Marley Angus, Tyler Hendrycks and Sam Haines Also Sign New Deals
Oakville, ON –Toronto Rock Owner, President, and GM Jamie Dawick today announced the signing of four returning players including veteran defender Sheldon Burns, who has signed a 1-year agreement. All signings are pending league approval.
Burns, 31, has been a key part of the Rock’s defence in recent years and enjoyed one of his best seasons in a Rock jersey in 2022-23. While defenders don’t always have a lot of flashy stats that jump off the page, the consistency and reliability stats columns would definitely be filled with eye-popping numbers for Burns, if such a thing existed.
“It’s good to have Sheldon coming back, he’s been a mainstay on our defensive end for some time now and has really bought-in over the last couple of years,” said Dawick. “I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next for him and I believe he’s got plenty left in the tank.”
Also inked for the coming season are three players from the 2022 Rock draft class that are all returning for the 2023-24 season. Tyler Hendrycks, Marley Angus, and Sam Haines have all agreed to terms.
Hendrycks, selected in the 2nd round, 35th overall, battled injuries all season long and remained on the team’s Physically Unable to Perform List for the entire 2022-23 campaign after breaking his foot leading into the season. The versatile lefty who excels at both ends of the floor, has enjoyed a strong summer of Major Series Lacrosse playing for the Cobourg Kodiaks. His combination of size, skill and athleticism should have Rock fans very excited about the upside of this Stittsville, ON product. The 21-year-old has signed a one-year pact.
“We didn’t get a chance to see him in action last year, but he’s had a pretty good summer,” said Dawick. “We are excited about his versatility, size, and speed. We are looking forward to getting him into the mix and seeing what he can do at both ends of the floor.”
Forward Marley Angus played 2 games last season and contributed six assists, but most importantly proved he can play at the pro level. Like most young players, Angus will now focus on taking that next step and finding his role within the Rock offence. Angus, 24 from Oakville, ON, has agreed to a 2-year deal through the 2024-25 season. He could prove to be another later round gem discovered by the Rock after being selected in the fourth round, 71st overall in last year’s NLL Draft.
“I’ve known Marley for a long time, and it was good for him to get his feet wet last season,” said Dawick. “He’s had a good summer with the Oakville Rock, and now it’s time to step up and earn a spot coming out of camp and contribute to the offence. The game slows down a bit for players in their second year and he’ll focus on getting bigger, stronger, and finding his role. He’s up for the challenge, and we’re excited to see how things play out.”
Goaltender Sam Haines was on the Rock’s practice roster for the entire 2022-23 season, his first at the pro level after being selected in the second round, 41st overall in last year’s NLL Draft. The Georgetown, ON native spent his junior lacrosse days split between his hometown Halton Hills Jr. B Bulldogs and the Oakville Jr. A Buzz. Haines, 22, has agreed to a 1-year deal.
“Sammy was our practice roster goalie last season and might be headed for the same role this year,” explained Dawick. “He’s a good young goaltender who had the chance to face a lot of shots in practices and shoot arounds. He’s a good teammate, and we’re looking forward to him coming back, pushing the other guys and trying to take a spot on this roster.”
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