Cannons select 15 in 2005 MLL Supplemental Draft
January 17, 2005 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Boston Cannons News Release
Boston, MA (January 17, 2005) â The Boston Cannons of Major League Lacrosse (MLL) selected fifteen players in the 2005 MLL Supplemental Draft, held at the Warrior Lacrosse Booth in Vendor Village at the U.S. Lacrosse Convention at the Philadelphia Marriott, Philadelphia, PA. Because the Cannons finished the 2004 regular season with the MLL's best record, the team selected sixth in each of the draft's fifteen rounds. Boston selected midfielder Paul Gillette with its first pick (6th overall). Gillette, a 2004 graduate of the University of Maryland, served as team captain last season and was consistently cited as the team's best all-around player. Gillette is known primarily for his midfield defense, but plays consistently on both sides of the ball.
"We think Paul can be a real contributor in this league," said Scott Hiller, Cannons Head Coach and Director of Player Personnel. "He is an outstanding athlete, who was All-ACC and the MVP of his team at Maryland last year. He is a very solid midfield defender and someone we are excited to have."
The Cannons chose Virginia defenseman Trey Whitty with their second pick, twelfth overall. Whitty played consistently all four seasons at UVA as one of the team's strongest long stick midfielders. Whitty is the cousin of Cannons standout attackman and MLL MVP Conor Gill.
The Cannons also added newcomer Andy Ross with their fifth pick, 30th overall. Ross is a naval pilot and a 1997 graduate of the Naval Academy. He was selected to both the 1998 and 2002 United States Lacrosse Teams. Ross was unable to play in the '02 World Games due to his military commitment. He is a member of the Navy Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
Boston selected several familiar faces with in the 2005 Supplemental Draft. The Cannons picked ten players that were on the team's roster in 2004, but were removed when MLL rosters were mandated to be reduced to 20 players on September 30, 2004. Among the key players returning to the Cannons roster in '05 are midfielder Pat Myers and goaltender Kevin O'Brien taken in the third and fourth rounds respectively. O'Brien appeared in five games for the Cannons last season. He tied the MLL record for saves in a single game on July 17, 2004, with 33 against the Rochester Rattlers.
"We always considered the players who we were forced to move during the roster reduction as still part of the Cannons family," said Hiller. "They are all extremely valuable to our organization and I look forward to watching them all compete at training camp this spring."
Other players remaining in the Cannons fold include John Madigan, Neal Anderson, Jed Raymond, Chris Bromby, Chris Hettler, Graham Davison, Chris Gabrielli and Jed Cronin.
Of the Cannons fifteen picks, several are from Massachusetts (O'Brien-Sudbury, Anderson-Wayland, Raymond-Ipswich, Cronin-Sudbury). Boston also drafted two UNH players (Bromby and Anderson) and two UMass players (Madigan and Gabrielli).
With the Supplemental Draft complete, MLL team rosters now contain 35 total players. Rosters must be reduced to 30 players by May 16, 2005.
2005 BOSTON CANNONS SUPPLEMENTAL DRAFT SELECTIONS:
ROUND OVERALL PICK PLAYER POSITION/SCHOOL
1 6th Paul Gillette Midfield/Maryland
2 12th Trey Whitty Defense/Virginia
3 18th Pat Myers Midfield/Ohio State
4 24th Kevin O'Brien Goal/Georgetown
5 30th Andy Ross Midfield/Navy
6 36th Brian Hunt Attack/Yale
7 42nd Todd Rassas Defense/Notre Dame
8 48th John Madigan Midfield/UMass
9 54th Neal Anderson Midfield/New Hampshire
10 60th Jed Raymond Defense/Middlebury
11 66th Chris Bromby Attack/New Hampshire
12 72nd Chris Hettler Goal/Colgate
13 78th Graham Davidson Midfield/Williams
14 84th Chris Gabrielli Defense/UMass
15 90th Jed Cronin Midfield/Ohio-Wesleyan
ABOUT THE CANNONS AND MAJOR LEAGUE LACROSSE:
The Boston Cannons, a charter member of Major League Lacrosse (MLL), enter their fifth season in 2005. The Cannons are proud to play their home schedule at Boston University's Nickerson Field, Boston, MA. The Cannons play seven game home games beginning Saturday June 4, 2005 against the Rochester Rattlers. The Cannons open the season with a rematch of the 2004 MLL Championship Game. The Cannons begin play on the road against MLL Champion Philadelphia Barrage on May 29 at 7:00PM. For more information on all of the fast-paced, hard-hitting excitement of Boston Cannons Lacrosse visit www.bostoncannons.com or call 888-847-9700.
Major League Lacrosse, a six-team professional outdoor lacrosse league, was founded in 1999 by fitness entrepreneur Jake Steinfeld, CEO of Body by Jake Global L.L.C., and partners Dave Morrow, a former champion lacrosse player and now CEO of Warrior Lacrosse, a leading global provider of innovative and high performance lacrosse equipment; and Timothy B. Robertson, former CEO of The Family Channel and the current chairman of Bay Shore Enterprises, L.L.C., an investment holding company with activities in international media and Internet technology ventures. The MLL commenced play in June of 2001 and has teams in Baltimore, Boston, Long Island, (Montclair) New Jersey, Philadelphia and Rochester. The 2005 MLL season will begin on Friday, May 20 and conclude with the New Balance Major League Lacrosse Championship Weekend on Friday, August 19 and Sunday, August 21. Additional league information can be found at www.majorleaguelacrosse.com.
Major League Lacrosse Stories from January 17, 2005
- Baltimore Bayhawks Draft 15 Players, Some Familiar Faces - Chesapeake Bayhawks
- Cannons select 15 in 2005 MLL Supplemental Draft - Boston Cannons
- Major League Lacrosse Holds 2005 Supplemental Draft - MLL
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