An outstanding season from Delta Islanders captain Cody Hawkins didn't go unnoticed when it came time for Saturday's National Lacrosse League draft.
The 21-year-old from Ladner was selected in the third round by NLL champions Rochester Knighthawks.
Hawkins was considered a "can't miss" player and entered the draft as one of the top graduating prospects from the B.C.
Junior "A" Lacrosse League. He was a first team all-star and was named the league's top defensive player after helping the Islanders reach the playoff finals for the first time in franchise history.
The Knighthawks had some more local flavour to their draft picks, selecting Robbie Campbell just three spots ahead of Hawkins. The North Delta native spent much of his junior "A" career with the Islanders before being dealt to the Coquitlam Adanacs at league's trading deadline in 2010, in what was his final year of junior. He wasn't eligible for the draft until he graduating from Stony Brook University where he was on a full-ride field lacrosse scholarship.
"We are quite excited to get Campbell and Hawkins. They are two western boys that are going to come in compete for jobs," said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen.
Campbell was a two-sport star at Stony Brook where he also played football.
He earned All-America East honors two straight seasons for the lacrosse team, including first team honors in 2012. He had a career-high 24 goals and 41 assists for a Seawolves team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Campbell finished his college career with 82 goals and 56 assists in 60 games. Ironically Hawkins and Campbell are both graduates of Seaquam secondary where they were prominent players with the school's football program.
Two other North Delta players were also selected.
Mitch Jones, who began his junior career with the Islanders before playing back east including for the 2012 Minto Cup champions Orangeville Northmen, was picked 21st overall by the Everett-based Washington Stealth. Jones is a standout two-sport athlete who is currently playing hockey at Northern Michigan University.
With Orangeville he had 67 points in just 11 regular season games. He also had one of the best single game individual performances in the history of the Minto Cup, scoring six goals and adding seven assists. He won't be eligible as a full-time player in the NLL until he graduates from Northern Michigan in 2016.
The Stealth also selected TJ Cowx in the fourth round (30th overall). He wrapped up his collegiate field lacrosse career at Mars Hill where he was the 2012 Deep South Conference Player of the Year. Cowx played his junior "A" box career with New West.
Boxla bits.. The Islanders have announced head coach Shaun Springett has agreed to continue his role for the next two seasons. He was named the league's coach-of-the-year after guiding Delta to a best-ever 14-5-2 regular season record. The club went on to defeat New West in a memorable semi-final series before falling to the Coquitlam Adanacs in five games in its first-ever finals appearance.
"Shaun has established himself as one of the league's premiere coaches, he has demonstrated a commitment to winning that has led us to our best season and we are confident his dedication and hard work will continue to yield positive results," said Islanders general manager Jamie Scott.
"Shaun has built a foundation of winning with this franchise and I feel he can continue to build on that foundation to achieve our ultimate goal- the Minto Cup."
