Thursday, 11th March 2010.

Posted on Monday, 29th June 2009 by admin

1950-2009

1950-2009

Mann Cup Champions 1955, 1957, 1979, 1983, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2005

The Victoria Shamrocks of the Western Lacrosse Association are very pleased to announce that they have acquired Curtis Hodgson via a trade with the Burnaby Lakers. Hodgson brings very impressive credentials: He has won two consecutive awards in 2007 and 2008 as the best defensive player in the WLA and he has been a first-team all-star for the last four consecutive seasons.

“We are very excited to add another elite player in Curtis Hodgson to our group,” said Shamrocks General manager Chris Welch. “There were several teams competing for his services and we paid a significant price to get him because we couldn’t pass up the opportunity when the Lakers made him available. He will make us better.” Welch is clear that this is not a case of acquiring a veteran player for the short-term. “We expect to have Curtis in our lineup for years to come,” said Welch.

In exchange for Hodgson, the Lakers receive the Shamrocks first round draft choices in 2010 and 2011.

Hodgson, who turns 28 in August, is a Burnaby native who won two Minto Cups with the Junior Lakers in 2000 and 2002. Shamrock goaltender Nick Patterson was his teammate on the 2002 team. In six WLA seasons, the 6’ 1”, 195-pounder has played 130 regular season and playoff games, all with the Lakers, in which he has scored 68 goals and added 91 assists for 159 points along with 95 penalty minutes.

Hodgson is a veteran of five seasons in the National Lacrosse League, all with the San Jose Stealth where he has played for Shamrocks Head Coach Art Webster who is an Assistant Coach with the Stealth and where he is teammates with Shamrock players Rhys Duch and Aaron Bold. In his five NLL seasons, Hodgson has played 85 regular season and playoff games, scored 20 goals and added 37 assists for 57 points along with 54 penalty minutes.

Hodgson is expected to make his Shamrock debut on Friday July 3 against his former club in Burnaby.

Other Notes:
The Shamrocks currently sit in first place atop the WLA standings with a record of 9 wins and 1 loss.
The 2009 WLA trading deadline is at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30, 2009.
The next Shamrock home game is on Wednesday, July 8 when they take on the visiting Coquitlam Adanacs.

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Posted on Tuesday, 19th May 2009 by admin

Victoria Shamrocks
Image via Wikipedia

 

The Victoria Shamrocks of the Western Lacrosse Association are very pleased to announce several new faces will be joining the team in 2009, including two National Lacrosse League All-Stars.

 

 

 

jeffshattlerJeff Shattler joins the Shamrocks fresh off of winning the 2009 National Lacrosse League championship with the Calgary Roughnecks. The 24 year-old was a Western Conference All-Star this year. He was also a member of the 2008 Mann Cup champion Brampton Excelsiors where he finished 14th in league scoring with 25 goals and 23 assists for 48 points in 17 games. “Shattler is an outstanding athlete with tremendous speed and he can play at both ends of the floor,” said Shamrocks General Manager Chris Welch. “He‘s widely regarded as one of the top transition players in the game today, a real rising star. Our fans are going to love watching him play.”

 

The Shamrocks have bolstered their back line with the signings of Nick Inch and Ian Llord.

nickinchInch, a 6’ 1”, 215 pound defenseman, joined Shattler on the Western Conference All-Star Team this year. The 24 year-old Kitchener, Ontario native played with the Minnesota Swarm where he was teammates with fellow shamrocks Ryan Ward, Nick Patterson and Noah Talbot.

 

 

ianllordLlord, a 6’ 3”, 220 pound defenseman from St. Catharines, Ontario, was Shattler’s teammate on last year’s Mann Cup champion Excelsiors. Llord, who will turn 24 on June 8, also won an NLL championship in 2008 with the Buffalo Bandits

Nick Inch and Ian Llord add tremendous size, skill and toughness to our defense,” said Welch. “Both of these guys are just hitting their prime and they have huge upside.”

 

dylanllordAlso joining the Shamrocks this year is Llord’s younger brother Dylan, a 6’ 3”, 190 pound forward. “Dylan adds an element of grit to our offense,” said Welch. “He’s not afraid to go through the middle and drive to the net.” The younger Llord put up just under two points per game in his rookie season of senior lacrosse last year with the Kitchener Waterloo Kodiaks in the Ontario Major Series.

 

 

deanhillDean Hill, is a 24 year-old left shooting forward from Six Nations, Ontario. Hill, 6’ 3” and 225 pounds, finished 16th in Major Series scoring last year with the Six Nations Chiefs, registering 23 goals and 24 assists for 47 points in 18 games. He is a four-year NLL veteran who has scored 52 goals and added 45 assists for 97 points in 32 career regular season and playoff games. “Dean Hill gives us a big, physical presence on our left crease, something that has been missing from our mix for a long time” said Welch. “He has great hands and is a very good finisher and he will give the other defenses difficulty.”

These signings are the culmination of efforts the Shamrocks have been making for a number of years. “This is the third year we’ve tried to get Hill, Shattler and Ian Llord,” said Welch. “We identified them as guys we wanted to add to our group pretty much right out of junior. We’re very happy they’re finally here along with Nick and Dylan. We think we’ve made our team much more competitive with these signings.”

Other Notes:

  • The Shamrocks open the 2009 WLA regular season at home on Friday May 22 against the Langley Thunder.

  • Season tickets are still available by calling 250-474-8612.

  • New for 2009 – Group rates for minor lacrosse teams, call 250-474-7627.



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Posted on Wednesday, 29th April 2009 by admin

Toronto Rock
Image via Wikipedia

Director of Lacrosse Operations steps down after three years

TORONTO – The Toronto Rock Lacrosse Club has accepted the resignation of Mike Kloepfer as the Director of Lacrosse Operations effective May 7th 2009.

Kloepfer was hired by the Rock as Director of Lacrosse Operations in May 2006, his first experience within the National Lacrosse League.

“I would like to thank Mike for his efforts over the past three years” said Rock President Brad Watters.  “He has done a commendable job of dealing with our lacrosse operations and the organization wishes Mike well in his future endeavors.”

The Toronto Rock will begin the interview process to replace Kloepfer at the conclusion of the NLL season next month.  The team will hire a General Manager who will be responsible for running the lacrosse operations leading into the 2010 season.

“It was a challenging three years and I wish the organization all the best in the future” said Kloepfer.

“Over the next six weeks we will evaluate the coaching staff and current roles within our lacrosse operations in order for us to return to a leadership position in the league” Watters added.

The Rock finished their 2009 season falling short of reaching the playoffs with a 6-10 regular season record.




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