CALGARY, AB — The Roughnecks added some depth with the 13th overall pick in the 2015 NLL Draft.
Calgary selected transition player/defenceman Mitch de Snoo from the Oakville Rock with the first of their two second round selections.
For de Snoo, it was a big surprise.
“I really had no idea what was going to happen this evening,” explained de Snoo. “The first time I spoke to anyone in the Roughnecks organization was yesterday at the combine. Nobody tipped their hand before that or gave me any information, so it was a surprise.”
It was a welcome surprise, for sure.
de Snoo is very excited to join the Roughnecks family.
“It’s a huge honour to be considered with such elite players,” de Snoo said. “I’m really excited to be part of a franchise with such a strong fan base, that really cares about lacrosse, and puts a great product on the floor every night.”
The lefty from Oshawa, ON will be joining some familiar faces in Calgary.
First round selection Wesley Berg was his teammate this summer with the Oakville Rock of the Major Series Lacrosse (MSL) League.
Reilly O’Connor was a teammate in junior, when they played for the Whitby Warriors. In fact, the two helped the Warriors win a pair of Minto Cups.
“Wesley is a great guy, very friendly, easy to get along with, great guy in the locker room,” de Snoo said. “He’s a heck of a lacrosse player, too. Great athletic talent and a great shooter.
“In junior I played against Jacob [Ruest]. I have not played against Kellen [LeClair] and Tyson [Bell]. Reilly O’Connor is a former teammate of mine in Whitby.”
While playing in the MSL, de Snoo played in 13 games for the Rock, registering two goals and three assists while only receiving 12 penalty minutes.
The low point total is not concerning as he considers himself a defensive defenceman, though he will push the offence if possible.
“I’m a defence-first kind of player,” admitted de Snoo. “I like to push the ball in transition. I consider myself a gritty player and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to win.”
Having faced the Peterborough Lakers many times in the regular season and playoffs, de Snoo knows how hard it is to play against Curtis Dickson and Shawn Evans and he’s thankful to be on the same side as them from now on.
“It’s very exciting. It’s going to be a nice change of pace to be playing with these guys rather than against them,” joked de Snoo. “They’re intense competitors and every night is a challenge to cover Curtis Dickson and Shawn Evans, so trying to get the ball up the floor is going to be an interesting change of pace for me.”
de Snoo is hoping for the chance to play alongside Dickson and Evans in 2016.
Although he is not making any assumptions and will be working hard to make his dream come true.
“I can’t say that I have too many expectations, but I hope to compete for a spot right away. I will work my hardest and if that doesn’t work out I plan on developing to make the team the next year, but I would like to be a contributor as soon as possible.”
