The National Lacrosse League season gets underway for a 29th campaign in 2015. Ten players from Midwestern Ontario will start the year on six of the league's nine teams.
Buffalo Bandits:
Chad Culp, Fergus - Culp has been a member of the Bandits since 2010, signing as a free agent ahead of the 2011 season. He has been in the NLL since 2003 with 403 career points. Last season the veteran managed 7 goals and 4 assists in 17 games with the Bandits finishing 3rd.
Calary Roughnecks:
Dane Dobbie, Elora - After losing in the league finals last season, Dobbie and company have their sights on a championship. Heading into his eighth season in Calgary, Dobbie has 450 points over his NLL career.
Colorado Mammoth:
Adam Jones, Owen Sound - The third-overall selection in the 2011 NLL Entry Draft, Jones is entering his fourth season in Denver. He was named rookie of the year in 2012 with a 76 point campaign. The Mammoth went 8-10 in 2014 and bowed out in the division finals.
Minnesota Swarm:
Shane MacDonald, Elora - 2015 will be MacDonald's first in the NLL, he was selected 5th overall by the Swarm in the recent entry draft. He had 55 points last season for Jr. A side Brampton. The Swarm missed last years playoffs after managing only 4 wins last season.
New England Black Wolves:
Patrick Saunders, Arthur - Getting his first full season under his belt in 2014, Saunders will look for more this year. Posting 39 points with Philadelphia last season while his team eventually missed the playoffs.
Craig England, Fergus - England will look for more playing time on his new team. Last season he got in 4 games for the Toronto Rock, with one assist.
*Note: The Black Wolves relocated from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where they were originally known as the Philadelphia Wings(1987 to 2014)
Toronto Rock:
Rob Hellyer, Lions Head - Coming off a career high 78 points and a new 3 year contract, Hellyer starts his 5th season in Toronto.
Rob Marshall, Arthur - A veteran defenceman for the Rock. this is Marshall's 10th season on the team. A product of Arthur Minor Lacrosse, he was a part of Toronto's 2011 championship team.
Kasey Beirnes, Elora - Beirnes has become a consistent scorer for the Rock over the last 7 seasons. He has scored at least 50 points in the last 3 years.
Hayden Smith, Owen Sound - The defenceman signed as a free agent back in October. He is currently on the team's practice roster.
