissions
- longer season, dependant upon how deep into playoffs they go
- bigger nets (4’X4’6″ instead of 4’X4’)
- Provincial travel (and in some Divisions, inter-provincial travel)
- 3-Person-Mechanic (Referees) when available
- RMLL modified rules of play making for a faster game
- Five-year age category
- Introduction and development of different tactics
Currently the RMLL has 16 Junior B Tier II Franchises divided into North and South Divisions:
- North Division
Edmonton Warriors, Parkland Posse, Sherwood Park Titans, St. Albert Crude, Lakeland Heat, Lloydminster Xtreme, Red Deer Renegades, and Sylvan Lake Yetti. - South Division
Calgary Axemen, Calgary Bandits, Calgary Wranglers, High River Heat, Mountain View Stingers, Rockyview Rage, Southern Alberta Chaos, and Strathmore Venom.
Following Playoffs, the top two Franchises from each Conference compete in a Provincial Tournament, rotating between the North and South regions. The “Jim Lovgren Award” recognizes the highest point leader from the Regular Season in the South Division and was bestowed on our very own CHAOS #11 Austin Sheen at the conclusion of the 2024 season!
FAQs
REGISTRATION:
- GRADUATING U17s: first-year Juniors register with their Minor Club's Tier II Franchise. If your Minor Club does not have a Tier II Franchise, you may be a Tier II Free Agent. SALA PLAYERS: The Chaos Lacrosse Club Tier II Franchise holds the rights to the graduating U17 male players from the Brooks, Lethbridge and Taber Minor Clubs. Players from SALA Clubs not mentioned are Tier II Free Agents and may register with the Tier II Club of their choice.
Graduating U17 female players: please reach out to discuss your options in major lacrosse! - RETURNING JR PLAYERS: register with the Franchise you were rostered to in 2024.
- JR A or JR B T1 HOPES: plans to attend camps or tryouts for teams in a higher division doesn't change the registration process set out above. Registering is not the same as being rostered--follow the steps above to establish your player rights.
PLAYER RIGHTS: In minor lacrosse it was easy--just sign up to play for the local team. In major lacrosse, the team a player may play for is determined by which Franchise(s) hold or "protect" his player rights. Neither being Drafted nor being on a Franchise's Protected List guarantees a player a spot on that team. That said, players have rights in each of the three Divisions. Depending on many considerations (options available, player's physical size, skill level, and experience, school / work obligations and availability, injury or rehab status, cost concerns, travel obligations, long term plans, etc. etc. etc.), where to play is ultimately the player's choice to make.
ROSTERS:
The size of a Franchise's Roster can vary. Jr.A and Jr.BT1 each have a 25 man roster but they also have additional players on Protected Lists. T2 has no Protected List and therefore gets a slightly larger Roster size of 30 players. In addition to the rostered player and players on the Protected List, all Divisions can call up players from a lower division. In 2025, all of T2 affiliations will be coming from U17 programs as the league has discontinued the Tier III Division for this season.
Regardless of how many roster spots there are, only 20 players may be dressed for each game (18 runners and 2 goalies). Franchises will strategically fill those 20 spots with the players most likely to get a positive result (win.) Playing time is determined and managed by the coaches for the benefit of the Franchise and its players.
PROTECTED LIST: Both Jr.A and Jr.BT1 Division Franchises have Protected Lists--T2 does not. Being on a Franchise's Protected List means that Franchise is the only team in that Division where the player may play. Players become protected by either or both a Jr.A and/or a Jr.BT1 Franchise when:
> the player is rostered by the Franchise;
> the player is a graduating U17 either drafted by the Franchise or undrafted but agrees in writing to be added to the Franchise's protected list;
> the player signs as a free agent.
The Protected Lists of all Jr.A and Jr.BT1 teams in the Province can be viewed on the RMLL website as well as all Jr.A and Jr.BT1 Transactions (draft results, trades, releases, etc.) which are posted by the League once they have been approved. Only players on the Roster can play for the Franchise but there can be a lot of activity as players move back and forth between Rosters and Protected List (being away for school, injured, etc.) Often players on a Protected List are Rostered to a lower Division or Tier where they will play unless and until needed and called up.
HOW IT WORKS:
ROSTERS:
The size of a Franchise's Roster can vary. Jr.A and Jr.BT1 each have a 25 man roster but they also have additional players on Protected Lists. T2 has no Protected List and therefore gets a slightly larger Roster size of 30 players. In addition to the rostered player and players on the Protected List, all Divisions can call up players from a lower division. In 2025, all of T2 affiliations will be coming from U17 programs as the league has discontinued the Tier III Division for this season.
Regardless of how many roster spots there are, only 20 players may be dressed for each game (18 runners and 2 goalies). Franchises will strategically fill those 20 spots with the players most likely to get a positive result (win.) Playing time is determined and managed by the coaches for the benefit of the Franchise and its players.
PROTECTED LIST: Both Jr.A and Jr.BT1 Division Franchises have Protected Lists--T2 does not. Being on a Franchise's Protected List means that Franchise is the only team in that Division where the player may play. Players become protected by either or both a Jr.A and/or a Jr.BT1 Franchise when:
> the player is rostered by the Franchise;
> the player is a graduating U17 either drafted by the Franchise or undrafted but agrees in writing to be added to the Franchise's protected list;
> the player signs as a free agent.
The Protected Lists of all Jr.A and Jr.BT1 teams in the Province can be viewed on the RMLL website as well as all Jr.A and Jr.BT1 Transactions (draft results, trades, releases, etc.) which are posted by the League once they have been approved. Only players on the Roster can play for the Franchise but there can be a lot of activity as players move back and forth between Rosters and Protected List (being away for school, injured, etc.) Often players on a Protected List are Rostered to a lower Division or Tier where they will play unless and until needed and called up.
HOW IT WORKS:
- FOR JR.A: Each Junior A team can protect up to 50 players. The Franchise's Protected List includes the players from the team's previous season roster who are still junior eligible (i.e. under 22 years old and to a maximum 25 players), plus players they drafted, plus selected Jr. Aged players (free agents) to a maximum of 50. As long as a player is listed on a Jr. A team’s Protected List, he cannot play for another Jr. A team in Alberta. A player will remain on a Jr. A team’s Protected List as long as the player is eligible to play Junior (regardless of whether he ever makes roster) until the Franchise trades the player's rights to another Jr.A team or releases the player from their Protected List.
A player not protected by a Jr.A Franchise is a "free agent" in the Jr.A Division. - FOR JR.BT1: Each Junior B Tier I team can protect up to 35 players. The Franchise's Protected List includes the players from the team's previous season roster who are still junior eligible (i.e. under 22 years old and to a maximum 25 players), plus players they drafted, plus selected Jr. Aged players (free agents) to a maximum of 35. As long as a player is listed on a Jr.BT1 team’s Protected List, he cannot play for another Jr.BT1 team in Alberta. A player will remain on a Jr.BT1 team’s Protected List as long as the player is eligible to play Junior until the Franchise trades the player's rights to another Jr.BT1 team, releases the player from their Protected List or the player requests release because he has not been rostered by the Jr.BT1 Franchise that holds his rights for two (2) consecutive playing seasons (unless the reason the player wasn't rostered is because he is on a Junior A roster.) Releases are most likely right before the draft as the Franchise will need to make room on the Protected List for the U17 players it intends to draft.
A player not protected by a Jr.BT1 Franchise is a "free agent" in the Jr.BT1 Division. - FOR JR B T2: T2 does not draft or have Protected Lists--T2 Franchises start any given season with the T2 playing rights of players from the team's previous season roster who are still junior eligible (i.e. under 22 years old and to a maximum 25 players) and the initial playing rights to Graduating U17s as determined by minor club affiliation and/or geographic boundaries.
Teams will hold tryouts and select players to Roster for the current season. Once Rostered, the player's T2 rights belong to that Franchise and he cannot play for another T2 team in Alberta until the Franchise trades the player's rights to another T2 team, releases the player from the Franchise Roster, or the player does not make roster the next season. A player who does not make the current season roster of the T2 Franchise that holds his rights OR is a graduating U17 from a Club without a T2 team (unless otherwise assigned by the RMLL as mentioned in the Registration section above) is a "free agent" in the T2 Division.
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JUNIOR ENTRY DRAFTS
In an effort to keep the competitiveness of Franchises in the Divisions consistent, the Junior A and Junior B Tier I Divisions hold Graduating U17 Player Drafts annually before mid-February.
2025 Draft Eligibility: All male U17 Players born in 2008 and on the ALA's Graduating U17 List (players registered in the Province who aged out of minor lacrosse at the end of the prior season just completed) are eligible for the Junior A and Junior B Tier I Drafts.
UNTIL THE DRAFT DATES: JR A: all Graduating U17 Players on the Graduating U17 Player List from CALL, CDLA and SALA Minor Lacrosse Clubs may attend any/all open floor sessions of the Jr. A Mounties and/or Jr. A Raiders; and JRBT1: all Graduating U17 Players on the Graduating U17 Player List may attend any Junior B Tier I floor time. Up until the draft dates, all T2 players not currently listed on a Jr.BT1 Franchise’s Protected List may also attend any Junior B Tier I floor time. (If on a Protected List, T2 players are limited to the floor time of the Jr.BT1 Franchise that holds their rights.)
- JR A (Draft Date: Feb 3, 2025 @ 7pm): The Calgary Junior A Mountaineers and the Calgary Junior A Raiders each draft 10 Graduating U17 Players from the CALL, CDLA and SALA Minor Lacrosse Clubs. Following the draft there will be tryouts (tryouts can be by invitation only or open. All open tryouts are posted on the Home Page of the RMLL website.) Jr. A Free Agents in CALL, CDLA and SALA may try out for either team. Drafted/protected players can only attend the tryouts of the Jr. A team which drafted/protected them.
- JR B T1 (Draft Dates: Feb 5-9, 2025): Central Draft Feb 5 (players from Red Deer, Olds, Innisfail, Blackfalds, Kneehills, Lacoka, Olds, Red Deer, Stettler and Sylvan Lake Minor Lacrosse Associations) / South Draft Feb 6 (players from Rockyview Rage, High River Heat, Okotoks Raiders, Strathmore Venom, Calgary Hornets, Calgary Knights, Calgary Axemen, and Calgary Sabrecats Minor Lacrosse Clubs) / North Draft Feb 7 (players from Blues, Beaumont, Fort Saskatchewan, Leduc, Parkland, Rams, Titans, Warriors, Westlock, Wizards, Grande Prairie, Flagstaff, Lakeland, Lloydminster, Vermilion, Wainwright, and Wood Buffalo Minor Lacrosse Associations) and then on Feb 9, 2025 @ 1:30pm the Southern Alberta Rockies will draft up to 20 Graduating U17 Players from the SALA Minor Lacrosse Clubs (Brooks, Chief Mountain, Lethbridge, Taber and Medicine Hat.) Drafted/protected players can only attend Jr.BT1 tryouts of the Jr.BT1 team which drafted/protected them. All Graduating U17 Players on the Graduating U17 Player List for the Season who are not drafted AND all T2 players who are not on a team’s Protected List are Junior B Tier I Free Agents. Jr. B T1 Free Agents may try out for ANY Jr.BT1 team once all four drafts have been concluded.