Salmonbellies Add Two More Defenders Via 2025 WLA Draft

A week after announcing that graduating Junior Salmonbellies Ben Soenen and Tysen Nielsen would be added to the Senior A team roster via territorial protection, the Bellies added two new players in this year’s Western Lacrosse Association Entry Draft.

The Bellies had no pick in the first round after trading it to Nanaimo last season for goaltender Justin Geddie. In fact, the Queens Park faithful were forced to wait until the 3^rd round, when the Bellies selected Chase Miller from the Junior Salmonbellies, 19^th overall.

At 6’5” and 225 pounds, Miller is a beast of a defender. He played his minor lacrosse in Maple Ridge, before being added to the Delta Islanders roster in 2021. Miller was a late addition to the Junior Bellies in 2024, and he managed just two games last season in red, blue and white. But he was a regular with the Islanders in the three previous seasons, where he played 42 games. He notched 13 points and 14 penalty minutes over his Junior A career.

It was another long wait until the 5^th and final round before the Bellies would pick again, this time choosing Carson Eggebraten from the Junior Bellies (33^rd overall).

Eggebraten was a rare example of an American player joining the Canadian box ranks last summer, but the 6’1” 220 Illinois-born defender performed extremely well for the Royal City, earning 11 points in 16 games. Eggebraten is also a long-stick midfielder at the University of Vermont.

Chase Miller

Carson Eggebraten