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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, Foothills Spurs, 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.  CHAOS #11 Austin Sheen received the top scorer awards for both the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

In 2025, the League introduced coach-nominated All Star team selections in the T2 division.  Huge congrats to the Chaotic who were selected to First (#35 Cam Greenley and #11 Austin Sheen) and Second (#29 Brady Weasel Fat and #5 Michael Dyck) All Star teams.  Way to go fellas!

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JUNIOR ENTRY DRAFTS

Graduating U17 Player Drafts are held annually before mid-February to support competitive consistency.

  • 2026 Junior A Draft Eligibility:  All male U17 Players born in 2009 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 Draft. 
  • 2026 Draft Ineligibility:  SALA Minor Lacrosse Clubs (Brooks, Chief Mountain, Lethbridge, Taber and Medicine Hat) are not located within a draft catchment zone as proscribed by the League for either the JrBT1 or Major Female Divisions. That means that:
    • Graduating male U17 Players from SALA are Jr. B T1 Free Agents and are not eligible for the Junior B Tier 1 Drafts; and
    • Graduating female U17 Players from SALA are Major Female Free Agents and are not eligible for the Major Female Draft (if a graduating female player wishes to play T2, she should register with the appropriate Club franchise based on where she played minor and attend that team's tryouts.) 
  • ALL ​graduating players are encouraged to attend the combines as well as the new player information sessions hosted by the RMLL.


​​​​​​​GENERAL OPEN FLOOR TIME info:

  •  JR A:  all male 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 AND all T2 players NOT currently listed on a Jr.BT1 Franchise’s Protected List may attend any Junior B Tier I floor time.   (If currently on a Protected List, T2 players can ONLY attend Jr.BT1 floor times of the Franchise that holds their rights); and
  • Major Female:  all female Graduating U17 Players on the Graduating U17 Player List may attend any Major Female floor time. 

FAQs

2026 REGISTRATION:
  • GRADUATING U17s:  first-year Juniors MUST initially register with a Tier II Franchise.  As the original founders of the Chaos Junior Lacrosse Club, the initial rights to players from the Brooks, Lethbridge and Taber minor programs are held by the CJLC Tier II Franchise.  If you were a Driller, Cuda or Thrasher, register with the Southern Alberta Chaos.  If, in the last year of U17, you received a one-year release from your Minor Club to play for another Minor Club (ie HOKS), your player rights revert back to the Club that released you.  (If your release in the last year of U17 was permanent, then your player's rights are held by the last Club played for.  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 2025.
  • 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.  Starting with the 2025 season, all of T2 affiliations will be coming from U17 programs (the league has discontinued the Tier III Division.)
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:
  1. 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.

  2. 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. 

  3. 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 held by the franchise (as established by the RMLL based on the player's minor club 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.

    MAJOR FEMALE:  Please reach out for more information about this Division.