Some guys make flashy plays.
Some guys don’t.
Steph Charbonneau is the latter.
“I’m kind of a quiet defender,” he said. “I don’t make the big plays, I’m not that kind of guy, but I’m a calm, consistent defender who — I do my job, I win loose balls, I keep it consistent.”
Like many NLL stalwarts, he just wants to be a dependable player in his own end.
“Guys like Dan Coates in Colorado, they’re good defenders,” Charbonneau said. “They’re steady and they do their jobs rights. They’re not necessarily out there to strip players or make the big plays, but they keep it simple and stay consistent.”
The Roughnecks fifth-round (45th overall) selection played the last three years of his junior career with the Barrie Lakeshores of the Ontario Jr. A Lacrosse league, where he was the team captain.
In his four total seasons in junior, he compiled 77 points (36g, 41a) in 69 games, while compiling 129 penalty minutes.
Having been coached by Roughnecks Eastern Scout Brian Beisel, Charbonneau was a known commodity for the Riggers when they grabbed him late in the draft.
“I’ve played for Brian Biesel before with the Lakeshores,” explained Charbonneau. “So I knew he knew me and how I played and that kind of thing. There was no real indication prior to the pick that I would be going to Calgary, but I’m really excited and it’s a great team to go to.”
The 5-foot-11, 175 lb. defender was in attendance at the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre for the NLL Draft on Sept. 18.
And although the draft moves at a fairly swift pace, the wait to hear his name called was a painful one.
“The initial reaction is that it is surreal,” Charbonneau said. “You’ve been waiting all night and two hours feels like two days. It’s exciting when you finally hear it. I almost don’t remember the walk up to the stage and all of that. I’m just excited and it’s a great feeling finally hearing my name get called.”
Some of his teammates didn’t have to wait as long for their names to be announced over the speakers, including Roughnecks third-round pick Liam Patten.
Having played together in Barrie, the two were excited to continue their journey to the pros as teammates.
“It’s exciting,” said Charbonneau. “The first thing he said is that we can travel together now, so at least now I’ll have less of a lonely travel time. Definitely excited to play with Liam again and glad that we can play for the same team and share this experience together.”
“I’ve never been to Calgary and I’ve heard from some guys that played there that it’s a great city and a great team to play for.”
