Atlanta Blaze Come out on Top in 2018 Collegiate Draft
Published on April 19, 2018 under Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Atlanta Blaze News Release
Kennesaw, GA - The Atlanta Blaze professional outdoor lacrosse team capped off an exciting day for the franchise by selecting six midfielders, one attackman, one faceoff specialist and one defenseman in the 2018 Major League Lacrosse (MLL) Collegiate Draft, held April 18 at US Lacrosse headquarters in Sparks, Md.
Shortly following the announcement by MLL Commissioner Sandy Brown that the Blaze had been sold to Andre Gudger, a Maryland entrepreneur and former deputy assistant secretary of the defense for Manufacturing and Industrial Base Policy and the director of the Office of Small Business for President Barack Obama, the team selected the player they had been targeting, Connor Kelly, with the second overall pick.
Blaze general manager, Spencer Ford, was insistent on adding depth to the team's midfield unit.
"Bolstering the midfield was the No. 1 goal that we wanted to address heading into the draft," Ford said. "We have some very solid offensive middies on our current roster, but to leave the draft with Connor Kelly, Kyle McClancy, Austin Sims and Griffin Feiner, we are confident that we addressed a need."
Kelly, a senior at the University of Maryland and a first-team All-American in 2017, is one of the premier offensive threats in the NCAA. The 6-0, 190-pound midfielder from Easton, Conn., can shoot and pass with equal effectiveness with both hands.
"This kid is spectacular. He can play attack or middie, and he isn't scared to get back and play defense," Ford said. "He can shoot the ball from anywhere, he can pass as well as anyone and he creates his own shot. We got the top player in the draft and it was clear to everyone across the MLL that the Atlanta Blaze wanted Connor Kelly. We got a two-handed star who has the potential to be the next best thing the MLL has seen."
Kelly, who scored 46 goals as a junior in 2017 - the most by a midfielder in Maryland history - has added 32 this season through 11 games and has added 28 assists. The 10-1 Terps have two regular-season games remaining, the Big Ten tournament and likely will be selected to participate in the NCAA tournament as well, giving Kelly the opportunity to surpass last season's historic performance.
With the 10th overall selection in the second round of the draft, the Blaze selected midfielder Kyle McClancy from the University of Albany. McClancy, a native of Bayport, N.Y., has started 48 games thus far for the Great Danes and has scored 71 goals while adding 38 assists for head coach Scott Marr. Among the honors that have been bestowed on McClancy during his college career is Honorable Mention All-American, USILA Scholar All-American, America East Scholar-Athlete for Men's Lacrosse, and America East All-Conference First Team, All-Academic Team and All-Tournament Team in 2017.
Midfielder Austin Sims, the Blaze's 20th overall selection in the third round, is the former captain of the 2016 U.S. Under-19 World Championship team, and second-team All-Ivy League selection from Princeton University. Sims, a native of Fairfield, Conn., is the son of former Denison University lacrosse player, George Sims, and Olivia Sims, a former track and field performer at the University of Connecticut. Sims has 27 goals and 13 assists in 11 starts for the Tigers this season for coach Matt Madalon, who is the older brother of Blaze goalie Chris Madalon. Sims had six goals in back-to-back games in games against Johns Hopkins and Quinnipiac during his junior season.
Christian Cuccinello, the 32nd overall selection in the fourth round, is a 6-0, 210-pound attackman at Villanova University for coach Michael Corrado. The Mountain Lakes, N.J. native has appeared in 55 games for the Wildcats during his collegiate career, scoring 92 goals and adding 64 assists. Cuccinello was a 2017 All-Big East first-team pick and the 2017 Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Team. His brother Greg is a member of the lacrosse team at Towson University.
Griffin Feiner, a 6-2, 200-pound middie for the America East's Hartford Hawks, has scored 123 goals in just 58 games for head coach Ryan Martin. A native of Dewitt, N.Y., Feiner was selected to the America East First Team in 2017, America East All-Championship Team in 2016 and America East All-Rookie Team in 2015. He has 36 goals and 16 assists in 11 games thus far.
It's a big welcome home for faceoff specialist Hunter Forbes, who played his high school ball for Keith Whitaker at Woodstock H.S. Currently, Forbes plays for head coach John Galloway at Jacksonville University. Galloway, a Syracuse alum and goalie for the MLL's Dallas Rattlers is in his second year at JU. During his 40-game career at Jacksonville, Forbes has won 519 of a possible 866 draws, good for a 60 percent effectiveness rate. He was the Blaze's 5th-round pick and the 40th selection overall.
With the 47th pick in the draft, the Blaze selected Ohio State defender Erik Evans, who played his high school lacrosse at Calvert Hall in Baltimore. Evans, a three-time Ohio State scholar-athlete and a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, has started 53 straight games for Buckeyes' head coach Nick Myers. He is the 2018 team captain for the Buckeyes.
Will McBride, a midfielder from the University of North Carolina, was taken with the 51st selection in the MLL Draft. The versatile performer who grew up in Baltimore and played at Gilman School is one of five team captains for Joe Breschi's Tar Heels. His family currently lives in Naples, Fla. Will's brother Gregory played at UNC from 2010-2014 with Blaze players Tate Jozokos, T.J. Kemp, Frankie Kelly and Chris Madalon.
Jack Korzelius rounds out the Blaze's 2018 draft class. A native of Purchase, N.Y., Korzelius is a 6-3, 215-pound middie who played his high school ball at Iona Prep. He was chosen second-team All-Ivy as a junior and has notched 19 goals and 3 assists so far in 11 games this season for head coach Brendan Callahan.
The Atlanta Blaze will kick off the 2018 season with their home season opener, Sunday, April 22 at 2 p.m. All Atlanta Blaze home games are played at Fifth Third Bank Stadium on the campus of Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, GA. Single-game tickets are on sale now at AtlantaBlaze.com/Tickets
Major League Lacrosse Stories from April 19, 2018
- Atlanta Blaze Come out on Top in 2018 Collegiate Draft - Atlanta Blaze
- Dallas Rattlers Announce 25-Man Roster Ahead of Season Opener - Dallas Rattlers
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