Matt Hummel has been waiting for this moment since the defending NLL champion Rochester Knighthawks drafted him in early October. At 9:00 p.m. EST, he will finally get his chance to play in a professional lacrosse game as the Rochester Knighthawks take on the Colorado Mammoth at Pepsi Center.
“I am really excited. I have been waiting for this my whole life,” said Hummel.
The Kitchener, Ontario native was signed and moved to the active roster today. In a related move, the Knighthawks placed Cody McLeod on the Practice Squad.
Hummel, a former Mercyhurst University midfielder and MSL Kitchener-Waterloo transition man, was selected 38th overall in the NLL Entry Draft. Hummel began his collegiate career in 2011 as a redshirt freshman on the Mercyhurst University men’s lacrosse team and began playing for the team his sophomore year.
As a sophomore, Hummel played in all 14 games and recorded 15 goals, the third most on the team. He also recorded seven assists and a total of 22 points and 26 shots on goal during the 2012 season. That season, he also collected 10 ground balls.
During the summer of 2012, he played transition for the Major Series Lacrosse’s Kitchener-Waterloo Kodiaks. Before making the jump to the senior level, he honed his skills with the Junior “A” Kitchener-Waterloo Braves from 2006-10. He recorded 170 points in 85 games and was second on the Braves with 20 goals and 24 assists in 2008. In 2009, Hummel was tied for first on the team with 48 points and in 2010 he was second with 29 goals.
Tonight, Hummel will now get his shot in the NLL. He scored a goal in the Knighthawks’ preseason game in Montreal in December and was tabbed to make his pro debut in January but suffered a lower-body injury. Hummel has worked diligently to get back into the lineup, and has the support of his veteran teammates, who gave the 23-year-old some advice before his big debut.
“A lot of the guys have told me to keep the butterflies down. They told me it’s the same game I have been playing my whole life,” he said. “All I can do is go out there, play hard every shift and remember it’s a simple game.”
