The Rochester Knighthawks have activated forward Aaron Wilson today from the injured reserve list. Wilson returns to the active roster as the Knighthawks prepare for their second straight game against the Calgary Roughnecks.
“It’s an understatement how excited I am to be back,” said Wilson. “I have taken two months to do the best I can to stay in shape and I feel game ready now. I look forward to getting back this weekend and helping my team win again.”
The 34-year-old Wilson has played in two games with Rochester this season, scoring one goal and collecting three assists. In the home opener, the Kitchener, Ontario native netted one goal and chipped in two assists in his first game back in Rochester since the 2009 season.
The prolific scorer and playmaker signed with the Knighthawks on December 17, 2014. In his NLL career, Wilson has registered 632 points (329+303) in 181 games over 13 seasons. The two-time NLL champion has also reached 50 or more points in a season six times in his career. The veteran brings leadership, grittiness and solid off-ball play to the lineup.
“He is a great off-ball presence that we can always use,” said Knighthawks Assistant Coach Paul Day. “It’s a good change for us going into our second week in a row playing Calgary. It will be a great opportunity for him.”
“It will be nice getting ‘Wils’ back in the lineup,” said Rochester forward Joe Walters. “He’s worked hard to get healthy again and he’s looked great at practice.”
Wilson will move into the right side of the offense after Rochester placed forward Joel Matthews on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. Wilson joins an offense that has been hot lately, scoring 55 goals in four games.
“I want to go in there and just play my game,” he said. “I am looking forward to getting in there and helping the offense as a group.”
Forward Dan Dawson, who is second on the Knighthawks in points, was eager to play alongside Wilson again. The two forwards were also teammates on the Major Series Lacrosse Brampton Excelsiors for three seasons.
“He is a pure goal-scorer who is a team-first guy,” said Dawson. “I have had the pleasure of playing with him on other teams and have always loved playing with Aaron. He fits well into what we have been doing. He will definitely be pumped for this weekend.”
Rochester will take on the Roughnecks at 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 14th as they look to sweep the two-game season series. The Knighthawks won the first meeting, 12-11, on February 28th.
