The Vancouver Stealth had three picks in the third round of the 2014 NLL Draft and with the 23rd overall selection took forward Dan Keane.
Keane has just wrapped up playing attack for the Delaware Blue Hens in college field lacrosse. In his senior year he led the team in goals (27) and points (33) as the Blue Hens played to a 7-9 record.
The 5’9″ righty also played two seasons of Junior A box with the Brampton Excelsiors where 56 goals and 146 points. He also added 20 minutes in penalties during that stretch, demonstrating he doesn’t shy away from the rough stuff.
With Vancouver, Keane will be battling for a spot with star forward Rhys Duch, a rookie sensation from last season in Tyler Digby and fellow newcomer Matt Delmonico. Digby and Duch are no-brainers to make the roster and grab the lion’s share of the minutes, leaving Keane and Delmonico to fight for whatever time is still available.
Delmonico has five inches of height advantage on Keane and has been a consistent producer for Seton Hill during his college career. But Keane has been far more productive in the box environment, giving the Elora, ON native the advantage.
Besides, as Shawn Evans has proved by scoring 100-plus points in each of the last two seasons, height isn’t everything if the desire is there.
The Stealth begin training camp on November 22 at the Langley Events Centre Fieldhouse and will be looking closely for that desire to win in an effort to bounce back from a disappointing 2014 season.
