Youthful tandem to lead Six Nations Chiefs in net

Dillon Ward will be the main man between the pipes for the Six Nations
Chiefs this summer. (Photo: Tim Prothero)

Courtesy Six Nations Chiefs

With the 2016 Major Series Lacrosse season quickly approaching, the Six Nations Pro-Fit Chiefs are shaping up its lineup.

The first order of business is between the pipes.

With an injury to Brandon Miller, the Chiefs will rely on Dillon Ward and Warren Hill to be its last line of defence.

Miller will miss the 2016 season and undergo surgery for a lower body injury in July.

"We will miss BMills and everything he brought to the table for our organization," Chiefs president Duane Jacobs said. "B is a great person, great leader and a big time goaltender. He was our anchor for two consecutive Mann Cups and will go down as one of the greatest Chiefs goalies of all time.

Oakville acquires Jamie Batson from Cobourg for second rounder

Jamie Batson, here playing for the Kodiaks, heads to Oakville.
(Photo: Tim Prothero

The Oakville Rock have added some depth to their defence by acquiring another Toronto Rock player for their lineup. Oakville traded a second round pick in the 2018 MSL draft to the Cobourg Kodiaks for Jamie Batson, who had spent the last four years in KW.

Batson was picked up by Toronto partway through this season and played six games with the team, the most he has played in parts of four seasons in the NLL. He played 61 regular season and 13 playoff games with the Kodiaks.

His MSL career totals are 7 goals and 11 assists for 18 points with 30 penalty minutes. The 31-year-old is originally from Brantford.

Redmen send Triolo, Dunn and draft picks to Kodiaks for Mitch Wilde

The Brooklin Redmen are getting set for their 50^th anniversary season in Major Series Lacrosse and will be hitting the floor at Iroquois Park for training camp in a week. The dates are May 24, 26 and 30.

Just two days later, they will open their home schedule against the Brampton Excelsiors, with whom they battled for the final playoff berth last year.

Mitch Wilde will be in the lineup for Broolin this summer, although he'll be hoping he isn't available until after the Champions Cup as his Buffalo Bandits are still chasing an NLL championship right now.

The transition player was acquired by Brooklin on Tuesday from the Cobourg Kodiaks. In return, the Kodiaks receive a pair of transition players in Mike Triolo and Dustin Dunn as well as a second-round pick in the 2017 MSL draft and a third-rounder in 2018.

Full MSL 2016 schedule

Oakville Rock add trio of defenders for 2016 season

Challen Rogers (right) will be joining the Oakville Rock after a
standout career with the Jr A Coquitlam Adanacs. (Photo: Ward
Laforme Jr)

The Oakville Rock made big strides in 2015, but a slow start meant they had to battle just to make the playoffs. The team returns much of its roster from last year and is hoping the infusion of three high-profile defenders can push them higher up the Major Series Lacrosse standings and help them compete for their first Mann Cup. 

Oakville native Dan MacRae is an elite National Lacrosse League defender with the Calgary Roughnecks. He spent his first senior season in MSL with the Brampton Excelsiors but has played with the Victoria Shamrocks in the WLA four of the seasons since then, including winning a Mann Cup last summer.

Bradley Kri took a few years to establish himself as a regular starter in the NLL but played a strong role for the Toronto Rock in 2016, particularly in the faceoff circle. 

Perhaps the biggest news is that Challen Rogers is joining the Rock. The Coquitlam Adanacs Jr A grad is a strong candidate for the first overall pick in this fall's NLL Entry Draft. The trio only bolster what was already looking like a bright future for the Rock. 

Below is Oakville's press release outlining the makeup of their roster for this summer.

Grant considering return to Lakers

John Grant Jr (far right) is considering a return to the Peterborough Lakers this summer. (Photo: Tim Prothero)

You can take the boy out of the Boro, but you can't take the Boro out of the boy. John Grant Jr is apparently considering a return to the Peterborough Lakers after not playing with his hometown team in 2015.

Living and working in Denver, where he plays for the National Lacrosse League's Mammoth in the winter and Major League Lacrosse's Outlaws and where his wife Raygen is a realtor, made it difficult for Grant to get home for MSL games last year. In a story run in the Peterborough Examiner, though, Grant says he may just be returning to the team.

The story talks about Grant possibly playing with Curtis Dickson, who played college field lacrosse with the Delaware Blue Hens after Grant and is back with the Lakers after helping them reach the Mann Cup last year. 

Kodiaks announce Cupido as captain, introduce coaches and announce summer camps

Joey Cupido brings defensive presence and transition flair to the Cobourg Nissan Kodiaks. He'll be back as captain for the 2016 season, the team has announced. (Photo: Tim Prothero)

With the team moving from Kitchener-Waterloo to Cobourg, some things were bound to change for Major Series Lacrosse's Kodiaks. Continuity is important for a lacrosse team, too, though and the Cobourg Nissan Kodiaks showed Thursday that they'll have some in the 2016 season when they announced that transition player Joey Cupido will be returning as the team's captain.

Cupido was co-winner of the league's defender of the year award in 2014 and was named the National Lacrosse Leagues transition player of the year after his outstanding 2015 season with the Colorado Mammoth.

The righty was once known as much for his signature flowing hair and high black socks as for his swashbuckling play. But with his career as a realtor demanding a bit more professional look, Cupido has trimmed the locks. His play hasn't changed much, though, other than attempting to focus more on defence first and letting his speed take care of creating transition opportunities.