Knighthawks Make Roster Moves
Published on November 30, 2011 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Rochester Knighthawks News Release
(Rochester, November 30)... After an intense two weekends of training camp, the Rochester Knighthawks made five roster moves today prior to the team's preseason schedule. Knighthawks General Manager and Owner Curt Styres released Donny Moss, Josh Ruys, Zach Bowen, Chris Courtney and Scott Rouse. The moves are pending league approval.
"It was very competitive. All the players are good enough to play in this league, but we decided to go with more experienced people," said Styres about the moves to trim the roster to 30 players. Rochester needs to get down to 26 players (23 active and three practice players) by Thursday, December 22nd. "We are always looking to the future and are mindful of the young guys and their development time."
The Knighthawks' camp featured six of the team's 2011 draft picks, prospects, offseason acquisitions and 18 returning players. The draft choices included Stephen Keogh, Johnny Powless, Joel White, Kyle Andrews, Aaron Tackaberry and Grant Catalino. It was the most competitive camp since Styres took over the Knighthawks in 2008. He praised his staff for bringing in such a talented group of athletes.
"The modern lacrosse player has turned themselves into professional athletes and away from weekend warriors," said Styres. "Players know they can make a living at this and by taking ownership of this day they can do something they have a passion for. That's what the difference was (at camp this year)."
Alex "Kedoh" Hill, Travis Hill and Jake Henhawk were three of the players that made an impression in camp. Henhawk was vying for the No. 2 goaltending position after last playing in Rochester in 2010, while "Kedoh" Hill and Travis Hill were both acquired in offseason moves by Styres.
"The scouting staff did very well. Johnny Powless, Alex Hill and Travis Hill are all very good players," said Styres. "Players like (Jamie) Batson and Andrews are also right in the mix."
In two weeks, the Knighthawks will begin their preseason schedule on Sunday, December 11th at the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton, NJ. The Knighthawks will take on their longtime rival, the Philadelphia Wings, at 1:00 p.m.
The Knighthawks will return to Rochester to close out the preseason with a home game against the Minnesota Swarm on Saturday, December 17th at 7:00 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena. Tickets for the game are FREE and available online at Knighthawks.net. Fans must have a ticket to enter the game. For more information or to purchase season tickets, call (585) 454-HAWK (4295).
The games will determine the Knighthawks' 2012 roster and theplayers that will fight to earn the organization its third Champion's Cup. Styres had advice for players who arevying for the final roster spots.
"We are always looking for team play, creativeness and the ability to get loose balls," said Styres. "If we can increase our loose balls by 50 percent our chances of winning go up dramatically."
National Lacrosse League Stories from November 30, 2011
- Knighthawks Make Roster Moves - Rochester Knighthawks
- Mammoth Single-Game Tickets on Sale Saturday - Colorado Mammoth
- Final Day of Movember - Toronto Rock
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
