Salmonbellies Use Territorial Protection picks to add Soenen and Nielsen

by Salmonbellies Lacrosse

The Senior A Salmonbellies announced today that they have exercised both of their Territorial Protection picks in the upcoming 2025 WLA Junior Draft, selecting Ben Soenen and Tysen Nielsen from the Junior A Bellies.

Both players were standout defenders for the Jr Bellies in 2025. Soenen played 17 games, scoring five goals and earning eight assists, along with 23 penalty minutes. He was an Assistant Captain for the team and was named a John Van Os Defensive Player of the Year winner. Soenen is a 3^rd year defender for Young Harris College in Georgia in NCAA Division 2. He measures up at 6’2” and 220 pounds.

Nielsen notched 18 games last year, earning nine goals and two assist, and an identical 23 minutes in penalties. He was the Captain of the 2024 Junior Bellies and is a current member of the ALL Shooting Eagles. Nielsen is 6’0” tall and weighs in at 175 pounds.

In addition, both players joined the Senior Bellies as call ups in 2024. Soenen joined the team three times last year, earning one assist and 4 PIMs. Nielsen joined the senior team just once during last season.

Asked about adding the two Junior Bellies alumni, General Manager Ray Porcellato, had this to say, “Ben Soenen’s potential is really unlimited given his size, athleticism, and compete level, so we are confident that he will develop into an everyday player for us. Tysen is an extremely hard worker with a high lacrosse IQ, and we believe that both of those qualities will serve him well at the next level.” The Salmonbellies don’t have a draft pick in the first round of the WLA Junior Draft this year as a result of past trades, so these two additions are vital.

The Western Lacrosse Association allows territorial protections as a mechanism to ensure that junior graduates have an opportunity to stay in their home community. This is the third season where teams may protect up to two players from their local junior clubs. You can see how other teams used their territorial pics by visiting www.wlalacrosse.com.

Don’t forget to tune in for the 2025 Western Lacrosse Association Junior Draft, hosted by Jake Elliott and live cast for free at wlalacrosse.com January 28, 2025 (7 pm). Follow along on social media for all the draft picks using #WLADraft2025.

The first-round draft order will be:

1) Burnaby Lakers

2) Nanaimo Timbermen

3) Coquitlam Adanacs

4) Burnaby Lakers (from New Westminster)

5) Maple Ridge Burrards

6) Langley Thunder

7) Victoria Shamrocks

Stay tuned for more news from the Bellies as we near the beginning of our regular season in May 2025. And remember, you can reserve your seats right now and be a part of the history at Salmonbellies.com.