Rochester Knighthawks General Manager and Vice President of Lacrosse Operations Dan Carey announced today that the team has signed veteran defenseman Paul Dawson to a one-year contract for the 2022-23 NLL season, pending league approval.
Dawson, 36, returns for his 10th season in Rochester and third with the expansion-era Knighthawks after serving as team captain since the team’s inaugural campaign in 2019-20.
During the 2021-22 season, Dawson recorded a league-leading 72 penalty minutes and ranked third amongst all Knighthawks defensemen with 65 loose ball recoveries to go with a pair of assists. He was just one of five Rochester players to appear in all 18 games.
The 16-year NLL veteran spent parts of seven seasons with the previous Knighthawks franchise from 2013-19, recording 36 points (13+23) in 110 career games while winning back-to-back championships in 2013 and 2014 along the way. Dawson also piled up 231 penalty minutes, ranking sixth all-time in team history. He served as an alternate captain during the 2018-19 campaign and was named to the Knighthawks’ All-Time Team.
A native of Oakville, Ontario, Dawson has totaled 87 points (25+62) and 565 penalty minutes, which currently ranks seventh all-time in NLL history, in addition to 788 loose ball recoveries over 229 career games with San Jose, Boston, Philadelphia, San Diego and Rochester. He’s also added nine points (3+6) in 23 postseason appearances.
The 6-foot-5, 230-pound defenseman was selected seventh overall by the San Jose Stealth in the 2006 NLL Entry Draft.