Rochester Knighthawks Owner and General Manager Curt Styres announced today that the team has re-signed defensemen Kyle Laverty and Jamie Batson. The contracts are pending league approval.
Laverty enters his fifth season with the Knighthawks after agreeing to a one-year deal. The gritty defenseman capped off the 2012 season with the Knighthawks by winning a World Championship.
“Over the last four years there have been a lot of changes to the team and in the dressing room, but we have grown together as a team and family. Curt is an amazing owner, he looks after us very well. Rochester is an amazing city, with amazing fans, and amazing support. There is no other place I would rather play,†said Laverty.
This past season, he appeared in 10 regular season games and all three playoff games. The Peterborough, Ontario native enters his 13th season in the NLL and fifth with the Knighthawks. He stands as the league’s all-time penalty minutes leader (621), and ranks sixth in team history with 217 penalty minutes in just four seasons. He arrived in Rochester in 2009 after spending a five-year career with the Buffalo Bandits. He won his first NLL Championship in 2008 as a member of the Bandits. The 32-year-old was originally a fifth-round selection (38th overall) of the Ottawa Rebel in the 2000 NLL Entry Draft.
Batson, who agreed to a two-year deal, begins his second pro season after attending the Knighthawks Open Tryouts. The Comox, BC native made his preseason debut against Philadelphia on December 11th, scoring a goal in transition in an 11-8 come-from-behind victory. He cracked the lineup on February 18th where the 6-0, 200 pound Batson played defense and transition, even taking faceoffs, as the Knighthawks rallied to beat the Washington Stealth 15-12.
He capped off his rookie season by winning the Champion’s Cup.
Throughout the 2012 campaign, Batson continued to contribute as an active roster and practice player. This summer, the 27-year-old showed his continued improvement as a featured defenseman with the Kitchener-Waterloo Kodiaks. The MSL Rookie of the Year Candidate appeared in 13 games for the Kodiaks.
“I learned a lot from just practicing and watching the games,†said Batson. “It taught me about defensive awareness and positioning. I am a completely different player than I was last year.â€
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