Rush land Merrill with first pick in Dispersal Draft
Published on July 7, 2009 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Edmonton Rush News Release
Edmonton, AB--The Edmonton Rush, under the direction of new General Manager/Head Coach Derek Keenan, acquired seven new players today - three coming from the Dispersal Draft of the Portland LumberJax and four via a significant trade with the Minnesota Swarm.
With the first overall pick in the Dispersal Draft, the Rush made the easy selection of choosing transition player Brodie Merrill, considered by many to be the best player in the NLL.
The 27-year-old native of Orangeville, ON, has been one of the league's top players since bursting onto the scene as the No. 1 pick in the 2005 NLL Entry Draft held in Edmonton. In his first pro season, Merrill was named the NLL's Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year while registering a career-high 49 points and placing second in the league with 214 loose balls.
Merrill continued to rack up the honors over the next few seasons including four All-Star Game nods along with a league-high 196 loose balls in 2007. Last season, Merrill enjoyed another dynamic campaign, earning the nod as a starter on the West Division All-Star Team and rounding out his efforts by being named the NLL's Transition Player of the Year. Merrill's offensive numbers soared again in '09 as he notched 14 goals and a career-high 33 assists for 47 points along with a career-high 216 loose balls.
A two-time All-American at Georgetown University, Merrill claimed the NCAA's Defensive Player of the Year award in his senior season with the Hoyas. A year later, he anchored Canada to a stunning gold-medal performance at the World Lacrosse Championship where he was named to the All-World Team and as the Best Defensive Player in the tournament.
With the No. 12 selection in the Dispersal Draft, the Rush added a familiar face in goaltender Matt Disher who returns to Edmonton where he spent part of the 2008 season. The Rush's final pick was at No. 23 where the team added defenceman Pat Jones.
Disher played nine games for the Rush in 2008 before being dealt to Portland. The Arthur, ON, native finished seventh in the league last season with a 10.80 goals-against average and ranked third among NLL stoppers with a .792 save-percentage while compiling an 8-5 record. Disher also racked up 502 saves in '09, the fourth-highest total in the NLL.
Jones, who just completed his fifth year in the NLL, picked up nine assists for the Jax last season while also securing 79 loose balls. The six-foot-two, 195 pounder will likely play a key role in the faceoff circle for the Rush.
Following the Dispersal Draft, the Rush worked out a major multi-player trade with the Swarm. The Rush sent forward Ryan Benesch, defenceman Scott Self, and a first-round pick in the 2009 NLL Entry Draft to Minnesota for a package of forwards Scott Stewart, Ryan Ward, and Justin Norbraten along with defenceman Richard Morgan. The Swarm had acquired Stewart and Morgan with the No. 3 and No. 6 picks in the Dispersal Draft. Stewart, a six-foot-one, 225-pounder from Hamilton, ON, was sixth in scoring for he Jax' fourth-leading scorer last season with 13 goals and 18 assists for 31 points along with 98 loose balls. The three-year pro had a career-high 40 points with Minnesota in 2007.
Morgan, a hulking rearguard at six-foot-eight, 240 pounds, gives the Rush a huge physical presence at the back end. The Boise State University product racked up 16 points and 40 penalty minutes last season - his fifth in the NLL.
Ward, a 28-year-old from Victoria, B.C., completed his fifth year in the NLL as the third leading scorer on the Swarm roster, picking up 20 goals and 36 assists for 56 points. He recorded a team-high seven power-play goals and led Minnesota with 14 power-play assists. The five-foot-nine, 190-pounder set a career-high for goals in 2008 with 33, one season after recording a career-high 75 points.
Norbraten, a six-foot, 190-pounder from Prince George, B.C., did not play last season. In his rookie year of 2008, he picked up five assists and 21 loose balls for the Swarm.
National Lacrosse League Stories from July 7, 2009
- Minnesota Swarm Acquires F Ryan Benesch, D Scott Self and First Round Draft Pick From Edmonton Rush - Minnesota Swarm
- Wings Acquire Huntley and Ridley, PA Native McGlone in Trade; Add Two More in Dispersal Draft - Philadelphia Wings
- Rock Aquire Chapman From Rochester - Toronto Rock
- Rush land Merrill with first pick in Dispersal Draft - Edmonton Rush
- Roughnecks Pick up Two in Dispersal Draft - Calgary Roughnecks
- Rock Aquire Codron in Dispersal Draft - Toronto Rock
- 'Hawks Aquire Jacobs From Rock, Rochester Selects Stroup - Rochester Knighthawks
- Koesterer Selected by Bandits in Dispersal Draft - Buffalo Bandits
- Williams Third in MSL Points Race - Rochester Knighthawks
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