Young Stars Locked Up For 3-Years
Oakville, ON – Toronto Rock Owner, President and GM Jamie Dawick today announced the re-signing of defencemen Challen Rogers and Latrell Harris to three-year contracts. These two deals lock up Toronto’s first and second round picks from the 2016 NLL Draft.
Selected 2nd overall in last year’s draft, Rogers was as advertised in year one in the NLL. A big, athletic defender that runs the floor with grace and can make things happen in transition. The 23-year old from Coquitlam, BC has navigated the last number of years of his lacrosse career with a nagging shoulder injury. He recently had surgery on his left shoulder to repair a torn labrum, which has Rock management and coaching staff excited to see what a fully healthy Rogers is capable of in season two.
Rogers scored 3 goals and added 4 assists for 7 points in 2017 and collected 66 loose balls. All numbers that could see an increase this coming season given the seemingly fresh start he’ll have to his upcoming sophomore season.
“The shoulder surgery has been a long time coming for Challen,” said Dawick. “Having him fully healthy puts both Challen and the club in a really good position going into this season. We had such a strong rookie class that I think Challen’s play flew under the radar a bit. But at the same time, when you’re not noticed much as a defender, it usually means you’re doing your job really well.”
Harris finished as second runner-up in NLL Rookie of the Year voting and in some ways, took the league by storm. The Rock may have the steal of the 2016 NLL Draft on their hands as the 19-year old from St. Catharines, ON was selected in the second round, 12th overall. He was the youngest player in the NLL in 2017 and depending on how things shake out with this year’s draft, he may still be the youngest player in the league this coming season. Players typically aren’t eligible for the NLL Draft unless they have graduated from playing Canadian Junior lacrosse at 21-years old or have exhausted their NCAA eligibility. Harris waived his NCAA eligibility and entered the draft early as an 18-year old and the Rock have reaped the rewards.
“Much like Challen, Latrell is a young cornerstone of this team,” said Dawick. “We’ve definitely only scratched the surface with Latrell in terms of his potential. He’s mature beyond his years in terms of his speed and strength on the floor. Had he waited to enter the draft after his final year of junior lacrosse, there’s no doubt in my mind he would be a very high first round pick in the 2019 NLL Draft. Kudos to our scouting staff for identifying him as NLL ready when we selected him last September.”
Harris scored 7 goals and 6 assists for 13 points in his rookie season. His 109 loose balls were the most of any NLL rookie and were second on the team behind captain Brodie Merrill who had 171. The speedy defender tallied 3-goals in the Rock’s final regular season game, a 19-15 win over Buffalo that clinched a first round home playoff game for Toronto.
2018 Season Tickets are also on sale now. Please visit torontorock.com/tickets or call 416-596-3075 to purchase or for more information.
