Buffalo Bandits General Manager Steve Dietrich today announced the team has agreed to terms on three-year contracts with Ryan Benesch and Dhane Smith, and signed Jordan Dance, Jamie Rooney and Jerome Thompson to one-year deals.
Benesch and Smith were first and third, respectively, in scoring last season for the Bandits. Their contracts are still pending league approval.
In his first season with the Bandits, Benesch paced the team with 78 points (25+53) in 18 games. He also finished among the team leaders in power-play goals (2nd, 7), shorthanded goals (T-1st, 3), loose balls (4th, 88) and shots on goal (2nd, 124).
Smith made the switch to transition last year and finished with 59 points (20+39) in 18 games. The second-year player was third on the team in shots on goal (111) and fifth in loose balls (79).
Rooney, entering his third season with the Bandits, notched 21 points (8+13) in 12 games last season.
Buffalo’s third-round pick (24th overall) in the 2014 NLL Draft, Dance spent last season with the Orangeville Northmen, where he scored 43 points (18+25) in 17 games,
Thompson is back for a second stint in Buffalo after he was drafted by the Bandits in the third round (25th overall) of the 2011 NLL Draft.
