Israel Announce Jean-Luc Chetner as Head Coach for 2021 IIJL World Junior Lacrosse Championship

Israel Box Lacrosse has named Jean-Luc Chetner as Head Coach of the Israel U-20 Men's National Team that will compete at the IIJL World Junior Lacrosse Championship at Bell MTS Place in Winnipeg, Canada in August 2021. 

The Canadian-Israeli dual citizen is best known in the Jewish State for his impact as a player for both Team Israel and the NLL's New York Riptide. The Vancouver, British Columbia native, who made Aliyah in 2018, scored 24 goals to earn MVP honours as the Israelis won their first-ever gold medals at the 2017 ELF European Box Lacrosse Championships in Finland. 

Fellow men's national team teammates Doug Utting and Kevin Harper, who coached Israel to a fourth-place finish at the 2019 World Juniors, return to the bench as assistant coaches, while Seth Mahler has taken the reigns as General Manager of the U-20 squad. 

"We're very lucky and excited to have Jean-Luc back in Israel to train the squad and lead the next stage of the development of the box game here," said Mahler.  "There is a wealth of box knowledge on this coaching staff; Jean-Luc, Doug, and Kevin each bring something special to the table that will help us strive for a medal in 2021." 

[PHOTO: Jean-Luc Chetner (left) receives Leading Scorer award from Sean Gibson at the 2017 ELF European Box Lacrosse Championship.]

Chetner, who played NCAA DI at Towson University, is available to help the U-20 Team prepare in Israel, at least until Riptide training camp opens.  The 24-year-old scored 11 goals and 22 assists on the pro circuit in a shortened 2020 season.  He is expected to return to Israel after the NLL season to be with the squad in the months leading into the summer's major international championship season. 

Utting has been a tenacious cornerstone of the Israeli defense since 2017, helping the blue-and-white hold their opponents to under five goals per game en route to their first European title.  The Brockville, Ontario native broke through into the National Lacrosse League (NLL) this year, appearing in all 12 games for the Rochester Knighthawks in the shortened 2020 season. He played collegiately at Nipissing University (CUFLA), serving as team captain in his Senior season. 

Harper has been a veteran of the Israel men's national box team since the program's debut at the 2015 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships at Onondaga Nation.  He has appeared in 15 games for the blue-and-white over three major championship events, recording seven goals and three assists.  The Oakville, Ontario native is a product of the Oakville Titans, who has represented Israel on training squads at countless prestigious club championships such as the Aleš Hřebeský Memorial, E-BOX, and LAXNAI. 

Mahler, who works full-time as the Israel Lacrosse Association's Men's Lacrosse Director, has managed high performance Israeli teams since 2016. The 32-year-old also serves as GM for Israel's entry at the U-20 Men's World Lacrosse Field Championships in Limerick, Ireland next summer. The Whittier College graduate made Aliyah in 2013 and spearheaded the launch of the nation's first youth lacrosse programs in Ashkelon. 

Athletes who are interested in being considered should complete an Interest To Participate form available by clicking below.

Interest to Participate

ABOUT ISRAEL BOX LACROSSE
Israel Box Lacrosse was established in 2019 to support the development of box lacrosse in Israel and to operate high performance teams in international events such as the IIJL World Junior Lacrosse Championship. 

ABOUT 2021 IIJL WORLD JUNIOR LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIP
Nine Nations; Anishinaabe, Australia, Austria, Canada, Haudenosaunee, Ireland, Israel, Poland, and United States will compete at the 2021 IIJL World Junior Championship in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada at Bell MTS Place in August 2021. For more information visit the IIJL World Junior Lacrosse Championship website www.worldjuniorlacrossechampionship.com for news and announcements about tickets, events, and more. Also follow the 2021 WJLC on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.