BOSTON (December 15, 2014) – Major League Lacrosse (MLL), the premier professional outdoor lacrosse league, will be holding the 2015 Supplemental Draft on Wednesday, December 17 at 12 noon. The draft will be 12 rounds, allowing each team one selection per round, and will be conducted via teleconference.
At the end of last season, each team selected a protected roster of 23 players. Any players who were not placed on a protected roster have been automatically registered into the player pool.
There are currently over 800 players registered for the Supplemental Draft for the 2015 season. Just over 100 of those registered are entering the draft for the first time. This includes players from seven different countries: The United States, South Korea, Australia, Canada, Poland, Italy and the United Kingdom.
Last season, Chris Mattes (M), was drafted in the first round of the 2014 Supplemental Draft. That season with the Florida Launch, he racked up 200 face-off wins, just shy of MLL’s FOGO of the Year, Greg Gurenlian who had 201.
There are many notable players returning for the 2015 Supplemental Draft including Matt Striebel (M) and Stephen Peyser (M). Striebel is one of the few remaining players who were part of a team in 2001, and leads the league in games played with 159. He has also played in nine All Star Games in his career, tying him with Boston’s Brodie Merrill (D), for most All Star appearances in the league. Striebel has been entered into this year’s Supplemental Draft after transitioning half way through the 2014 season from Rochester to Boston. He played in nine games last season and scored 11 points (8 goals, 3 assists).
Peyser was first drafted to the MLL in 2008 when he played for the Chicago Machine before the team moved to become the Rochester Rattlers. He continued the 2008 season with the New Jersey Pride. Since the Pride, he has played for New York. In the 2014 season he joined the Chesapeake Bayhawks and contributed in five games, scoring two goals and two assists.
Other players to watch include Mario Ventiquattro (A), Josh Amidon (M), and Vito Demola (A). Ventiquattro is an Ohio State graduate who played for the Florida Launch in its’ inaugural season. He played in all 14 games last season for Florida, scoring seven goals and one assist.
Amidon, a Syracuse graduate, first entered the Collegiate Draft in 2012, and has most recently played for the Florida Launch. He played in 10 games in 2014 and scored nine points (4 goals, 4 assists, 1 2ptG).
Vito Demola, a Dowling College graduate, will be returning to the draft this season after being placed on the PUP list in 2014 due to an injury outside of the MLL. In 2013, he played in two games, and scored two goals for New York.
