Saskatoon's Own Reagan Harding Selected by Rush in 2015 NLL Draft
September 28, 2015 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Saskatchewan Rush News Release
SASKATCHEWAN - The Saskatchewan Rush selected forward Dan Taylor and goaltender Doug Buchan with their top picks during the 2015 National Lacrosse League Entry Draft held Monday night in Oakville, Ontario.
Taylor was selected by the Rush with the No. 12 pick - the Rush's highest pick of the draft following Friday's trade with Rochester which saw them trade the No. 9 and No. 14 selections in this year's draft to the Knighthawks for first-round picks in the 2016 and 2018 drafts.
Taylor joins the Rush following a terrific senior year with the NCAA's Lehigh University Mountain Hawks.
For a second straight season, Taylor led Lehigh and the Patriot League with 77 points, and he finished sixth in the nation with an average of 4.81 points per game. He posted three or more points in 13 of 16 games along with nine hat tricks and 11 multi-goal games. Taylor completed his college campaign with an Honourable Mention All-American nod plus Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year honours.
This past summer, Taylor suited up for the Maple Ridge Burrards of the Western Lacrosse Association and led the team in scoring with 16 goals and 40 assists for 56 points in 15 games.
"He's the guy we wanted," said Rush GM/Head Coach Derek Keenan. "He's really going to add to our left side depth. He's very skilled offensively."
Prior to joining Maple Ridge, Taylor played junior lacrosse in Alberta with now-Rush teammate Tyler Melnyk. Taylor's selection at 12th overall is the highest-ever NLL draft pick groomed in the Alberta Junior League.
Buchan's selection at No. 18 was no surprise as Coach Keenan deemed him the best goaltending prospect in the draft. His stock soared with standout performances for Burlington during the Ontario Junior League playoffs.
"I've watched him play in Ontario for the past four years and he's a big guy who moves well and he's a real student of game," noted Keenan. "He faced a lot of shots so he's experienced and he kept his team in a lot of games. It takes some time to get to play in the NLL especially at that position but he's got a lot of upside."
Moving into Round 3 with back-to-back picks, the Rush selected Luke Gillespie from the B.C. Junior League's New Westminster Salmonbellies at No. 30, and then Justin Goodwin from Lake Erie College at No. 31. Goodwin had a noteworthy end to this past season as he was named the ECAC's Defensive Player of the Year.
"Gillespie is very versatile with good skills on offence and defence, and Goodwin is a lefty who plays that defence/transition role which is an area that we've been trying to fill for a couple years."
With the No. 40 pick, the Rush selected Jimmy McBride, a forward from Mars Hill University who has suited up for Team Scotland at the World Field Lacrosse and World Under-19 Championships.
The Rush made a splash with their pick at No. 47 by selecting homegrown Saskatchewan product Reagan Harding - the team's second pick of the draft from Lake Erie College. The Saskatoon native and Bishop Mahoney grad was the ECAC's Offensive Player of the Year in 2014.
"It's really great to get a Saskatchewan kid plus he has some really good experience in the NCAA and the WLA," said Keenan.
"Both of them [Harding and Goodwin] are going to get a real good chance to make our team and if not the team then certainly the practice roster. It's so important now to have good depth on your practice roster and those guys have to have the ability to step in and play."
Saskatchewan ended its draft by trading the No. 55 pick to Buffalo for a sixth-round selection in the 2018 draft.
National Lacrosse League Stories from September 28, 2015
- Knighthawks Go Defense First - Rochester Knighthawks
- Roughnecks Select Nine Players in 2015 NLL Draft - Calgary Roughnecks
- Bandits Draft Four Players at 2015 NLL Draft - Buffalo Bandits
- Saskatoon's Own Reagan Harding Selected by Rush in 2015 NLL Draft - Saskatchewan Rush
- Rochester Use Two of its Top Picks to Take RIT Tigers - Rochester Knighthawks
- Toronto Rock Select Five at NLL Draft - Toronto Rock
- Jones-Smith Selected 48th Overall by Black Wolves - New England Black Wolves
- Black Wolves Select Ryan MacSpadyen with 41st Overall Pick - New England Black Wolves
- Lintner First Black Wolves Pick in 2015 NLL Entry Draft - New England Black Wolves
- Bandits Ready for 2015 NLL Draft, Awards Ceremony - Buffalo Bandits
- Toronto Rock Acquire Mike Grimes from Georgia Swarm - Toronto Rock
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