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NLL San Diego Seals

Seals Sign Notre Dame Pat Kavanaugh, Trade Sykes to Calgary

February 12, 2025 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
San Diego Seals News Release


The Seals made a pair of major roster moves on Wednesday, signing former Notre Dame standout Pat Kavanagh to a two-year contract, while trading defenseman and former first-round pick Matt Sykes and the Seals' sixth round pick in the 2025 NLL Draft to Calgary in exchange for Calgary's 2025 compensatory pick (No 18 overall).

"We want to thank Matty for his contributions to the Seals since we drafted him back in 2019," said Seals Head Coach and General Manager Patrick Merrill. "He's a tremendous player who's gotten better and better every year. And while it's tough to let go of a player like Matty, we're very excited to bring in Pat Kavanagh. We've all seen what he's been able to do in the outdoor game and we believe he's going to really excel in box, and we're thrilled that he's going to be doing it for the Seals."

One of collegiate lacrosse's most-highly decorated players, Kavanagh was named the winner of the 2024 Tewaaraton Award as collegiate lacrosse's most outstanding player. Competing as a grad student, he led Notre Dame to a second straight National Championship while scoring a career-high and team-leading 80 points in helping the Fighting Irish post a 16-1 record. Kavanagh was named the Atlantic Coast Conference's Offensive Player of the Year, while also earning All-America honors from the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) and All-ACC accolades.

As a senior in 2023, Kavanagh scored a then-team-record 77 points and was named a finalist for the Tewaaraton after helping lead Notre Dame to its first national championship in school history. He was named All-ACC and second-team All-America by the USILA.

Kavanagh completed his Fighting Irish career as a four-time All-ACC pick, having earned similar accolades as a sophomore in 2021 and a junior in 2022 and a four-time USILA All-America selection after earning second-team honors in 2021 and third-team recognition in 2022.

A native of Rockville Centre, New York, Kavanagh comes from an athletic family. His brothers Chris and Matt both played lacrosse at Notre Dame, while brother, Brendan, played at Hofstra. Another brother, Kevin, played hockey at Stony Brook while sister, Colleen, played soccer at Manhattan.

Kavanagh is also a standout in the outdoor game. Selected in the first round of the 2024 Professional Lacrosse League (PLL) Draft by the Boston Cannons, he spent the past season with the team. In November 2024, he was traded to the Denver Outlaws in exchange for the third overall pick in the 2025 College Draft and a second-round pick in 2026.

Kavanagh is set to join the 4-5 Seals this spring, with his official debut pending lineup decisions.

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