The Toronto Nationals made some big moves for future lacrosse stars at Sunday's MLL Collegiate draft. Originally, the Nats held the No. 8 and No. 9 picks, but made two major trades to move up and get the players they needed to round out the team. Toronto's acquisition of the night was Notre Dame's leading goalie, Scott Rodgers, who made himself a hot commodity after his sensational performance at this year's NCAA National Championship game against Duke. Both Josh Simms and Doc Schneider were traded to Chicago along with Toronto's No. 9 pick in a bid to move up two places in the draft and acquire the 6' 4" net minder. With the combination of Brett Queener and Scott Rodgers between the pipes, the Toronto Nationals will be a formidable force for opponents. "We believe that Rodgers was one of the top players in this years draft. He may be one of the best goaltending prospects to come out of the NCAA in the last 10 years," says Stuart Brown, President and General Manager of the Nationals. "He is an imposing figure at 6'4" and 254 Lbs. Any time a player of his ability is available, you are thrilled to have a shot at getting him. When the Bayhawks took Brian Carroll with the #6 pick we made our move. We had to give up a little to get the 7th pick but we felt that it was the right move to help improve our team." The next trade saw Toronto give the No. 8 overall selection to Denver in exchange for the No. 10 and No. 17 picks. With the No. 10 pick the Nationals scooped up Syracuse attackman, and Ontario native, Cody Jamieson; a player the Nationals were yearning for from the beginning. With the addition of Jamieson to Toronto's already talented attack unit, the Nationals hope he will provide even more depth in the scoring department. "I've watched Cody play for over 10 years and I have always believed that he will be one of the premiere scorers at the professional level," says Brown. "I think he will fit in well with our existing offense and should help provide an extra threat both off of transition situations and in settled play. Cody can do a lot of things around the net. He can be a threat for 10 to 12 yards out, and he is also an excellent finishing from the crease, where he was an impact player at Syracuse. " With the No. 17 selection, Toronto chose Stony Brook longstick middle, and Rodgers' former high school teammate, Steven Waldeck. Waldeck was sensational for Stony Brook this past season, earning the school's Male Athlete of the year award along with being named to the First Team All-America East squad for the second straight season. His exceptional scoring capabilities put him fourth in the nation amongst longpoles in scoring. The Nationals added another past teammate of Rodgers and Waldeck to the roster. This time, they chose a faceoff specialist at No. 26, Mike Cama out of C.W. Post. Their 30th pick had Toronto acquiring Andrew Brancaccio, a midfielder out of Georgetown. Attackman Dave Brock, out of Albany, was the Nationals pick in the sixth round at No. 36 overall. At No. 42, Toronto took Brampton native, Ryan McClelland, a midfielder from Colgate and with their last pick at No. 48 overall - the final pick of the draft - the Nationals selected defenseman Kyle Rubisch from Dowling.
