The Rochester Knighthawks will begin their quest for a sixth Champion’s Cup on Sat., Nov. 21st when they open Training Camp at Total Sports Experience in East Rochester (435 West Commercial Street). The Knighthawks will hit the turf from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. The session is free and open to the public.
“It’s going to be awesome to be back with the boys,” said Knighthawks defenseman Paul Dawson. “It’s exciting with some of the draft picks we picked up. It’s going to be a pretty competitive camp. There will be guys competing for spots which will bring new energy (to the team).”
This year’s Training Camp roster will feature many new faces as six draft picks and several free agent signings are expected to attend. The Knighthawks had four of the first 16 picks in the 2015 NLL Entry Draft, which they used to load up on defense.
In the first round, Rochester took Graeme Hossack (Lindenwood) second overall and chose Brad Gillies (RIT) with the ninth overall selection. Rochester then picked Derek Searle (RIT) and Adam Bomberry (Six Nations Arrows) in the second round, and rounded out the draft by taking forward John St. John (Toronto Beaches) and defenseman Greg Longboat (Six Nations Arrows).
“It’s a good group of guys who are going to come in here and are going to compete and push our guys for spots,” said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen. “Something (Owner & GM) Curt Styres brought to the table was that championships breed championships and they all come from a winning pedigree.”
The Knighthawks will open the 2016 season at home on Sat., Jan. 9th at 7:30 p.m. against the Colorado Mammoth. Rochester enters the season after finishing the 2015 campaign in second place in the East Division. The Knighthawks, who were 12-6, advanced to the division finals for the fourth straight season. Rochester has earned a playoff berth the last five seasons and won the Champion’s Cups a league-record three straight years from 2012-14.
For Training Camp updates, videos and photos, fans can go to the Knighthawks’ official Twitter page, @rocknighthawks, or go online to www.knighthawks.com.
