Starting with the 19th pick overall, the Vancouver Stealth selected eight players at the 2015 National Lacrosse League draft, held Monday at the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre in Oakville, Ontario.
“We are really happy with tonight’s draft in terms of the depth and quality of the players who we drafted. We had a really good night and I can’t wait to start camp,” Stealth president and general manager Doug Locker said, after the draft.
With their first pick, the Stealth selected 21-year-old lefty forward Jordan Durston.
Durston is a native of Wallaceburg, Ont., and is coming off a Minto Cup winning season with the Six Nations Arrows (Ontario Lacrosse Association junior A).
In 19 games, Durston recorded 64 points (24 goals, 40 assists) and 43 penalty minutes.
“It is amazing to be a part of the Stealth organization. It is just a crazy feeling right now,” Durston said. “I am really excited to be picked by Vancouver and I hope to step into the lineup and make an impact.”
Head Coach Dan Perreault was pleased that Durston was available at 19.
“Jordan was a player that our scouting staff Pat McCready and Jake Henhawk kept a close eye on all year,” Perreault said. “We like guys that know how to win and Jordan is just coming off another Minto Cup victory with Six Nations.”
With the 21st pick in the draft, the Stealth selected left-handed forward Shayne Adams, a recent product of the University of Detroit Mercy. Adams, from St. Catharines, Ont., spent this last summer playing for his hometown St. Catharines Saints (Ontario Lacrosse Association senior B), where he recorded seven points (four goals, three assists) and two penalty minutes.
Adams was a prolific junior A scorer, racking up 263 points in 84 career games split between St. Catharines and Six Nations.
Two picks later, the Stealth landed another lefty forward in Connor Brown from Halton Hills (Ontario Lacrosse Association junior B).
A native of Georgetown, Ont., the 20-year-old enjoyed a fantastic season finishing second in league scoring with 115 points (51 goals, 64 assists).
The fourth round saw Vancouver draft defenseman Riley Campbell and Delta native Evan Messenger.
Campbell, drafted 33rd overall, was a member of the Peterborough Lakers (Ontario Lacrosse Association junior A), appearing in 20 games and registering 15 points (six goals, nine assists).
Messenger was the Stealth’s 39th pick in the draft and played for the Delta Islanders (BC Junior A Lacrosse League). In 16 games this past season, he recorded 62 points (26 goals, 36 assists). In 56 career regular season games with the Islanders, Messenger piled up a whopping 195 points (87 goals, 108 assists).
“Evan is a very good athlete and being from the west, I had a chance to see him play a lot,” Perreaul said. “He is a lefty with a very good skill set and is a young guy with a very bright future.”
With two picks in the fifth round, the Stealth selected Ryan Wagner out of Niagara (Ontario Lacrosse Association junior B) and Keegan Letourneau, a member of the Six Nations Arrows (Ontario Lacrosse Association junior A).
The Stealth’s last pick in the draft was lefty forward Blake Curry from Seneca at No. 49.
The new draftees will look to join the Stealth roster at training camp in December. The Stealth open the 2016 schedule at the Langley Events Centre Jan. 9 against the New England Black Wolves.