Thevenot cracks U19 western Canadian lacrosse team

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This article was published 27/06/2025 (313 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For a kid that’s only had a few years in field lacrosse, Ryan Thevenot’s rise through the ranks has been meteoric.

The best part of all is that he might be just scratching the surface.

After dedicating himself to the game just a few short years ago, finding it after his competitive hockey days were finished, he’s gone from giving it a shot to the chance to competing with and against the nation’s best.

Thevenot cracked the Western Canadian field lacrosse men’s under-19 team, meaning his summer is about to get a whole lot busier.

That’s saying something for the kid who takes 100 shots and has a “wall ball” routine in which he repeatedly tosses and catches to himself, a circuit he completes before most of Brandon is awake.

He then has breakfast and hits the gym a minimum of three to four times per week. On his off-days, he goes to the field at Vincent Massey and runs sprints.

He also trains in Winnipeg with the provincial team, which consists of multiple two-hour practices per week.

It’s a short season, meaning a short training window, meaning make the most of the narrow timeframe before nationals in Halifax in late August.

“I’m a faster kid, I like the thinking side of the game, I like the structure,” Thevenot said of field lacrosse and its differences from the indoor version of the game.

At five-foot-seven and constantly on the offensive attack, Thevenot is reliant on his speed and agility to create space for shooting lanes.

But that’s no problem, as he’s found a sporting lane he clearly loves and is willing to do whatever is necessary to reach the highest levels.

He also has a trip to Kansas City to work at a Premier Lacrosse League game this summer, hoping to rub shoulders with the who’s who of the game.

It’s all what he considers just part of what is necessary to reach his ultimate goal, which is at least a few years off.

Thevenot hopes to get the attention of universities in the United States and earn a scholarship where the sport is an NCAA Division I program.

There isn’t a long line of Brandon nor Manitoba players to blaze a trail to the national team program, but he’s hoping to be the anomaly.

The Canadian men’s field lacrosse under-20 team is currently ranked No. 2 in the world. Some of the most promising players in the sport play in the national team program system as well as NCAA DI with the hopes of cracking Canada’s men’s team, also ranked No. 2.

The senior national field team is largely made of players that have graduated from either the Western or Eastern Canadian U19 team – Thevenot has made the Western team at just 16, turning 17 in the fall when he starts Grade 12.

There also currently are no Manitobans on the men’s senior team roster. Thevenot’s not paying much attention to that, but is hoping to be a trailblazer and become one of the first.

He made the provincial team when he was in Grade 8. At just 13, and having only played the game for weeks at that point, he “took to it like a fish to water” according to his parents, and is seemingly loving every second of it.

“Lacrosse has been called the medicine game. I think it’s a great name for it,” said Thevenot.

It won’t be easy, but if anyone is ready to put in the work, it’s Thevenot.

“Manitoba has never been the most popular province that field lacrosse picks from,” Thevenot said.

He’s trying to buck that trend.

Nearly every selection camp he’s taken part he went in with little to no expectation. The mindset was to see where he measured up, knowing there were many other talented players in the field and he didn’t have a ton of experience.

He figured it would be a great experience, and he was right. He made it and completed one massive step in hi journey to officially represent Canada.

“It’s huge. For only having started in Grade 8 and to get where I am shows you don’t have to have a ton of time if you put your mind to something. It’s crazy to represent Canada and the province and Brandon. It’s a small town and it’s a cool thing for Brandon,” Thevenot said.

Thevenot hopes to keep growing the sport locally as well, with his Vincent Massey Vikings having competed in field lacrosse this past season.

Thevenot hopes to have the sport continue to grow, not just for him, but especially for him.

Where it takes him from here is yet to be seen.

» mpackwood@brandonsun.com