The National Lacrosse League’s (NLL) Georgia Swarm today announced that it has re-signed forward Shayne Jackson, and transition players Joel White and David Earl to three-year deals. The Swarm also signed defenseman Reid Acton and goalie Grant Crawley to one-year contracts.
Jackson, 24, posted career-highs in 2015 while leading the Swarm in all three major scoring categories with 78 points, 30 goals and 48 assists. The Bowmanville, Ontario native notched a personal best five goals at home against Buffalo in April and four goals in a road contest against New England in Jan.; Jackson also posted at least four assists in six games last year. Over his three-year career in the NLL, the Limestone College product has yet to miss a game and totaled 192 points (72G, 120A).
The 5-foot-9, 180-pound lefty forward also has a knack for making hustle plays, and ranked third on the team with 77 loose balls last season. Jackson was a first-round selection (No. 4 overall) during the 2012 NLL Draft.
Jackson will be relocating to the metro-Atlanta area for the Swarm season and will be active in the local lacrosse community as a high school coach and with the Swarm’s youth initiatives.
“Shayne was our most productive offensive player last year and has shown his toughness and grit over the last three years with the Swarm,” Swarm Owner and General Manager John Arlotta said. “He’s not only one of the toughest and grittiest guys on the team but he also has tremendous lacrosse IQ and helps make everyone around him better.”
White, 26, was acquired in a trade at the midway point from New England last year, and made an immediate impact on the Swarm’s defensive end with his speed and athleticism. The former Syracuse University All-American led the NLL in loose balls (amongst non-faceoff players) with 182 — a career-high — during 16 combined games with the Swarm and Black Wolves. White also totaled 27 forced turnovers and 20 points (10G, 10A) during his fourth season in the NLL.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound transition player was recently selected to the final roster of the Men’s U.S. National Indoor Team that is participating in the 2015 FIL World Indoor Championships, Sept. 18-26.
“We were extremely pleased to be able to add Joel to our team last year at the trade deadline,” Arlotta said. “His athleticism, versatility and leadership skills had an immediate impact on our team. Joel is a great example of an American player who has evolved his box game and is now one of the top loose ball guys in the league, and he’s also a great guy in the locker room.”
Earl, 28, finished his fourth season with the Swarm in 2015. The University of Notre Dame graduate has totaled 41 points (18G, 23A), 266 loose balls and 67 forced turnovers in 53 career games. Earl missed seven games last season with an upper body injury, but still ranked among the top half of the team in forced turnovers (15) and made the most of his scoring opportunities, converting on four of 12 shots (.333).
The Swarm acquired the speedy Simsbury, Conn. native in the third round (No. 27 overall) of the 2011 NLL Draft.
“David is a fantastic athlete with amazing speed and quickness,” Arlotta said. “He consistently leads our team in all of our athletic testing we do and the more he has played the indoor game, the better he’s gotten. Outside the Swarm, David is truly an ambassador for the sport as he runs his own lacrosse company; we’re fortunate to have someone with his kind of passion in our organization.”
Acton, 26, was selected No. 21 overall by the Swarm in the 2013 NLL Draft after an outstanding collegiate career at Loyola, which included winning the 2012 NCAA DI Championship. Standing tall at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, the Toronto, Ontario native will be a welcomed addition to the Swarm’s defensive unit in 2016.
“We are very excited that Reid is able to play in the NLL this year,” Arlotta said. “Work commitments had prevented him from playing the past two years, but we stayed in touch and we are pleased that he is now able to join the Swarm. He is a big, tough defender who has significant box lacrosse experience, and he has been a part of championship teams in the past.”
Crawley, 30, is a 6-foot-1, 275-pound goaltender from Brantford, Ontario with over a decade of playing experience in Canadian box leagues at the Senior A, Junior A and CLAX levels. This past summer, Crawley posted a 7-4 record with a 6.85 GAA in Senior B action with the St. Catharines Saints.
“Grant played in the league a number of years ago and has continued to improve,” Swarm coach Ed Comeau said. “He’s been competing in Ontario leagues in the summer and in CLAX. We want to give Grant an opportunity to earn a roster spot at our camp.”
