(Philadelphia, PA – September 17, 2019) – The San Diego Seals selected six players in the 2019 NLL Entry Draft on Tuesday night.
“With the trade for Jeremy Noble and Zack Greer this morning, our focus in the second round was on defenders,” said general manager and head coach Patrick Merrill. “We thought it was important to add some size and depth on the defensive end and we addressed that need. We’re happy to welcome six new players into the Seals family and we’re looking forward to a competitive training camp.”
The Seals waited until the second round before the team was officially on the clock. San Diego snagged a pair of defensemen with their 25th and 28th picks to open their draft night.
Matthew Sykes, a defenseman from Mimico Mountaineers (OJALL), was the Seals first pick of the night. The 6-3, 220-pound lefty registered 22 points and 79 PIM in 66 games played with the Mountaineers. San Diego then chose Devyn Mayea, a lefty from Burlington Chiefs. Mayea had a record-season with the Chiefs in 2019 posting career-highs in goals (8), assists (13) and points (21).
The Seals added some offensive power in the third-round with the selection of Kyle Dawson. The Ontario native scored 25 goals and 47 points in the regular season with the Nanaimo Timbermen before leading the team in goals in the playoffs. Dawson was the recipient of the Keith McEachren Trophy honored as the BCJALL Most Sportsmanlike Player.
San Diego rounded out the draft with a variety of talent highlighted by offense and strength. Below is the complete draft list:
Round | Overall | Name | Position | College/Club |
2 | 25 | Matthew Sykes | D | Mimico Mountaineers |
2 | 28 | Devyn Mayea | D | Burlington Chiefs |
3 | 41 | Kyle Dawson | F | Nanaimo Timbermen |
4 | 56 | Oliver Bolsterli | D/T | Six Nations Arrows |
5 | 71 | Ryan Jones | F | Delta Islanders |
6 | 84 | Russ Oakes | F | Onondaga CC |
The Seals return for their second season in December at Pechanga Arena San Diego. Place your season ticket membership deposit today at SealsLax.com.