TORONTO — Take a look at the league leaders through six weeks of CFL action and you’ll notice something interesting: there are a plethora of Canadians at the top.
Offensively, defensively, and on special teams, those that come from the country they play in are dominating across the league.
Let’s first take a look at the receiving leader, Justin McInnis.
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The BC Lions pass-catcher is leading the CFL in receiving yards (725), is tied for the league-lead in receiving touchdowns with Tyson Philpot (five), and has the most targets (61) and receptions (45).
The six-foot-five, 210-pounder is on pace to break 2,000 yards receiving this season (2,175), which would be an all-time record, regardless of status. The benchmark has only been reached three times in CFL history, never by a Canadian, and not in 30 years:
- 1994 | CGY | Allen Pitts | 2,036
1983 | TOR | Terry Greer | 2,003
1994 | TOR | Derrell Mitchell | 2,000
Through six weeks of play, seven of the top 11 receivers hold a National passport:
| Rank | Name | Receiving Yards | Status |
| 1 | Justin McInnis | 725 | National |
| 2 | Alexander Hollins | 656 | American |
| 3 | Tyson Philpot | 602 | National |
| 4 | Justin Hardy | 481 | American |
| 5 | Shemar Bridges | 396 | American |
| 6 | Dillon Mitchell | 372 | American |
| 7 | Samuel Emilus | 326 | National |
| 8 | Nic Demski | 314 | National |
| T-9 | Kian Schaffer-Baker | 292 | National |
| T-9 | Kurleigh Gittens Jr. | 292 | National |
| 11 | Kaion Julien-Grant | 288 | National |
Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Brady Oliveira sits on top of all running backs with 366 yards on the ground. BC Lions kicker Sean Whyte leads the way amongst kickers, hitting all of his 21 field goal attempts so far this year.
On defence, a pair of BC Lions are leading the way in a pair of defensive categories. Linebacker Ben Hladik has 36 defensive tackles while defensive lineman Josh Archibald is tied for first in sacks with Mustafa Johnson with four.
As the season progresses, keep an eye on the Canadian players across the CFL as they hope to remain on top of the stats pages and the historic pace of McInnis.