Being an NLL Draft Prospect: Before The Draft

There are only 56 players drafted into the National Lacrosse League with nine teams in the league. Not all of those players will be on a roster in 2012, or ever even see time in the highest level of indoor lacrosse.

It takes a long time to become one of the best of the best, and if you are selected to be a part of the top league, you are one of those. It takes a lifetime of training, and even then, a lot of talent, and even some luck along the way.

Before the draft, the natural emotion of prospects is to be nervous. What goes through the mind of these prospects?

“I have Monday’s off of school and work. I didn’t do anything really differently then I would normally.” said Jaeden Gastaldo, drafted to the Colorado Mammoth. “Tried to keep up with school work and went to the gym. Then I watched the draft on my computer.”

“Pretty normal, I had a busy day at school and training and then after that just relaxed and waited to watch the draft on my computer with a couple of friends.” said the newest Washington Stealth prospect, Mitchell Jones. “I received a lot of good luck wishes before it started from friends all over.”

“I was naturally curious about who was going to choose me, as well as how everyone else was going to be picked but most importantly my teammates from the Orangeville Northmen and a few guys from my hometown Delta, BC as there were quite a few of us represented in this year’s draft.”

Gastaldo agreed, and said he did feel some nerves. “ I was pretty excited to see if I would get drafted and to what team. I was a little nervous as the draft came closer.”

There are always some nerves with these kind of things as players wonder if they will make it. These players and 54 other did, and now have a chance to prove what they have at the highest level.

Posted in NLL