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COLOSSAL TRADE AS SEASON NEARS

Doyle to San Jose, Benesch to Toronto highlight blockbuster deal

12/27/2006

With opening night action just days away, a blockbuster trade has been announced that includes the 2005 NLL MVP and the 2006 first overall selection in the Entry Draft, and once again the San Jose Stealth are in the middle of it all. Today the Toronto Rock have traded Colin Doyle, Darren Halls and their first round selection in the 2007 Entry Draft to the Stealth, in exchange for Ryan Benesch, Kevin Fines, Chad Thompson and San Jose's first round selections in the 2008 and 2009 Entry Drafts.

The Stealth added some needed veteran scoring punch to their offense acquiring Colin Doyle. Doyle's resume includes; five championship rings, 2005 NLL season MVP honors, the 2005 Championship Game MVP honors, seven All-Pro selections, 2005 NLL points champion and numerous other player awards. The nine year veteran has played his entire career with the Rock and has totaled 685 points on 297 goals and 388 assists. In league history, the six-foot-three, 215 pound forward currently ranks fifth all-time in points, sixth all-time in goals and fifth all-time in assists.

San Jose also acquired Darren Halls and Toronto's first round selection in the 2007 Entry Draft in the trade. Halls, a six-foot, 195 pound defenseman, has played 19 games in two seasons with the Arizona Sting, totaling 39 face-off wins, 67 loose balls and six points (two goals, four assists). Halls was acquired by the Rock on November 29th in a trade with the Sting.

The Stealth, who traded former rookie of the year Ryan Boyle to New York right before the Entry Draft for the first overall selection in the draft, have now traded the player they drafted, Ryan Benesch. Benesch heads to Toronto as a highly touted rookie left-handed forward out of the Ontario Lacrosse Association. He was taken first overall in the Entry Draft after scoring 81 points (42 goals, 39 assists) for the Kitchener Waterloo Braves in 22 games last summer.

The Rock also acquired Kevin Fines, Chad Thompson and two first round entry draft selections (2008, 2009), adding youth to the veteran line-up. Fines has played 29 games in the NLL over two seasons, both with the Stealth. The six-foot-two, 215 pound forward has totaled 46 points on 26 goals and 20 assists.

Thompson, a rookie last year, played for Philadelphia before being traded to San Jose in the middle of the season. The six-foot, 200 pound defenseman played 15 games in 2006 and totaled 17 points on seven goals and ten assists.

The San Jose Stealth also signed defenseman Matt Miller to the Active Roster from the Practice Player List and signed Joe Romano to the Active Roster.

The Toronto Rock released forwards Bryan Riddell and Sean Kimpinski from the Active Roster and released defenseman Chet Koneczny from the Practice Player List.