This section will update you the fans and players of the upcoming events that surround the Players of the Professional Lacrosse Players' Association. Check back for updates as we will be continually bringing you information and news from "Around The PA".

BANDITS ALSO ANNOUNCE SCHEDULE & TICKET PRICING

Buffalo Bandits Director of Lacrosse Operations Scott Loffler today announced that Buffalo will host the 2012 National Lacrosse League All-Star Game at First Niagara Center on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m.

“We are extremely proud and excited to be hosting the 2012 NLL All-Star game,” said Loffler. “The Bandits and Sabres organizations, First Niagara Center and the City of Buffalo are known for putting on first-rate world-class events…this will be no different.”

The event marks the first professional all-star game in the 15-year history of First Niagara Center.

"We are pleased to award the 2012 All-Star Game to the Buffalo Bandits,” said NLL Commissioner George Daniel. "We look forward to bringing the world's greatest players to Buffalo and First Niagara Center for the first time."

The 2011 NLL All-Star Game was held at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, NY this past February. The East defeated the West by a score of 30-26. This year’s game will keep the East vs. West division format.

“The PLPA is looking forward to the players showcasing their skills at the Buffalo All-Star Game,” said Professional Lacrosse Players Association Executive Director Dave Succamore. “We appreciate the Bandits organization and the NLL for co-sponsoring the event.”

Television broadcast plans for the All-Star Game will be announced at a later date.

2011 NLL Entry Draft Results

FIRST ROUND
 1. Philadelphia - Kevin Crowley - Stony Brook University
 2. Rochester - Stephen Keogh - Syracuse University
 3. Colorado - Adam Jones - Canisius College
 4. Minnesota - Jordan MacIntosh - Rochester Institute of Technology
 5. Rochester* - Johnny Powless - Six Nations, ON
 6. Minnesota - Evan Kirk - Hobart College
 7. Calgary - Travis Cornwall - Coquitlam, BC
 8. Colorado - Dan Coates - Canisius College
 
SECOND ROUND
  9. Buffalo - Jeremy Thompson - Syracuse University
 10. Rochester - Joel White - Syracuse University
 11. Calgary - Greg Harnett - Orangeville, ON
 12. Minnesota - Corbyn Tao - Robert Morris University
 13. Colorado - Jordan McBride - Stony Brook University
 14. Colorado - Jamie Lincoln - Hofstra University
 15. Buffalo - Jeff Cornwall - Conquitlam, BC
 16. Colorado - Tye Belanger - Peterborough
 17. Toronto - Jesse Gamble - Cornell University
 18. Calgary - Frankie Scigliano - New Westminster, BC
 
THIRD ROUND
 19. Minnesota - Jay Card - Hofstra University
 20. Edmonton - Jesse Fehr - Duke University 
 21. Washington - Mike Mallory - Delta, BC
 22. Washington - Adam McGourty - Brampton, ON
 23. Rochester - Kyle Andrews - Brampton, ON
 24. Buffalo - Connor Daly - Burlington, ON
 25. Buffalo - Jerome Thompson - Onondaga C.C.
 26. Toronto - Pete Rennie - Peterborough, ON
 27. Minnesota - David Earl - Notre Dame University

FOURTH ROUND 
 28. Philadelphia - Steve Fryer - Coquitlam, AB
 29. Minnesota - Brian Karalunas - Villanova University
 30. Colorado - Craig England - Orangeville, ON
 31. Minnesota - Patrick Smith - Robert Morris
 32. Rochester - Shane Cater - Six Nations, ON
 33. Buffalo - Billy Bitter - University of North Carolina
 34. Washington - Trevor Moore - Robert Morris
 35. Toronto - Eric Bissell - Peterborough, ON
 
FIFTH ROUND
 36. Rochester - Aaron Tackaberry - Calgary,AB
 37. Philadelphia - Matt Stefurak - University of Delaware
 38. Colorado - Joey Cupido - Six Nations, ON
 39. Minnesota - Jeremy Boltus - Army
 40. Rochester - Cal Kitson - Brampton, ON
 41. Buffalo - Dwight Bero - Dartmouth University
 42. Calgary - Barclay Hickey - Okatoks, AB
 43. Washington - Brett Hickey - Windsor, ON
 44. Toronto - Kyle Davis - Brampton, ON
 
SIXTH ROUND 
 45. Rochester - Kraig Maracle - Six Nations, ON
 46. Calgary - Darren Kinnear - Edmonton, AB
 47. Colorado - Jovan Miller - Syracuse University
 48. Minnesota - Todd Baxter - Denver University
 49. Rochester - Grant Catalino - University of Maryland
 50. Toronto - Phil Rawn - Kitchener, ON
 51. Buffalo** - Lloyd Chrysler - Tuscarora University
 52. Washington - Justin Salt - New Westminster, BC
 53. Toronto - Mark Burnett - Mars Hill College

 
* The Calgary Roughnecks traded the 5th overall selection
in the 2011 Entry Draft to Rochester in exchange for a
1st Round selection in the 2012 Entry Draft, and Shawn Evans.
 
** The Calgary Roughnecks traded the 51st overall selection
in the 2011 Entry Draft to Buffalo in exchange for their 6th
Round selection in the 2012 Entry Draft. 

NLL 2011 Entry Draft

The NLL 2011 Entry Draft will be held on Wednesday, September 21 in Toronto. Players with remaining college lacrosse playing eligibility must renounce that eligibility by 11:59PM Eastern on September 7th to be eligible for selection.

The Entry Draft will be held at the Toronto Don Valley Hotel and will start at 7pm Eastern. Draft eligible players, their families, as well as all NLL fans are encouraged to attend. Admission is free of charge.

The Entry Draft order of selection for the six round draft is listed below. The selection order listed is as of September 7th, and is subject to change pending trades between the clubs. The Philadelphia Wings hold the first overall selection.

FIRST ROUND 

 1. Philadelphia
 2. Rochester (from Edmonton)
 3. Colorado
 4. Minnesota
 5. Calgary (from Boston via Buffalo)
 6. Minnesota (from Rochester via Colorado via Edmonton)
 7. Calgary (from Washington)
 8. Colorado (from Toronto)
 
SECOND ROUND 

  9. Edmonton (from Philadelphia via Toronto via Minnesota)
 10. Rochester (from Edmonton)
 11. Calgary (from Colorado)
 12. Toronto (from Minnesota via Boston)
 13. Colorado (from Boston via Toronto)
 14. Colorado (from Rochester via Minnesota)
 15. Buffalo
 16. Colorado (from Calgary)
 17. Toronto (from Washington)
 18. Calgary (from Toronto via Buffalo via Minnesota via Philadelphia)
 
THIRD ROUND
 
 19. Minnesota (from Philadelphia)
 20. Edmonton
 21. Washington (from Colorado)
 22. Washington (from Minnesota via Buffalo)
 23. Rochester
 24. Buffalo
 25. Buffalo (from Calgary)
 26. Toronto (from Washington via Colorado)
 27. Minnesota (from Toronto)
 
FOURTH ROUND 

 28. Philadelphia
 29. Minnesota (from Edmonton)
 30. Colorado
 31. Minnesota
 32. Rochester
 33. Buffalo
 34. Washington
 35. Toronto
 
FIFTH ROUND
 
 36. Rochester (from Philadelphia)
 37. Philadelphia (from Edmonton)
 38. Colorado
 39. Minnesota
 40. Rochester
 41. Buffalo
 42. Calgary
 43. Washington
 44. Toronto
 
SIXTH ROUND 

 45. Rochester (from Philadelphia)
 46. Calgary (from Edmonton)
 47. Colorado
 48. Minnesota
 49. Rochester
 50. Toronto (from Buffalo)
 51. Calgary
 52. Washington
 53. Toronto
 

Wing Select Forward Dan Dawson With First Pick in Boston Blazers Dispersal Draft

The Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League (NLL) selected forward Dan Dawson as the first overall pick in today’s dispersal draft of Boston Blazers players. The Wings also selected Nick Cotter (19), transition player Brett Queener (25) and traded second round pick John Orsen to the Colorado Mammoth for forward Ned Crotty.

Widely regarded as one of the best box lacrosse players in the world and the 2010 NLL MVP, Dawson will join the Wings and be re-united with his younger brother Paul Dawson who is a defenseman for the team. Dawson has tallied 321 goals and 447 assists in his 10-year NLL career.

“I’m extremely excited to be part of the Philadelphia Wings organization. There’s a tremendous amount of pride and tradition surrounding the team and I’m thrilled about being a part of that,” said Dawson. “When I’m done playing lacrosse one of my proudest memories is going to be playing with my brother Paul. I’m going to cherish that forever.”

“Dan is a special person both on and off the floor, a true professional at all levels,” said Head Coach and General Manager Johnny Mouradian. “Everyone appreciates what Dan does for the game of lacrosse and his accomplishments to succeed at the highest level. At the same time he make players around him better. We welcome him with open arms.”

In the second round of the dispersal draft the Wings selected defenseman John Orsen but then traded him to the Colorado Mammoth in exchange for forward Ned Crotty. Prior to playing for the Colorado Mammoth last season, Crotty won the NCAA Division I National Championship at Duke University, the FIL World Championship (with Team USA), and the Tewaaraton Trophy, presented annually to the nation’s best men’s lacrosse player. He also played for Major League Lacrosse’s Chicago Machine after being chosen first overall in the 2010 MLL Draft.

The Wings also added forward Nick Cotter and transition player Brett Queener in subsequent rounds. Cotter tallied 15 goals and 15 assists for the Blazers last year while Queener recovered 44 loose balls in 2010.

Full Boston Blazers Dispersal Draft Results

Round One


1. Philadelphia - Dan Dawson

2. Edmonton – Kyle Rubisch

3. Minnesota (from Colorado) – Anthony Cosmo

4. Minnesota – Josh Sanderson

5. Rochester – Mike Kirk 

6. Buffalo – Kevin Buchanan

7. Calgary – Nick Rose

8. Washington – Jamie Rooney

9. Toronto – (Trades the selection, plus the 12th overall

 selection in the 2011 Entry Draft, a first round selection

 in the 2012 Entry Draft, and Jeff Gilbert to the Minnesota

 Swarm for Josh Sanderson and Nick Inch).

With the 9th selection in the dispersal draft, Minnesota

 selects Greg Downing.

 

Round Two


10. Philadelphia – John Orsen

11. Edmonton – Ryan Dilks

12. Colorado – Ryan Hotaling

13. Minnesota – Mitch Belisle 

14. Rochester – Casey Powell 

15. Buffalo – Damon Edwards 

16. Calgary – Geoff McNulty

17. Washington – Josh Wasson

18. Toronto – Jon Durno

 

Round Three


19. Philadelphia – Nick Cotter

20. Edmonton - PASS

21. Colorado – Greg Peyser

22. Minnesota – Jason Duboe

23. Rochester – Jack Reid

24. Buffalo – PASS 

25. Calgary – Brock Armour

26. Washington – Dan Teat

27. Toronto - PASS

 

Round Four


28. Philadelphia – Brett Queener

29. Colorado – Gary Bining

30. Minnesota – Tyler Collins

31. Rochester - PASS

32. Calgary – Kevin Leveille 

33. Washington – PASS

 

Round Five


34. Philly – PASS

35. Colorado – Sean Morris

36. Minnesota – PASS

37. Calgary – PASS

 

Round Six


38. Colorado - PASS

 

NLL Allstar Games Rosters Announced

The National Lacrosse League has announced the starting lineup and reserve players for the league’s 2011 All-Star Game, presented by the Oneida Indian Nation. The game takes place at the Event Center at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York on Sunday, February 27 at 2 PM Eastern.

The starting lineups were selected by the votes of the league’s coaches, media and fans, who voted via online ballot at the league’s website, NLL.com.

The East All-Star starting lineup consists of forwards Casey Powell (Boston Blazers) and Colin Doyle (Toronto Rock), transition player Mark Steenhuis (Buffalo Bandits), defensemen Chris White (Buffalo Bandits) and Pat McCready (Rochester Knighthawks) and goaltender Brandon Miller (Philadelphia Wings).

The West All-Star starting lineup consists of forwards Ryan Benesch (Minnesota Swarm) and Scott Ranger (Calgary Roughnecks), transition player Brodie Merrill (Edmonton Rush), defensemen Andrew McBride (Calgary Roughnecks) and Mike Grimes (Washington Stealth) and goaltender Nick Patterson (Minnesota Swarm).

The East All-Star reserves are forwards Dan Dawson & Josh Sanderson (Boston Blazers), John Tavares & Brett Bucktooth (Buffalo Bandits), Garrett Billings (Toronto Rock), Shawn Evans & Cody Jamieson (Rochester Knighthawks); transition player Max Seibald (Philadelphia Wings); defensemen Sandy Chapman (Toronto Rock), Sid Smith (Rochester Knighthawks) and Kyle Rubisch (Boston Blazers), and goaltender Bob Watson (Toronto Rock).

The West All-Star reserves are forwards Rhys Duch, Lewis Ratcliff & Luke Wiles (Washington Stealth), Callum Crawford (Minnesota Swarm) and John Grant (Colorado Mammoth); transition players Jeff Shattler & Geoff Snider (Calgary Roughnecks), Paul Rabil (Washington Stealth) and Andrew Watt (Minnesota Swarm); defensemen Brett Mydske (Edmonton Rush) & Mac Allen (Colorado Mammoth), and goaltender Chris Levis (Colorado Mammoth).

The West All-Star starting lineup consists of forwards Ryan Benesch (Minnesota Swarm) and Scott Ranger (Calgary Roughnecks), transition player Brodie Merrill (Edmonton Rush), defensemen Andrew McBride (Calgary Roughnecks) and Mike Grimes (Washington Stealth) and goaltender Nick Patterson (Minnesota Swarm).

Last week the league announced that the East will be coached by Toronto Rock head coach Troy Cordingley, and the West by Washington Stealth head coach Chris Hall. Ed Comeau and Derek Keenan will serve as assistant coaches for the East and West, respectively.

Tickets are priced at $20 and $30 for adults and $10 for youth 12 and under. They are available at the Turning Stone Box office or by calling 315-361-SHOW or toll-free at 1-877-833-SHOW. The Box Office is open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets may also be purchased at any Ticketmaster location or online at ticketmaster.com. Group ticket packages are also available.

The game will feature the All-Stars of the Eastern Division vs. the All-Stars of the Western Division. The game will be televised live on VERSUS. TSN2 will be broadcasting the game in Canada.

2011 All-Star Game Starting Lineups (and # of career ASG selections)

Fan Fest to Highlight All-Star Game Day Festivities

The fun will start early on Sunday, February 27th, the day of the 2011 NLL All-Star Game, presented by the Oneida Indian Nation. The game takes place at the Event Center at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York on Sunday, February 27 at 2 PM Eastern.

Prior to the All-Star Game, the NLL will host Fan Fest, starting at 10am and continuing right up to the start of the All-Star Game at 2pm. Fans will have the opportunity to meet players during autograph sessions (from 10am – 12pm) and play the NLL Lacrosse video game against fellow fans.

Fans can also pick up a stick and play lacrosse in Rock the Box, a half-court box lacrosse setup open to players of all ages and skill levels. NLL players will be on hand from 10am to 12pm to teach skills in a fun, pickup lacrosse style setting. Players are encouraged to bring their own sticks. Rock the Box will provide the goaltenders for the event.

All Fan Fest events are free of charge, and will take place in the Cypress Conference Area adjacent to the Event Center.

Tickets for the All-Star Game are priced at $20 and $30 for adults and $10 for youth 12 and under. They are available at the Turning Stone Box office or by calling 315-361-SHOW or toll-free at 1-877-833-SHOW. The Box Office is open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets may also be purchased at any Ticketmaster location or online at ticketmaster.com. Group ticket packages are also available.

The game will feature the All-Stars of the Eastern Division vs. the All-Stars of the Western Division. The full lineups for each team will be announced shortly.

New York (February 15, 2010) - The National Lacrosse League (NLL) and the Professional Lacrosse Players Association (PLPA) are pleased to announce a partnership to promote Right To Play events at selected NLL venues this season.

"We are pleased to be partnering with the PLPA on this very worthwhile initiative," said NLL Commissioner George Daniel. "We look forward to help raise the awareness about Right To Play throughout the remainder of the 2010 NLL season."

Right To Play is an international humanitarian organization that uses sport and play programs to improve health, develop life skills, and foster peace for children and communities in the most disadvantaged areas of the world. Right To Play is supported by an international team of top athletes from more than 40 countries, including the players of the National Lacrosse League.

"Sport and play can bring so many positive qualities to one's life and plays a key role in the development of a child", said Chris McElroy, team captain of the Edmonton Rush and one of the NLL players leading in the Right To Play efforts. "We, as athletes, can really relate to the power of sport and play growing up. The PLPA is excited about this partnership, as Right To Play is an incredible organization and we couldn't think of a better way to do our part in improving the lives of children in some of the most disadvantaged places of the world."

As role models, these athletes inspire children, raise awareness and promote opportunities for funding for Right To Play projects. Led by four-time Olympic gold medalist and Right To Play President and CEO Johann Olav Koss, the program's Athlete Ambassadors include Wayne Gretzky, Alexander Ovechkin from the NHL and the NBA's Jose Calderon. Current NLL players Mike Accursi, Ryan Cousins, Dan Dawson, Tracey Kelusky and Chris McElroy serve as Athlete Ambassadors to the program.

Upcoming 'Right To Play' Nights to be hosted by NLL clubs include March 13th (Boston Blazers at TD Garden), April 10th (Buffalo Bandits at HSBC Arena), April 16th (Edmonton Rush at Rexall Place) and April 24th (Minnesota Swarm at Xcel Energy Center). Additional dates and venues will be announced shortly.

For more information on Right To Play, visit the program's website at www.righttoplay.com