Six Nations Chiefs add Steve Dietrich as GM

The Six Nations Pro-Fit Chiefs continue to strengthen the team away from the floor. On Friday, the Chiefs announced that Steve Detrich will now be the Major Series Lacrosse team's general manager.

"Its an incredible honor to be able to join such a storied franchise with such a winning tradition," Detrich said. "I look forward to working with the fantastic staff and unbelieveable talent that Duey has assembled as we strive to bring the Mann Cup back home to Six Nations."

Detrich takes over one of the roles president Duane Jacobs has been holding. "For over a decade, I have held multiple titles with the organization," Jacobs said. "It's a lot of work and I've enjoyed doing it. But it's becoming too much. I really enjoy coaching, but the last couple of years it has been hard to enjoy when I come to the rink and have other duties to attend to. Chugger will take some of the work load off my shoulders."

Detrich is no stranger to the position, whether it be in MSL or the National Lacrosse League. He has not only been the general manager of the Kitchener-Waterloo Kodiaks, he holds the same position with the Buffalo Bandits. 

"When Chug became available a couple weeks ago, I asked if he still wanted to be involved in summer lacrosse," Jacobs said. "He's more than capable of being our GM. His record in KW for the past 10 years speaks for itself. He's managed to have a playoff team almost every year with a very modest budget. Adding a quality person like Chug to our management team makes us better and that's really what this is about."

Six Nations Chiefs add John Tavares as offensive coordinator

John Tavares, who has been part of some classic battles both for and against
the Chiefs over the years, is joining Six Nations as their offensive
coordinator. (Photo: Tim Prothero, VintageLax)

If anyone knows offence, it's John Tavares. And that is why he will be directing traffic for the Six Nations Pro-Fit Chiefs  this summer.

The Major Series Lacrosse team has named Tavares, one of the game's most prolific scorers, its new new offensive coordinator.

"We are please and excited to announce that JT has joined our team as the offensive coordinator," Chiefs president and general manager Duane Jacobs said. "We had considered a number of highly qualified individuals over the past couple months and decided JT was our man. He needs no introduction, as he is arguable the greatest player to ever play the game of lacrosse. JT has a wealth of experience and knowledge as a player and we feel he can bring that to the coaching position. We feel he'll be a great fit for our highly skilled offence."

Kodiaks' "Chugger Era" draws to a close

Steve "Chugger" Dietrich (left) has had a huge impact in the lacrosse world.
Here he poses beside his National Lacrosse League Hall of Fame plaque.

It was only a matter of time once the announcement came that Major Series Lacrosse's Kodiaks were moving from Kitchener-Waterloo to Cobourg, but it was still a sad day for the franchise when Steve “Chugger” Dietrich officially resigned as the team's head coach and general manager this week.

“When I told Chugger about the plan to relocate the Kodiaks to Cobourg he committed to staying on until the Cobourg management team could find his replacement,” said Al Orth, who owned the team from the time it was founded as a Sr B club in KW in 2003 until he sold the majority interest in it to a Cobourg trio. “I reluctantly accepted his resignation fully understanding that being GM and Coach of a team 200 kilometres from home was impractical.”

Dietrich had also been associated with the Kodiaks since the team was created. “As a goaltender he led the team to a Presidents’ Cup National Championship in 2003 and again in 2005 when he backstopped the team through a perfect 14 and 0 postseason, including limiting B.C. to a mere three goals in the gold medal game,” Orth says.

In fact, Dietrich played a huge role in the team even before it existed. “My mother and Al Orth had talked about a Sr lacrosse team for a couple years prior to the Kodiaks coming into existence as they both wanted a place for there sons to play at home,” Dietrich said.

John Webb replaces Steve Dietrich as General Manager of Cobourg Kodiaks

The Cobourg Kodiaks are pleased to announce their new General Manager is Co-owner John Webb. Webb brings with him a wealth of lacrosse knowledge as well as a genuine passion for the game. 


The team moved from Kitchener-Waterloo when former owner Al Orth sold it to an ownership group from the Cobourg area and will begin playing out of the Cobourg Community Centre this May. 

Former GM Steve "Chugger" Dietrich tendered his resignation to the new ownership group citing the long distance travel as the reason for not being able to continue with the club. The Cobourg Kodiaks would like to thank both Mr Orth and Mr Dietrich for their dedication to growing the Kodiaks Lacrosse Club into a professional Major Series Lacrosse team that we believe can compete with any team in the country.

Mr Webb is the founder and current president of the Northumberland Minor Lacrosse Association (NMLA). Under Webb's guidance, the NMLA won the 2015 Arthur Poitras award which is presented by the Ontario Lacrosse Association annually to the association which best develops and promotes the game of lacrosse.

As a box player, Webb played for Peterborough Junior A and Senior A Lakers teams. In field lacrosse, Webb won a Junior National championship with Oshawa Blue Knights and has competed in several junior and Men's National championships representing Ontario and Manitoba. He also played two seasons with Carleton University. In 2015, he represented the Toronto Police Service at the World Police and Fire Games in Fairfax, Virginia. Webb coaches minor lacrosse and also runs lacrosse clinics year round for local players and organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Chiefs acquire Six Nations Arrows grads Green, Jonathan and Martin

Wenster Green is one of three grads of the Six Nations junior system
heading to the Chiefs. (Photo: Kevin Light Photography)

The Six Nations Chiefs were able to bring three players home in a pair of Major Series Lacrosse trades. The Chiefs acquired Brier Jonathan and Stu Martin from the Oakville Rocks in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2017 Major Series Lacrosse draft and other considerations. Chiefs general manager Dewey Jacobs was also busy acquiring Wenster Green from the Cobourg Kodiaks, for a 2018 third-round pick.
"We are very pleased to acquire three local players, who we were not able to protect or draft last season," Jacobs said. "In Briar Jonathan, we get a young defensive player, who has shown he is more than capable of playing lacrosse at the highest level."


Jonathan had a great 2015 season with the Rock. He also played a huge role at the FIL World Indoor Lacrosse Championships with the Iroquois Nationals. In Oakville, Jonathan played 13 regular season games and three in the playoffs.  "Oakville was very pleased with him and did not have to trade him," Jacobs said. "But they allowed him to return to his hometown."

Excelsiors and Kodiaks swap lefty forwards Veltman and Saunders

Daryl Veltman is joining the Excelsiors after a trade between Brampton and the Cobourg Kodiaks.
(Photo: Kevin Light Photography)

The Brampton Excelsiors and Cobourg Kodiaks have completed a trade of lefty forwards with the Excels getting Daryl Veltman and the Kodiaks receiving Patrick Saunders.

Veltman, who is currently playing for the Buffalo Bandits and who recently moved back to Georgetown, Ontario, has spent his entire eight-year senior career in the Western Lacrosse Association. The first seven were with the Coquitlam Adanacs but last year the Orangeville Jr A product joined the Victoria Shamrocks and helped them win the Mann Cup.

Saunders also played out west last summer, finishing third in the WLA in scoring while suiting up for the Langley Thunder. He has also spent time with KW, Peterborough and Brampton in MSL. Saunders scored 38 goals last year for the New England Black Wolves in a breakout season and is establishing himself as a consistently dangerous scoring threat.