MLL Trade: Huntley to Join Dad in Toronto
from press release
Former Major League Lacrosse Rookie of the Year Kevin Huntley was
traded today from the Washington Bayhawks to the Toronto Nationals
along with Josh Sims and draft picks. The Bayhawks receive
2-time MLL Champions Jeff Zywicki, and Nick O’Hara in return
along with midfielder Jordan Levine.
The trade means Huntley will get the chance to play for his father
Dave Huntley in Toronto. The elder Huntley led the Nationals
to the Major League Lacrosse Championship in his first season as
head coach in 2009.
Kevin Huntley, a graduate of Johns Hopkins University, was the
17th overall selection in the 2008 Collegiate Draft and went on to
win Cascade Rookie of the Year honors after registering 30 goals
and 5 assists for Los Angeles. Prior to the 2009 season he
was sent to Washington as part of the re-allocation process.
He scored 23 goals and registered 6 assists in his second
season.
Nationals General Manager Stu Brown on acquiring Huntley:
"This is a very exciting day for the Toronto Nationals, it’s
not everyday that you get a chance to add a player of Kevin's
caliber. I believe that Kevin Huntley is one of the top
scorers in the MLL. We feel that Kevin will be a great fit with our
existing offensive players. We also feel that he gives us an added
dimension, as he possesses and excellent long range shot. In
his two years with the league he has proven to be one of the best.
We are absolutely thrilled that we were able to acquire Kevin and
we look forward to getting our new look offense on the field
together in May."
"Most importantly we are looking to add guys who will be a
good fit in the dressing room, Kevin is definitely one of those
guys, and he will be a great fit here with the Nationals"
Also moving to Toronto will be MLL veteran Josh Sims. Sims
is one of four remaining players from the original 18 allocated
players at the inception of the league prior to the 2001
season. He spent his first five MLL seasons with the
Baltimore Bayhawks before joining Denver in 2006. He was
selected by Washington in December’s Supplemental Draft and
now will be heading to Toronto. In 80 career games Sims has
scored 116 goals (15 two-point goals) and has registered 57
assists. In 9 games last season with Denver he had 11 goals
and 9 assists helping lead the Outlaws to the MLL Championship game
where they fell to Toronto.
Jeff Zywicki, a 2005 graduate of the University of Massachusetts,
has scored 87 goals in 39 career games including back-to-back 31
goal seasons in 2007 and 2008. Last year he scored 19 goals
and had 14 assists for the Nationals. In addition to being a
member of the last two MLL Championship Teams, Zywicki won a Gold
Medal as a member of Team Canada at the 2006 World
Championships.
Midfielder Jordan Levine is entering his 3rd MLL season and will
be joining his 3rd team. After completing his college career
at Albany he was the 10th overall pick in the 2008 collegiate draft
by New Jersey and then played for Toronto in 2009. Levine has
registered 24 points in 21 career MLL games (12 goals, 12 assists)
including 7 goals in 10 games last year for Toronto.
The Nationals also send Nick O’Hara to Washington.
O’Hara was a third round selection in the 2008 draft by
Rochester after finishing up his collegiate career at Duke
University.
Washington GM Spencer Ford on the newest Bayhawks:
“We are very excited to again gain three players in a trade
who can be a part of the 19-man roster right away. Jeff
Zywcki is a gamer, no matter what league he plays in, he always
puts himself at the top of the scoring leaders. He will help take
our team to the next level with his ability to score goals. Having
Jeff, Danny Glading, Ben Rubeor, John Christmas and Andrew Combs
makes us one of the best units in the game and will cause match-up
problems for the other teams.”
“Jordan Levine is an unbelievable transition midfielder who
can play D, run between the lines and score. He will help us in a
big way. Along with Matt Abbott, Benson Erwin, Billy Glading and
Alex Buckley, we will be very hard to beat from the midfield and
they will again cause matchup problems when transitioning the ball
from D to O.”
“Nick O'Hara can flat out play. He helps our defense in all
aspects because of his ability to get the ball from one end to the
other. He is very good at creating scoring opportunities after
making a defensive play.”
“All in all, we are thrilled to have these three young men
join the Bayhawks. They will be huge in helping us get back to
Championship Weekend.”
The 2010 Major League Lacrosse season begins on Saturday, May 15.
Season highlights include the 2010 MLL All Star Game in Boston on
July 8, 2010 and the New Balance MLL Championship Weekend will be
at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, MD on Aug.
21-22.
