Player's Guide to Lacrosse Canada Junior A Box Lacrosse Ages 21 and Under 2026

Under the Lacrosse Canada Regulations (Player Eligibility):

• July 1 is the final date for signing or releasing players within a Member.
• A signed player released from any team within a Member before July 1 can be signed by another team in that Member on or before July 15, and is eligible to compete in Lacrosse Canada competitions.
• A player who secures a release from their Member can sign with a team in another Member and still be eligible for Lacrosse Canada competitions, provided the release was secured and registered under the Inter-Member Transfer policy.
• Effective 2024, Senior A players may be signed or released until July 10 (a Senior A rule, not a Junior A one).

Under the Lacrosse Canada Regulations (Inter-Member Transfers, which apply to players aged U17 and older):

• Transfers are only permitted between March 1 and June 30 at 3:00 pm EDT.
• A player who has signed a playing card for the current season, or is on a negotiation list, must receive a release from the team they signed with or that listed them. A player not on a negotiation list and in good standing (a free agent) needs their current Member to sign a transfer form confirming that.
• Junior A only: a player moving from one Member to another at any time in the year may only play in the new Member after receiving a negotiated, signed inter-provincial transfer (signed off by all parties and the Member) and meeting all conditions written into it. The only exception to a non-negotiated transfer is a family relocation to another Junior A Member.
• Inter-provincial transfers must be obtained from the highest category team the player belongs to.
• Players under 18 need a document signed by a parent or guardian granting permission to move, if the parent or guardian is not also moving.
• When an inter-provincially transferred player goes over-age, their senior rights revert to the Member they were released from.
• A team that lets a player play a league or playoff game without a complete transfer faces a $5,000 fine, and the player and responsible team personnel can be suspended.

Under the Lacrosse Canada Regulations (Inter-Member Transfers):

• Negotiation lists: each Member must file with Lacrosse Canada a list of players who require negotiated releases, due February 24 each year. A Junior A team's list may not exceed 25 players, and no player can appear on more than one negotiation list at a time, at any level.
• A player on a negotiation list who does not sign a playing card for the season and does not play lacrosse in any other jurisdiction is free to move without negotiation the following year, provided they are in good standing (but not if the regular season in that league or Member was cancelled).
• Import limit: no team may have more than five players in total, across its negotiation list and 25-player roster, who were acquired by an inter-Member transfer. Exceptions include a player who moves to play at a higher level that does not exist in their first Member.
• Penalties for exceeding five: a $1,500 fine per game played, suspension of the import players, head coach and/or general manager until compliant, and further discipline, including possible loss of the right to enter Lacrosse Canada national championships.
• A team can apply to the Transfer Review Committee to have a player reclassified from import to non-import; the deadline is June 30 of the playing season.

The Lacrosse Canada Regulations say the Junior A championship of Canada (the Minto Cup) is conducted under policies set by unanimous agreement of all participating Members and Lacrosse Canada. To take part:

• The Member must have a Junior A league registered with two or more teams, and players on the roster must be registered as Junior A players.
• The Junior A league must play a minimum of 10 games per team.
• The Member must have a playoff round of at least best two out of three.
• The Member's Junior A champion moves on to the national championship.
• "BLC and OLA" are to be Type 1 and Alberta Type 2 for the Minto Cup, and these players must be non-imports.
• A Member applying to enter must post a $5,000 bond with Lacrosse Canada, held until a five-year commitment to the championship is completed. If the commitment is not met, the bond is forfeited and shared among the remaining participating Members.

Under the Lacrosse Canada Regulations (National Championships, box lacrosse):

• The team registration form is limited to a maximum of 25 players (26 only for the Presidents' Cup and Founders' Cup).
• A completed, or substantially completed, registration form must be sent to the Lacrosse Canada office by 3:00 pm EST two business days before the tournament starts (the tournament begins at the coaches meeting). It must be typed and use proper names, not nicknames. Late submission means a $500 fine to the Member.
• The signed form and each player's Assumption of Risk and Waiver of Claims and Liability Agreement must be brought to the coaches meeting; failing to do so is a $500 fine to the Member. No player or bench personnel may play or participate until a Waiver and Code of Conduct form is submitted.
• Winning teams have names engraved on the Minto Cup replica, up to 35 names taken from the registration form.
• Eligibility for a national box championship follows the requirements of the Member's own regional playdowns.

Under the World Lacrosse 2026-2028 Box Lacrosse Official Playing Rules (published on lacrosse.ca):

• Length: 60 minutes of stop time, in four 15-minute quarters. There is a 2-minute break between quarters 1 and 2 and between 3 and 4, and a 12-minute half time.
• On the floor: six players per team, including one goalkeeper at a time.
• Dressed players: no more than 20 per game, made up of 18 runners and 2 goalkeepers (if available). Two identical lists must be handed to the head official no later than 30 minutes before the game.
• Shot clock: the team in possession must take a shot on goal within 30 seconds or possession goes to the other team. It resets when the team takes a shot on goal, the ball deflects off the goalkeeper in the crease, or the ball hits the post, and on any floor violation or personal penalty.
• Faceoff after a goal: the referee aims for a faceoff within a maximum of 20 seconds.

The Lacrosse Canada "2026 LC Modifications 2.0" list these for Junior Men A (shared with Junior Women U22, Junior Men B and C, and Senior A, B and C):

• No crease cylinder.
• Crease diving is permitted.
• 3v3 sudden-victory overtime for all non-playdown games.
• 5v5 overtime during playdowns and playoffs.
• Officials' discretion when a goaltender is hit in the facemask with a ball. It is not an automatic whistle, and safety remains a priority.

For comparison, the base World Lacrosse 2026-2028 Box Rules describe sudden-victory overtime as 15-minute periods after a 2-minute interval, with the first goal winning.

Under the World Lacrosse 2026-2028 Box Lacrosse Official Playing Rules (published on lacrosse.ca):

• Minor penalty: any player except the goalkeeper is ruled off the floor for 2 minutes. If the opposing team scores while a team is short-handed by a minor penalty, the first minor penalty ends automatically.
• Major penalty: the offender is ruled off for 5 minutes. A second major penalty to the same player in the same game is assessed as a major plus a game misconduct, and the player is ruled off for the rest of the game.
• Fighting: a player deemed to be fighting is assessed a 5-minute major penalty and a game misconduct, plus an automatic one-game suspension from the team's next game.
• Unwilling combatant: the rule book defines this as a player who tries to defend against incoming blows without dropping their gloves, taking their helmet off or initially countering with punches.