The Georgia Swarm today announced the team has signed 2015 first-round NLL draft picks Chad Tutton (No. 5 overall) and Randy Staats (No. 6 overall) to two-year contracts.
Tutton, 23, posted a career-high 33 goals at the University of North Carolina during his senior season, and finished his four-year career with 104 scores, the most by any midfielder in UNC history and ninth in team history. The lefty from Courtice, Ontario was the first Canadian recruit in the Joe Breschi coaching era and was a three-time USILA All-America selection.
While Tutton has excelled on the offensive end in the field game, his defensive abilities have always shined in the box game. He gained valuable playing experience with the MSL’s Peterborough Lakers this summer, who advanced all the way to the Mann Cup. At 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, the Swarm plans to utilize Tutton as a transition player where he will play on both ends of the floor, and can use his scoring abilities on fastbreak chances.
“We’re very excited about having a versatile player like Chad on our roster,” Swarm Owner and General Manager John Arlotta said. “He’s a natural goal scorer who is also a very strong defensive player, which makes his game very unique. In addition, he has great size and strength, and his past box experience has shown us that he is ready for the NLL.”
Staats, 22, completed his career at Syracuse University this past spring and ranked third on the team with 53 points, second with 24 assists and fourth with 29 goals. In 2014, the 6-foot-3, 200-pound attackman was a Tewaaraton Trophy finalist after posting a career-high 33 goals to go along with 23 assists. Prior to his time at Syracuse, Staats posted gaudy numbers at Onondaga C.C. as the two-time NJCAA Player of the Year: 139 points (57G, 82A) in 2012 and 156 points (73G, 83A) in 2013.
Staats was teammates with the Thompson Brothers and Johnny Powless on the Iroquois Nationals during the 2015 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships. His 32 points (10G, 22A) in the WILC ranked second on Iroquois and his four points (2G, 2A) in the Gold Medal game tied a team-high.
“Randy played outstanding at the World Championships this fall and proved that he can score against the game’s best,” Arlotta said. “The chemistry he was also able to build with the Thompson Brothers and Johnny Powless over that stretch will be valuable during his rookie season. This year’s draft was very deep and we were fortunate to be able to select a player of his skillset with the sixth overall selection.”
The Swarm has also announced that the team has signed rookie free agent Pat Corbett to a one-year agreement. Corbett scored 93 goals and collected 81 ground balls during his four-year career at Lehigh University from 2012-15. The 6-foot, 195-pound attackman is from Burlington, Ontario and registered a career-high five goals in a game against Boston University in 2015
“Pat is a talented two-way player who can also take faceoffs and he will get a chance to prove his versatility at training camp,” Arlotta said. “Our coaching staff is excited to see what he can bring to the table.”
