Hamilton Nationals Take Clausen Seventh Overall
December 14, 2011 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Hamilton Nationals News Release
(Hamilton, December 14)... The Hamilton Nationals selected defenseman Ken Clausen with the seventh overall selection in today's Major League Lacrosse Supplemental Draft. The Nationals went after nine homegrown players, selecting eight Canadians and Six Nations' Sid Smith.
Hamilton drafted Canadian lacrosse players Rhys Duch (Victoria, BC), Garrett Billings (Langley, BC), Geoff Snider (Calgary), Adam Jones (Owen Sound), MJ Kiekabelt (Caledon, Ontario), Dan McRae (Oakville, Ontario), Jarrett Davis (Port Moody, BC) and Dan Coates (St. Catharines).
The Nationals selected Clausen, who played in eight games with the Denver Outlaws in 2010. The former fifth overall pick was a four-time All-American at the University of Virginia, where he became the first Cavalier to earn that honor more than twice. The Nats used the 11th overall pick to take Duch. The midfielder played for Team Canada at the 2010 FIL World Field Lacrosse Championships and at the 2011 FIL World Indoor Lacrosse Championships.
In the third round, the Nationals stayed close to home and selected Billings (19th) and Snider (23rd) in the third round. In the fourth round, the Nationals drafted defenseman Ryan McDermott played at Notre Dame from 2006-09. He received All-America and all-conference accolades as a senior and collected 134 ground balls in his career. In the fifth round, Hamilton reclaimed defensive midfielder Brice Queener. The Penn Yan, NY, native played in eight games this past season. The Nats then selected former Cornell University captain Jack Dudley in the sixth round (42nd overall). The selection of Tom Compitello (47th overall) was the Nats' second pick in the sixth round. Compitello played midfield at Stony Brook and recorded 68 goals and 78 assists in 41 games.
Hamilton continued to tap into the Central/Western, NY, markets by drafting Brandon Spillett and MJ Kiekabelt. Spillett (Liverpool, NY) was selected in the seventh round (55th overall). The Le Moyne College star played in the MLL and won a championship in 2008 with the Rochester Rattlers. Kiekabelt, eight round (63rd overall), completed his career at RIT as the ECAC Division III Offensive Player of the Year. The long-stick midfielder was a two-time All-American. In the ninth round, the Nats took Kenny Nims from Syracuse University. Nims led the Orange to two straight NCAA tournament championships (2008 and 2009). The attackman played one season in the MLL, spending 2009 with the Chicago Machine.
In the 10th round, the Nationals selected Owen Sound's Adam Jones. Jones played at Canisius College and was selected as the Most Valuable Player and the Top Midfielder at the 2008 U-19 Men's Lacrosse World Championship with Team Canada.
The 11th round produced another Notre Dame product, as Hamilton drafted midfielder Grant Krebs 87th overall. Krebs played in 62 career games and was a two-time All-American. The Nats picked their third straight midfielder when they chose Dan Deckelbaum from Delaware in the 12th round (95th overall). Deckelbaum spent two years with the Chicago Machine and one year with the Rochester Rattlers.
Hamilton tabbed Julian Watts from Hofstra in the 13th round (103rd overall) before selecting three straight defensemen. The Nats selected Nick O'Hara (Duke), Sid Smith (Syracuse) and Dan McRae (RIT). O'Hara has played four seasons in the MLL after graduating from Duke and won titles with Rochester (2008) and Toronto (2009). Smith (Six Nations) enters his third season with the Nats and was a two-time NCAA champion at Syracuse. McRae was a two-time Division III All-American as a defenseman and long stick midfielder for the Tigers.
The Nationals used its last two picks to select Jarrett Davis (17th round) and Dan Coates (18th round). Davis made his MLL debut this season with the Nationals. Davis won his first Mann Cup this summer with the Brampton Excelsiors. He finished his college career at Bellarmine University with 39 goals and 44 assists. Coates also returns to the Nationals. The standout player at Canisius College ranked first in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) among defenders in 2011 with 4.33 ground balls per game.
The Nationals will open the 2012 season against the Denver Outlaws, on Saturday, May 5th at INVESCO Field at Mile High. Hamilton makes its home debut on Friday, May 18th with an 11:00 a.m. contest against the Chesapeake Bayhawks at Ron Joyce Stadium at McMaster University. For ticket information, contact the Nationals Ticket Office at (905) 768-2225.
The Nats head into the 2012 season after an impressive 2011 campaign that landed the team in the league finals. After finishing with a 7-5 record, Hamilton knocked off the Outlaws to advance to the MLL title game. In the Finals, the Nationals fell one goal shy to the Cannons, 10-9.
MLL Supplemental Draft
Round (pick) Player Position
1 (7) Ken Clausen Defense
2 (11) Rhys Duch Midfield
3 (19) Garrett Billings Attack
3 (23) Geoff Snider Faceoff specialist
4 (31) Regis McDermott Defense
5 (39) Brice Queener Defensive Midfield
6 (42) Jack Dudley Midfield
6 (47) Tom Compitello Attack
7 (55) Brandon Spillett Attack
8 (63) MJ Kiekabelt Midfield
9 (71) Kenny Nims Attack
10 (79) Adam Jones Midfield
11 (87) Grant Krebs Midfield
12 (95) Dan Deckelbaum Midfield
13 (103) Julian Watts Defensive Midfield
14 (111) Nick O'Hara Defense
15 (119) Sid Smith Defense
16 (127) Dan McRae Defense
17 (135) Jarrett Davis Midfield
18 (143) Dan Coates Midfield
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Major League Lacrosse Stories from December 14, 2011
- Denver Outlaws Select 18 in Supplemental Draft - Denver Outlaws
- Nationals Select Two RIT Tigers, Plus Local Lacrosse Products - Hamilton Nationals
- Defenseman John Orsen Selected With Chesapeake's First Supplemental Draft Pick - Chesapeake Bayhawks
- Ohio Machine Constructs 35-Man Roster in MLL Supplemental Draft - Ohio Machine
- MLL Announces Supplemental Draft Results - MLL
- Hamilton Nationals Take Clausen Seventh Overall - Hamilton Nationals
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