Jax Invite Five to Training Camp

November 8, 2006 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Portland Lumberjax News Release


PORTLAND, Nov. 8, 2006 - The votes are in and Head Coach/General Manager Derek Keenan has invited five of the participants at Saturday's open tryouts to the team's training camp sessions in Vancouver, British Columbia. The five players selected will join the 21 signed LumberJax players at the sessions which being on Nov. 17.

"The open tryouts were very successful and worthwhile for the LumberJax. Five players are moving onto our main training camp roster on Nov. 18 and that is impressive," Keenan said. "I think overall the players enjoyed themselves and appreciated the opportunity to have a shot at making a professional lacrosse team."

With over five years of indoor and outdoor lacrosse experience, Andrew Gee, 21, stood out at open tryouts as a quick, athletic player on both ends of the field. In 2006 the Delta, BC native was drafted 17th overall by the Burnaby Lakers Senior A team of the Western Lacrosse Association (WLA) as a transition player and a defender. The 5-foot-11-inch, 190-pound athlete won the Best Defensive Player Award with the Delta Islanders Junior A team in 2005.

Thi Pho Heng, 27, was asked to the training camps because Keenan noticed his speed and hard work at the tryouts. Hailing from Vernon, BC, Heng was part of the President Cup Championship Team in 2003 where his Kitchner-Waterloo Kodiaks won the Major Series Lacrosse (MSL) league. The transition player and forward competed with the Langley Thunder in 2001, 2002 and 2004 and with the PoCo Saints Junior A team from 1998-2000.

Adam Hughes, 24, lives in Seattle, WA but originally hailed from New York where he played field lacrosse at the State University at New York (SUNY) Cortland for four years. The 6-foot-1-inch, 190-pound forward was a first-team All-American in 2006 as well as being named three times to the SUNY Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) all-conference team and the East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC) team twice. In 2005, Hughes was drafted by the Colorado Mammoth as the 62nd overall pick. Keenan was impressed by his offensive skills and has asked Hughes to join the Jax at training camp.

At 6-feet-2-inches, 209-pounds, Patrick Jansen, 23, has been acknowledged by Keenan as being a strong player with good speed and an excellent outside shot. The Los Altos, Calif. resident competed at Colorado State University and served as team captain during his senior year. In the 18 games he played in 2006, he scored 20 goals and 12 assists for his team which helped them reach their first-ever United States Lacrosse Men's Division of Intercollegiate Associates (USLMDIA) National Championship Game appearance. Jansen also competed with the Spruce Grove Slash Sr. B team of the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League (RMLL), scoring three goals and two assists on defense.

Daniel Walters, 23, was the 32nd overall pick in the 2004 Entry Draft by the Rochester Nighthawks of the National Lacrosse League (NLL) and signed with them in 2005 before he was released. Also drafted by the Brampton Excelsiors and Nanaimo Timbermen, the Nanaimo, BC native split time between the Timbermen's Sr. A and Sr. B squads in both 2005 and 2006. Keenan sees his potential as a goalie and would like to give him another look at training camp amongst those who have already signed.

Last year after the inaugural open tryouts, Keenan invited eight players to join those who had already signed with the Jax at their training camp which took place in Tualatin, Ore. Of those who fought for the remaining spots on the roster, Keenan signed transition player Brandon McKinnon to the Jax for the inaugural season and Danny Ernst, a local favorite, to the practice squad.

The Jax open their second season at home in the Rose Garden on Dec. 30, 2006 at 7 p.m. Season Tickets for the LumberJax start as low as $90. Packages include the eight regular season home games and the 2007 NLL All Star Game. Enjoy the benefits of being a Season Ticket Holder! Also, it's not too early to plan ahead for friends and family or company outings. Receive discounts when you bring a group of fifteen or more. Group tickets start at $10 a seat with no applicable fees. For more information or to reserve your seats call the Jax ticket office at 503.797.9739. Who Wants More?

Tickets for the National Lacrosse League (NLL) 2007 All-Star Game are now on sale. The game will take place on March 10, 2007 at the Rose Garden, home of the Portland LumberJax. Tickets can be purchased at the Rose Quarter Box office, all participating Safeway locations, RoseQuarter.com, or by calling 1.877.789.ROSE (7673).



National Lacrosse League Stories from November 8, 2006


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