(SAN DIEGO, CA – September 23, 2019) – The San Diego Seals announced today that the team has signed 2019 NLL Entry Draft picks Matthew Sykes, Kyle Dawson, Oliver Bolsterli, Ryan Jones and Russ Oakes, and free agent Bryan Hancock, to two-year deals, pending league approval.
Sykes, 20, registered 22 points and 79 penalty minutes in 66 games with the Mimico Mountaineers (Ontario Junior A Lacrosse League). The 6-3, 220-pound defenseman was the Seals first pick (second round) in the 2019 draft.
Dawson, 21, was the recipient of the 2019 Keith McEachren Trophy which honors the British Columbia Junior A Lacrosse League’s Most Sportsmanlike Player. He scored 25 goals and 47 points in the regular season with the Nanaimo Timbermen before leading the team in goals in the playoffs. The lefty was the Seals third-round selection.
Bolsterli, 20, was selected in the fourth round. The 6-1, 185-pound defenseman played four seasons with the Six Nations Arrows (OJALL), registering 13 points in 53 games. Jones, 21, scored 72 goals and 235 points in 65 games in the BCJALL. He was drafted in the fifth-round of the 2019 NLL Entry Draft and is the younger brother of Vancouver Warriors forward Mitch Jones.
Oakes, 22, was the Seals final selection of the 2019 NLL Entry Draft. The Akwesasne, NY native played at Onondaga Community College. Oakes and Seals’ forward Austin Staats won back-to-back NJCAA National Championships with the Lazers (2017-18).
Bolsterli, Jones and Oakes all played under general manager and head coach Patrick Merrill and defensive coordinator Bill Greer in 2017 with the Six Nations Arrows (OJALL). The team hoisted the 2017 Minto Cup alongside forward Austin Staats and hope to bring that championship experience to San Diego.
Hancock, 23, played college lacrosse at Hobart. The 6-0, 175-pound forward netted 47 goals in 60 games with the Statesmen. Hancock spent the summer playing in the Colorado Collegiate Box Lacrosse League where he scored 19 goals and 33 points in eight games played.
The Seals return for their second season in December at Pechanga Arena San Diego. Place your season ticket membership deposit today at SealsLax.com.