CALGARY, AB – The National Lacrosse League today announced Calgary Roughnecks forward Shawn Evans is one of three finalists for the 2015 NLL Most Valuable Player award. Evans, named the NLL MVP in 2013, joins Buffalo Bandits’ Ryan Benesch and Mark Matthews of the Edmonton Rush on the ballot.
Evans, a native of Peterborough, Ontario, finished the 2015 regular season with career highs in points (130), goals (47) and assists (83) to capture the league’s scoring title and set a new single-season points record, surpassing the mark of 116 set by Colorado Mammoth forward John Grant Jr. in 2012. He also tied the single-season assists record and led the league with career highs in power play assists (31) and shorthanded goals (5) on the NLL’s top power play and penalty kill units.
“Shawn is a fierce competitor and tremendous leader who truly had an MVP season,” said Roughnecks head coach and assistant general manager Curt Malawsky. “He is an evasive, multi-faceted player with quick feet, incredible balance and vision of the floor and the ability to sense ball pressure, then make the perfect pass time and time again. This skill set combined with his ability to bring up the team’s compete level and make everyone around him better translates into being an elite floor general. Shawn continually makes something happen when you think he has nothing. We are very fortunate to have him in our organization.”
Evans recorded 10 or more points in four games including a season-high 12-point effort against Colorado on Apr. 4. The 10-year NLL veteran, who joined the Roughnecks in October 2011, has recorded 789 career points, including 509 assists, along with 925 loose balls in 161 games, becoming the 11th player in NLL history to surpass 500 career assists.
The 2015 NLL Season Awards are determined by a vote of the league’s board of governors, general managers and head coaches at the end of the regular season. The winners will be announced at the NLL Season Awards ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 29 in Toronto, Ontario.
Schedule of remaining NLL Season Awards announcements:
June 29: Teammate of the Year award finalists
June 30: Pinty’s Wingman of the Year award finalists
July 6: Media Person of the Year (The Tom Borrelli Award) recipient
