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Minnesota Swarm Open Training Camp this Weekend

December 5, 2014 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Minnesota Swarm News Release


SAINT PAUL, Minn. - The National Lacrosse League's Minnesota Swarm officially open training camp this weekend in preparation for the 2015 NLL season at the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre (TRAC) in Oakville, Ontario.

Minnesota is bringing a total of 30 players to camp, and hosts its first practice Friday evening before heading to Rochester on Saturday to face the defending champion Knighthawks at The Blue Cross Arena for a 7 p.m. CT showdown. The Swarm also scrimmage the Calgary Roughnecks on Sunday for an 11 a.m. matchup at the TRAC.

The Swarm has until Dec. 18 to name their final 20-man roster, and can carry up to four practice players during the regular season. Minnesota's training camp roster breaks down as follows: Forwards (12); Defensemen (8); Transition (8) and Goalies (2).

"Heading into camp, there's tons of opportunities to improve from last year," Swarm associate general manager and head coach Joe Sullivan said. "This offseason, our ownership, coaches and players spent a lot of time identifying and addressing issues from last season to ensure that there are no obstructions from us completing our goal of a Champion's Cup in 2015. Last season's record of 4-14 was not acceptable after coming off back-to-back NLL Division Finals finishes the two years prior."

Sullivan will enter his fourth season as the Swarm's bench boss in 2015, and will be joined on the sidelines by veteran assistant coaches Bobby Keast and Aime Caines, as well as one new face, Rory McDade, who was a former player for the Swarm.

On the floor, Minnesota features strong leadership from captain Andrew Suitor and assistant captain Callum Crawford. The team also welcomes back 2014 NLL Award winners Jordan MacIntosh (Transition Player of the Year) and Logan Schuss (Rookie of the Year).

In September's NLL Draft, the Swarm selected one of the most popular names in all of lacrosse, forward Miles Thompson, with the third overall selection. Minnesota also added lefty forwards Shane MacDonald (No. 5 overall) and Joe Maracle (No. 10 overall) to help provide depth on the other side of the floor.

"Our goal these three weekends at training camp is to get our program back to where it was two years ago," Sullivan said. "We've blocked out the past, and we'll be leveraging our youth, speed, and athleticism a lot this season. In the draft, we felt we really addressed our needs in finding that left-handed forward in Shane MacDonald, who can open up other players and go to the net. On the right-side, we know what Miles Thompson can do, and it's our job in camp to get him acquainted with our other players in the floor; he's going to see a ton of sets early to get familiar with our system. All of our of draft picks were chosen for a reason and help us fill voids that we had last season."

Minnesota received a boost on defense this offseason with the return of defenseman Mitch Belisle, who was a key member to the team's unit from 2012-13. The Swarm also acquired speedy transition player Ethan O'Connor from Toronto and goalie Brodie MacDonald from Edmonton in separate trades.

The Swarm returns to Oakville for their final two weekends of training camp Dec. 12-14 and Dec. 19-21. Minnesota will also scrimmage the Colorado Mammoth on Dec. 13 at the TRAC.

Swarm fans looking to lock up 2015 Season Tickets at Ho-Chunk Nation Field at Xcel Energy Center can take advantage of a Buy 2, Get 2 at 25% off deal. By purchasing two lower level season tickets at full price, fans can add an additional two tickets at 25% off. Call 1-888-MN-SWARM or visit www.mnswarm.com for purchasing information.

2015 Minnesota Swarm Training Camp Roster

# Name Height Weight Shoots Years Pro

Forwards

2 Miles Thompson 5'11" 185 R R

7 Zach Palmer 5'7" 175 L R

17 Marcus Holman 5'11" 185 R R

18 Logan Schuss 6'0" 210 L 1

32 Shayne Jackson 5'9" 180 L 2

44 Nick Cotter 5'11" 190 L 4

66 Shane MacDonald 6'0" 200 L R

73 Dean Hill 6'3" 225 L 9

84 Corbyn Tao 5'10" 185 R 3

88 Joe Maracle 5'11" 195 L R

89 Scott Jones 6'4" 225 R 1

98 Callum Crawford 'A' 6'3" 205 R 9

Defensemen

5 Andrew Casimir 6'3" 220 L R

8 Greg Downing 6'1" 185 L 6

10 Alex Crepinsek 5'11" 185 R 2

15 Jordan Houtby 6'3" 180 R 1

22 Dominique Alexander 6'2" 215 R 1

67 Pat Miles 6'0" 170 R R

85 Mitch Belisle 5'10" 195 R 6

97 Ian Crawford 6'0" 220 R R

Transition

3 Eric Guiltinan 5'10" 200 L R

11 Sam Bradman 5'11" 175 R R

20 Andrew Suitor 'C' 5'11" 190 R 4

24 Jordan MacIntosh 6'1" 200 R 3

33 David Earl 6'1" 180 L 3

37 Ethan O'Connor 6'1" 185 R 1

45 Jason Noble 5'10" 165 L 1

46 Kiel Matisz 6'5" 215 R 2

Goalies

31 Zach Higgins 6'1" 225 L 2

50 Brodie MacDonald 6'7" 245 L 4



National Lacrosse League Stories from December 5, 2014


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