THE CANADIAN PRESS
Rookies Jay Winder, Nate Sanderson and Mark Scherman are on the Toronto Rock roster for the 2008 National Lacrosse League season.
Winder played junior for the Whitby Warriors. He was a "pleasant surprise" in camp, said director of lacrosse operations Mike Kloepfer. Winder was a free-agent pickup.
"He is making great strides towards becoming a regular in our game-night lineup," says Kloepfer.
Sanderson played junior for the Orangeville Northmen, while Scherman played junior in his home city of Calgary and was Toronto’s first pick, 21st overall, in the 2007 entry draft.
Glenn Clark returns for his second season as head coach along with Terry Bullen and Greg VanSickle as assistant coaches. Captain Jim Veltman has indicated 2008 will be his final season as a player, and he’ll then join the coaching staff.
The most significant Rock additions are former Chicago Shamrox captain Cam Woods and former Arizona Sting captain Peter Lough, who’ll bolster the defence.
"Woods and Lough bring leadership and defensive strength to our club which will be counted on to give us an edge in accomplishing a winning record and a strong playoff showing," says Kloepfer.
Another impressive addition is skilled shooter Kasey Beirnes, who was acquired from Minnesota.
"Kasey is a proven scorer in the NLL and will give us a very deep right side along with Blaine Manning," says Kloepfer. "With the addition of Woods, Lough and Beirnes, along with our core returning players, we feel that we are in a position to be a contender."
Clark likes what he sees. The roster additions "improved our depth and the overall skill level of the team," he says.
"It’s a very exciting time," says Clark. "We want to be a team that plays an aggressive up-tempo game and we have a really athletic group this year to accomplish that."
Bob Watson returns to the nets and Blaine Manning, Josh Sanderson and Ryan Benesch are the big shooters up front.
"Ryan came into training camp in great shape and appears to be determined to pick up from where he left off last year as the 2007 NLL rookie of the year," says Kloepfer.
Toronto faces Minnesota in an exhibition game Saturday night at General Motors Centre in Oshawa, Ont. The regular-season opener is Jan. 5 at Chicago, and the home opener is Jan. 11 versus Minnesota.