2006 ARIZONA STING ENTRY DRAFT RECAP
STING DRAFT TALENTED GROUP
OF PLAYERS AT
2006 NLL ENTRY DRAFT
The Arizona Sting made some significant additions to their roster on Wednesday, drafting rugged 20-year old defender Mike Grimes with the sixth overall pick at the 2006 NLL Entry Draft and adding standout junior goaltenders Brandon Atherton and Ron Schibild with selections in later rounds. The Sting also acquired the rights to NCAA Final Four MVP Matt Ward in the third round and 6'3". 220 lb. defenseman Luke Pinder in the sixth. Sting Head Coach and General Manager Bob Hamley was pleased with the young players that he was able to acquire in the draft.
“We’re very pleased with the players we selected today,” said Hamley. “We were able to address some needs on our team and make some trades to get the guys that we wanted.”
“Mike Grimes enjoyed a standout junior lacrosse career as a defenseman with the Peterborough Lakers of the Ontario Junior Lacrosse Association. The 6’3”, 210 lb. defender was a consistent force on the floor for the Lakers, who captured the 2006 Minto Cup as Canadian junior champions. Grimes contributed 1G-3A-4P in the Lakers’ 9-5 win over the Six Nations Arrows Express in the Minto Cup Final. The win capped a memorable season for Grimes, who put up impressive offensive numbers throughout the year (10G-25A-35P in 39 games) while anchoring a defense that allowed less than nine goals-per-game.
“I’m really happy to be going to Arizona,” said Grimes. “They have a good team and I hope I can contribute to their defense in the upcoming season. I’m planning on working out a lot in the next little while so that I go into training camp in as good of shape as possible and get off to a good start in my pro career. This is a great day for me.”
The Sting traded their second pick in the draft (first round, seventh overall) to San Jose along with defenseman Andrew Guindon in exchange for All-Star forward Derek Malawsky. San Jose used the pick to select Brampton Excelsiors goalie Paul Dawson, the younger brother of Sting forward Dan Dawson.
In the second round, the Sting struck a deal with Minnesota, sending a second round pick in next year’s entry draft to the Swarm in exchange for the 23th overall selection in 2006. Arizona used this pick to select 21-year old goaltender Brandon Atherton of the Victoria Junior Shamrocks. The 6’1”, 180 lb. net minder registered a G.A.A. of 10.88 and a save percentage of 78.55 in 20 games with the Shamrocks last season. In the ’06 playoffs, Atherton tallied a G.A.A. of 8.25 and a save percentage of 83.38.
“Brandon is a talented goaltender with bright future,” said Coach Hamley. “We knew he wouldn’t be around in the third round so we traded up to get him with that spot. He’ll have every opportunity to make our club.”
In the third round, the Sting took University of Virginia forward Matt Ward with the 33rd overall selection. A three-time All-American, Ward led Virginia to an NCAA Championship earlier this year, scoring five times in the championship match to lead his top-ranked Cavaliers to victory over UMASS by a score of 15 – 7 on May 29. A native of Oakton, VA, Ward scored 139 goals and dished out 69 assists in 62 career games with the Cavaliers. His 208 career points rank him seventh in school history. The 5’10”, 203 lb. forward was named the Tewaaraton winner as the nation’s best player in 2006; he was also named MVP of the 2006 NCAA Final Four tournament after setting a record by scoring 16 goals in the tournament. Ward also played on attack for the Baltimore Bayhawks of Major League Lacrosse this past summer and was named the league’s rookie of the year after scoring 23 times in 9 games played.
“Matt was one of the top Americans in the draft this year,” said Hamley. “He’s an outstanding athlete that can definitely play in this league. We’re looking forward to getting him down to Phoenix.”
The Sting next made a selection in the fifth round, taking goaltender Ron Schibild of the Burnaby Junior Lakers 59th overall. Schibild registered a G.A.A. of 4.56 in 2006 while back stopping the Lakers to a British Columbia Junior Lacrosse Association Championship. In 2005, the 5’11”, 185 lb. net minder led Burnaby to a Minto Cup Title after allowing only 43 goals in 299 minutes of action during the championship tournament, which was held in Edmonton, Alberta. In the ’05 regular season, Schibild saw action in 17 games with the Lakers, registering a G.A.A. of 6.36 and a save percentage of 82.18.
In round #6, Arizona elected to take Luke Pinder from the Kitchener-Waterloo Braves (OJLA) with the 72nd overall selection. Pinder played 18 games with the Braves in 2005, registering 1G-3A-4P in addition to 53 PIM. The 6’3”, 220 lb. defenseman also plays line backer for the Wilfred Laurier Golden Hawks football team (Canadian Interuniversity Sport). In three seasons with the Golden Hawks, Pinder has registered 29 tackles in 16 games.
2006 ARIZONA STING DRAFT RESULTS
1 - Mike Grimes, Peterborough Junior Lakers (First Round, 6th Overall)
2 - Brandon Atherton, Victoria Junior Shamrocks (Second Round, 23rd Overall)
3 - Matt Ward, University of Virginia Cavaliers (Third Round, 33rd Overall)
4 - Ron Schibild, Burnaby Junior Lakers (Fifth Round, 59th Overall)
5 - Luke Pinder, Kitchener-Waterloo Braves (Sixth Round, 72nd Overall)
