Toronto Arrows Activate Black, Stevenson to Senior Team
March 24, 2023 - Major League Rugby (MLR)
Toronto Arrows News Release
TORONTO, ON - The Toronto Arrows are pleased to announce that the club has activated High Performance Academy (HPA) athletes Brenden Black and Hank Stevenson to the Senior Team squad.
Black, 18, featured for Canada's under-18 side at the Corendon Rugby Summer Tour in the Netherlands this past July. The Oakville, Ont. native completed his first season with the University of Guelph in the fall of 2022.
The fullback / winger started his grassroots rugby with his hometown club Oakville Crusaders and Oakville Trafalgar High School before rising through the junior provincial and national ranks.
Black is a graduate of the Ontario Junior Blues and Ontario Blues Junior Arrows Academy programs, and has also developed with the Canadian Misfits.
Stevenson, 23, made six appearances for the Arrows Senior Academy in 2022, and has spent time training with the club's Senior Team throughout portions of 2021 and 2022 MLR seasons.
The hometown Torontonian is a graduate of Rugby Canada's Maple Leafs Sevens development program and featured for Canada's under-20 touring team in 2019. The lock also represented the red and white as a member of Canada's touring sides for the Auckland Schools Sevens and Youth Commonwealth Games in 2017.
Stevenson's development path began with his hometown club Toronto Nomads and Royal St. George's College before coming through the Ontario Junior Blues provincial program. He suited up for the UBCOB Ravens in the Challenge Cup of the Americas tournament this past summer, and like Black, has also spent time with the Canadian Misfits.
"Brenden and Hank have worked hard in our full-time training environment, and have earned this opportunity," said Tim Matthews, Toronto Arrows Vice President and General Manager. "Their activations are a demonstration of the value of having these HPA athletes train with the Senior Team squad day-in and day-out, which was an investment we made this season and something that we will look to continue to do moving forward."
As part of the inaugural cohort of HPA athletes, Black and Stevenson have regularly trained with the Senior Team throughout the MLR season.
Both players are now eligible to be named to Senior Team match rosters.
Major League Rugby Stories from March 24, 2023
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- Academy Grads Black, Stevenson Poised for Debuts as Arrows Head to Utah - Toronto Arrows
- Toronto Arrows Activate Black, Stevenson to Senior Team - Toronto Arrows
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