2009 SUPPLEMENTAL DRAFT RESULTS

The 2009 Major League Lacrosse (MLL) Supplemental Draft was conducted via conference call yesterday afternoon, according to MLL Commissioner David Gross. The draft, which began at 2 PM ET and consisted of seven rounds, lasted until approximately 2:45 PM ET.
On Monday, MLL announced that the Chicago Machine would forfeit the first overall pick due to a training camp violation which took place prior to the 2008 season. Therefore, the San Francisco Dragons made the first pick in this year’s Supplemental Draft and selected defenseman Sean McCarthy. A 2006 graduate of Hofstra University, McCarthy was an honorable mention All-American and first team All-CAA selection as a senior. McCarthy has played with the Outlaws, having been selected by Denver with the 43rd overall pick in the 2006 MLL Collegiate Draft.
With the next selection, the Washington Bayhawks took midfielder Charles “Chas” Gessner, a two-year captain of the lacrosse team while playing for Brown University. Gessner, who graduated in 2003 and was also a standout football player in college, has played wide-receiver for several NFL teams including the New England Patriots and New York Jets. He most recently played for the Orlando Predators of the AFL.
The Long Island Lizards chose defenseman Ricky Pages with the next pick. A long stick midfielder at Ohio State, Pages was a 2008 Face-Off Yearbook Preseason All-American Honorable Mention selection prior to his senior season. He was also awarded the co-Defensive MVP award for the Buckeyes in both his sophomore and junior seasons. He graduated in 2008.
The New Jersey Pride then selected Steve Ammann, midfielder from the University of Albany. In July, the 2008 graduate was honored as the America East Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year in men’s lacrosse for this past academic year. He was also a second-team all-conference midfielder for the second year in a row, and was fourth on the squad in scoring. Michael Ammann, Steve’s brother and fellow UAlbany midfielder, was also selected by the Pride in the fifth round. Michael also graduated in 2008.
In addition to several promising recent graduates, a number of veteran MLL players were also taken during Wednesday’s Supplemental Draft including midfielders Joe Yevoli, Brad Heritage, A.J. Shannon, Kyle Dowd, Benjamin Grinnell, Devon Britts, and Chris Colliniates. Yevoli, who began his MLL career with the Dragons in 2006 before spending the past two seasons as a member of the New Jersey Pride, was taken by San Francisco with the 12th overall pick. Shannon was selected by the New Jersey Pride with the 25th selection. He spent his three MLL seasons with the Rochester Rattlers before appearing in four games last season for the Boston Cannons.
Earlier this offseason, the Long Island Lizards released goaltenders Dan Loftus and Nick Murtha after each struggled between the pipes for the Lizards. Long Island reacquired Loftus with the 44th pick, before selecting goaltender Stefan Schroder, a 2008 Ohio State graduate at the 54th slot.
The only other goalie selected was Bruce Bickford, a 2008 graduate of Drexel University. Bickford was chosen by the Philadelphia Barrage with the 67th pick.
The San Francisco Dragons and Rochester Rattlers held the most picks with eight (8) selections each.Teams whose rosters were less than thirty (30) players at the conclusion of the Supplemental Draft were then eligible to select additional players to bring their rosters up to thirty. The Chicago Machine, Washington Bayhawks, and Boston Cannons each made one selection from the Player Pool. The Machine selected midfielder Pat Hogan, a 2003 graduate of Syracuse University and former member of the Boston Cannons and Chicago Machine; the Bayhawks selected attackman Mike Phipps, a 2007 graduate of the University of Maryland; and the Cannons selected midfielder Thomas Jackson, a 2008 graduate of Amherst College.
Beginning on Thursday, December 11th at 12:00 PM ET, teams may claim players remaining in the Player Pool in order to bring their Pre-Season Active Roster count to thirty-five (35) players. MLL teams may also conduct one open tryout prior to April 12, 2009. The 2009 MLL season is set to begin on Saturday, May 16th.