AARON FORSTER INKS 2-YEAR DEAL
Another Offensive Weapon Set To Go Off
Oakville, ON – Toronto Rock General Manager Jamie Dawick announced today that Rock forward Aaron Forster has agreed to a 2-year contract extension. The signing is pending league approval.
The Rock made Forster their top pick in the 2019 NLL Draft, selecting the Ottawa, ON native in the first round, 15th overall last fall. The offensive righty played in just one game last year after battling through a hand injury he suffered in the Rock’s final pre-season game.
“I’m happy to get Aaron signed, he’s a guy we believe in,” said Dawick. “He played in just one game in Saskatchewan, against tough team, in a tough building to play in and he handled himself really well. He has dealt with a ton of injuries recently, but we like what he brings and he’s in our plans.”
Forster played the field game collegiately at NJIT and finished his NCAA career as the Highlanders’ all-time leader in goals, assists and points. In his final year of junior A lacrosse, he led the Toronto Beaches of the OJALL in scoring with 56 points. The 24-year old is a proven scorer and becoming an everyday pro is next on the agenda.
“I am super happy to be back, with a great group and a super deep team,” said Forster. “I’m thankful and I’m blessed to be a part of a great organization and I can’t wait to get back out there with the guys.”
Forster was noticeable on the floor in his lone game. When the Rush and Rock meet, the turf is littered with some of the game’s biggest names, so making an impression is not always easy to do. He played a fearless game, crashing the net on a couple of occasions and had a pair of goals disallowed due to crease violations. He did all that despite being on the receiving end of a hit early in the game from one of the NLL’s most physical defenders in the Rush’s Mike Messenger.
“It was a great hit and certainly my welcome to the NLL moment,” explained Forster who remembers the big hit with a certain fondness, if you can believe it. “I got right back up and kept playing. Dan (Dawson) and I had talked about a play just like that developing. I went to the middle, to get a pass from Robbie (Hellyer), but I ended up getting hit. Dan had pointed out, that instead of a roll into the middle, that I should back up and make the slide longer for the defender. It’s the little things like that at this level that make a big difference. Paying attention to details is big or the result can be something like that. I just remember the announcer in the arena saying, ‘Welcome to Saskatchewan’ as I was picking myself up off the floor.
“Overall in the first game, I felt like after some time I was getting into the swing of things. I just had to figure out my role, which was to free up Robbie and Challen (Rogers), I just wanted to open up space in the first half. As the game went on, my level of confidence went up. I took the ball to the net and had the two goals called back, which was unfortunate, but it was also a good reflection of my confidence going up throughout the game.”
So, what’s the next step when it comes to becoming and regular fixture in the Rock lineup?
“I think it comes down to figuring out that chemistry with the guys,” said Forster. “Playing with Tom (Schreiber), Dan or Robbie, it’s just about understanding where I fit best, and having that confidence and belief in myself and also playing my game at the same time. I just want to learn as much as possible from the veterans on this team and absorb everything I can from them.”
The NLL has announced this year’s NLL Draft will be a virtual event on Tuesday, September 17. Fans can watch on Bleacher Report Live, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter at 7:00 p.m. ET.
2020-21 Toronto Rock Season Memberships are on sale now! For more information or to purchase, please visit torontorock.com.
