The Saskatchewan Rush selected nine players during the National Lacrosse League Entry Draft on Sunday night.
The Rush had two picks in the first round as general manager Derek Keenan made the decision to move the sixth overall pick to Vancouver in exchange for Brock Haley. With the 16th overall pick, Saskatchewan selected Matt Acchione from Barrie, Ontario.
The five-foot-10 left-handed defender spent the summer with the Snake Island Senior B Muskies and Owen Sound Senior A North Stars. In eight games at the Presidents Cup, the transition threat scored five goals and added six assists for the Muskies.
In the second round, the Rush chose Denton Macdonald 20th overall. He's a two-way specialist who spent his summer with the Victoria Senior A Shamrocks and went all the way to the Mann Cup. In 18 games this season, the five-foot-10, 185-pound Macdonald notched three goals and eight assists.
With Saskatchewan's second pick in the round, the Rush selected Reese Barnes 25th overall. The six-foot-one, 195-pound defender spent the summer with the Edmonton Junior A Miners where he handled the majority of faceoff duties. The Sherwood Park native also spent time out west in the Arena Lacrosse League where he won a championship with Black Fish Lacrosse Club.
The Rush grabbed a faceoff specialist in the third round, Jake Naso with the 34th pick. He's an American field lacrosse star who has represented the United States on the national stage while also ranking a Duke University’s all-time leader in faceoff wins. The under 21 World Champion ranks seventh in NCAA history in faceoffs won, finishing his NCAA career just under 60 per cent on the stripe.
Three picks later, Saskatchewan scooped Charlie McFadden from Edmonton, Alberta. The six-foot, 190-pound lefty defender went to the Minto Cup final in 2022 with the Miners, then headed to Coquitlam to get some Senior A experience with the Adanacs. The 2001 born d-man still has one more year of NCAA eligibility left, so he is not expected to be at training camp in November.
With the 49th overall pick, the Rush took Marcus Needham from the Edmonton Senior B Miners. He's a right-handed forward who had 44 points in 12 games this summer on a Miners squad that went to the Presidents Cup final.
In the fifth round, the Rush acquired the 72nd overall pick from Buffalo and selected Caleb Creasor. The six-foot, 195-pound defenceman played at Marquette University while also playing his summer ball in Nanaimo with the likes of Zach Manns and Jerrett Smith.
Local Saskatoon d-man Garrett Brockmeyer was added at 78th overall. Saskatchewan’s largest pick in the draft at six-foot-three, 210-pounds is sturdy left-handed grad of Lake Erie, after spending his summer ball with the Junior A SWAT and Edmonton Senior B Miners.
By position, the Rush added seven defenceman and two forwards, six of which shoot left. Four of the nine players currently play or have played summer ball in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League, which spans across Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
