Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Friday in Burlington, Entry Draft Saturday in Oakville as Back to Back Major Events Help Fans Prepare for Exciting Upcoming Season
PHILADELPHIA, September 13, 2023 – The National Lacrosse League (@NLL), the largest and most successful professional lacrosse property in the world, readies for two major events this weekend in Ontario: the NLL Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony on Friday in Burlington, and the 2023 Entry Draft in Oakville.
Fans can follow the Entry Draft on NLL.com and league and team social media channels. First round begins at 2 p.m. ET.
Here are 10 Things to Know heading into the festivities:
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10 new members will be inducted on Thursday in the class of 2021. The group will represent the first additions to the NLL Hall of Fame since 2016, with the inaugural members having been inducted in 2006.
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The inductees include eight former players and two officials, Roy Condon (Watertown, Mass.) and Bill Fox (Orangeville, Ont.), who become the first two officials selected
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Of the players to be inducted, Colin Doyle (Kitchener, Ont.) played in the most games (266) and had the most assists (857); John Grant Jr. scored the most goals (668) and points (1446) and Pat McCready (St. Catharines, Ont.) had the most loose ball recoveries (1593), just 31 more than fellow inductee and St. Catharines native Steve Toll (1562)
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The eight player inductees totaled 2410 goals and 3581 assists collectively; their careers span 1991-2017, and all eight (plus the officials) were active between 1999-2003
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With the new inductees, the NLL Hall of Fame now has 37 members; the full list is available here
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Many of the top Draft prospects are scheduled to be in attendance on Saturday, including nearly all of the top 20 projected selections. Among those expected to be on hand are Dyson Williams (Duke/Oshawa, Ont.), Adam Poitras (Loyola Maryland/Whitby, Ont.), Ryan Sheridan (Hofstra/Victoria, B.C.), Callum Jones (Norwich/Burlington, Ont.) and Jake Stevens (Princeton/Puslinch, Ont.)
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The 2023 Draft is the second straight to be held in Ontario; last year’s was in Toronto. The 2019 Draft was held in Philadelphia, while in 2020 and 2021 it was conducted virtually.
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A few NLL Draft rules of note regarding eligibility:
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Any player who has participated in a US NCAA or NJCAA collegiate varsity lacrosse program and has exhausted four (4) seasons of NCAA eligibility shall be eligible for the Entry Draft
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If a player with remaining NCAA eligibility is properly selected in the Entry Draft and subsequently participates in a NCAA or NJCAA varsity lacrosse program, the Club drafting the player retains rights to that player
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Any player who attains the age of 21 during the draft year who has never participated in a US NCAA or NJCAA collegiate varsity lacrosse program is also eligible
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There are four compensatory selections awarded for free agent losses, making the first round 19 deep (as of 9/13). First round is below, with full draft order linked here, to be updated as selections are made:
1. Albany
2. Las Vegas (from Vancouver)
3. New York
4. Vancouver (from Las Vegas)
5. Panther City (from Saskatchewan)
6. Georgia
7. Vancouver (from Philadelphia)
8. Georgia (from Panther City)
9. Vancouver (from Rochester via Las Vegas)
10. Halifax
11. Calgary
12. Saskatchewan (from Toronto)
13. San Diego
14. Albany (from Colorado)
15. Buffalo
16. Calgary compensatory selection
17. Albany compensatory selection
18. Philadelphia (from Saskatchewan compensatory selection via San Diego)
19. Georgia compensatory selection
