The Victoria Shamrocks have been a top-notch club in the WLA for many years. The end of the 2014 season was a testament to the fact that they can compete with the best of the best, as they made it to their second straight Mann Cup finals, where they were once again beat out by an unbelievable Six Nations team. One evident difference in both years was the Shamrocks lack of depth and experience in the goaltender position. Victoria General Manager Chris Welch took it upon himself this off-season to make a move that will hopefully provide his troops with better options not only in net, but also on offence.
On Friday, it was announced that the WLA Commissioner approved a trade that sent the rights to young ‘Rocks offensive weapon Brandon Bull to the Coquitlam Adanacs in exchange to the rights for veteran attacker Daryl Veltman and top goalie Aaron Bold. This is a move that appears to be beneficial for both parties. If the Shamrocks can three-peat as WLA champions and make it to another Mann Cup, they now have access to the much-needed solid play of a veteran skilled net minder.
“Bold is undisputedly one of the top goalies in the game today. Whether or not he comes to Victoria for the 2015 season remains to be seen, but having his rights going forward gives us some options as we move towards training camp,” Welch noted in a victoriashamrocks.com interview.
Bold is originally from Victoria and spent time playing for the hometown Sr. A club from 2007-2009. After this, he explored some other lacrosse opportunities in Ontario and Alberta. Bold entered the NLL in 2005, and was drafted 29th overall by the Portland Lumberjax. He also spent three seasons with the San Jose Stealth and two more with Rochester. Bold has backstopped the Edmonton Rush since 2012, and currently resides in Edmonton, Alberta.
The other piece of the trade comes in seasoned veteran Daryl Veltman. He brings seven seasons of experience playing Sr. A lacrosse to the Shamrocks club, and could also play a key role in the Shamrocks making a third trip to the Mann Cup. Veltman, a product of Orangeville, Ontario is expected to bring leadership and offensive skills including being an effective ball player. Welch is hoping this will spark the offence to be more productive, leading to another championship opportunity.
