The Colorado Mammoth have announced that the team has signed all seven of their players selected in the 2014 NLL Entry Draft including first-round picks Eli McLaughlin (fourth overall) and Robert Hope (seventh overall). All seven two-year contracts are pending league approval. “With training camp opening in November, it was paramount that we get all of the draftees under contract and get them ready to compete,” said Mammoth president & general manager Steve Govett. McLaughlin was the top-rated left-handed forward in the draft, while Hope was regarded as the best defender.
Meanwhile, goaltender Alex Buque (Colorado’s second-round pick) was considered to be the best netminder available. Defenseman Zach Rogers (fourth round) was the first Californian ever drafted by the franchise. Fifth-rounder DJ Giacobbo played college lacrosse at Canisius, the same school that produced current Mammoth players Adam Jones and Dan Coates.
Local products Terry Ellis (University of Denver) and Mike Crampton (Air Force) rounded out the draft for Colorado. The Mammoth open their 2015 NLL season, which marks the team’s 13th year in the National Lacrosse League, on Saturday, Jan. 3 on the road against the Minnesota Swarm. Colorado’s home opener at Pepsi Center is set for Saturday, Jan. 2 against the West Division champion Calgary Roughnecks.
