The Vancouver Stealth signed free agents Ian Hawksbee and Reid Mydske from New Westminster and Cody Hagedorn and Matt Delmonico to one-year agreements, all pending league approval.
Hawksbee, a New Westminster Salmonbellie defender, will be entering his 10th National Lacrosse League season having played in 125 regular season games and seven playoff games over his career with the Stealth (2006, 2007, 2011), Edmonton (2008 – 2011) and Colorado (2011 – 2015). The left-handed defenceman has scored 13 goals and 52 assists for a total of 65 points with 831 loose balls over that time span,
“Ian is going to be a very important piece of our defence this coming season and we are absolutely thrilled to have him back in our organization. He is a very skilled, smart defender who makes our defensive unit immediately better,” commented Stealth president and general manager Doug Locker in a Stealth press release.
“I’m really excited to be coming home to play and can’t wait to get started. The Stealth are a great organization that I started my career with and I’m thankful to be back with them. I have played with many of the guys on the roster and I’m really looking forward to the opportunity. I want to help wherever I can,” Hawksbee said.
Hagedorn will be entering his second season with the Stealth, after spending time on both the active and practice rosters during the 2015 season. Hagedorn appeared in four games in 2015 with an 8.49 goals against average and a .818 save percentage.
“We believe Cody has great potential,” Locker said about Hagedorn’s ability to help the team, “he is a hard worker, quick learner, great competitor and terrific teammate.”
Mydske will be entering his first season in the NLL after having played four seasons with the junior A New Westminster Salmonbellies, one of which he was coached by current Stealth head coach Dan Perreault. The New Westminster native, in his third season with the senior A Salmonbellies, was originally drafted 30th overall by the Edmonton Rush in the 2013 NLL entry draft.
Delmonico returns to the Stealth after spending the 2015 season on the practice roster after having graduated from Seton Hill University in Pennsylvania. The Port Moody product played his junior lacrosse for Port Coquitlam and Coquitlam, having played in a Minto Cup in 2014 with the Adanacs.
“We have been impressed with Reid this summer and feel he is ready to compete for a spot on our team this coming season. He is big, moves well and is hungry to make his mark in the NLL. Likewise, we really like what we saw from Matt all of last season and wanted him back in 2016” commented Locker.
Season tickets for the Stealth are on sale now, for more information visit www.StealthLAX.com
