Rush Draft Pick Cudmore Set to Battle at Training Camp
November 19, 2012 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Edmonton Rush News Release
Edmonton, AB---Michael Cudmore will not likely win the scoring race any time soon, but if you take this 6-1, 205-pound powerhouse lightly, he might just take you out. It is that kind of hard-nosed presence that has made the biggest impression on his fellow players, coaches, and fans so far in his young career.
The 22-year-old from Ashburn, Ontario was named the captain of Team Canada in the 2008 U19 World Field Lacrosse Championship, where he led the Canadians to a silver medal.
"I had always been a leader in minor lacrosse and in junior. It was amazing to be named captain of Team Canada, but it didn't really make a difference. All the players on that team were leaders from their home towns, so it made it pretty easy for the captains," Cudmore notes.
In keeping with the trend, he was named a co-captain with the Hartford Hawks in 2011, a team with which he won the 2011 NCAA American East Championship.
Cudmore is a natural leader and achiever. He began attending the University of Hartford in 2008 and graduated in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts, focusing on public relations, advertising, and applied communication.
During that time, with the Hawks, he had 51 points in 29 games, over the course of four field lacrosse seasons. After playing one season of Jr. B lacrosse in 2008, he had 37 points in 38 games with the Whitby Warriors (Jr. A) in 2009 and 2010, alongside fellow Rush draftee Curtis Knight, who was a rookie with the Warriors in 2010. After a knee injury limited his action with Hartford in 2011, he played 12 games in 2012 with the Brooklin Redmen in Major Series Lacrosse (Sr. A).
Drafted fifteenth overall by the Rush in 2012, he is extremely happy to join the team.
"I'm excited to join the Rush; there are a lot of familiar faces... I'm just excited to make the jump to the pro game and glad I can do it with all the guys I have played with over the years."
Coach Derek Keenan speaks fondly of Cudmore's intensity: "He's a hard hitter and also has the skill to move the ball up the floor and make plays."
Cudmore responds, "I just go out there and give it all I got. If there is a loose ball in the corner, it's going to be a battle, if you're going to get it against me."
When he is not busying as a player, Cudmore is involved as a director and coach with Power Play Lacrosse, out of Durham, Ontario, where he translates his athletic and academic success into an educational asset for minor lacrosse players.
"I coach and organize camps and travel teams. I started doing this because one of my good friends, Cam Holding, who plays for Colorado, started Power Play Lacrosse, and he needed some help."
Apart from lacrosse, he enjoys activities such as hockey, hiking, fishing, swimming, and dirt diking. In fact, in 2008, Cudmore had to make the difficult decision between lacrosse and hockey, after being drafted by the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League.
"I thought that I was a better lacrosse player and would have a better chance to go further in lacrosse than in hockey."
This choice has paid dividends, and the Rush organization and fans look forward to seeing his never-say-die attitude out on the field!
The NLL 2012 Western Division Champs will open the 2013 NLL season training camp this Saturday, November 24 at Six Nations, Ontario.
Returning players hold a memory of a successful playoff season that ended with bitter sweet results of losing the Champions Cup to the Rochester Knighthawks. The 2012 draftee players will enter training camp fulfilling dreams of attending their first professional lacrosse camp and earning a roster spot.
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National Lacrosse League Stories from November 19, 2012
- Seattle's Snider Among 11 Prospects to Advance from Stealth Try-Out - Washington Stealth
- Minnesota Swarm Add Lindsay Guentzel as In-Arena Host - Minnesota Swarm
- Rush Draft Pick Cudmore Set to Battle at Training Camp - Edmonton Rush
- Knighthawks to Pass Along Holiday Cheer - Rochester Knighthawks
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