(Rochester, NY)… Rochester Knighthawks President and General Manager Dan Carey announced today that the team has re-signed captain and defenseman Dan Coates to a one-year deal, pending league approval.
Coates returns for his sixth season with the Knighthawks and fourth as captain. In those six years, he’s played in 62 games, scooped up 343 loose balls, caused 56 turnovers, blocked 49 shots, and scored 35 points (three goals). He ranks third in franchise history for caused turnovers and blocked shots and ranks fifth in loose-ball recoveries.
“We’re excited to bring Coatesy back for another year,” Carey said. “Bringing our captain back was key, especially with such a competitive training camp coming up. Having a leader like him both on the floor and in the locker room will be crucial to leading our new Knighthawks in our culture.”
Before his time in Rochester, he spent nine seasons with the Colorado Mammoth. During that stint, he compiled 75 points (15+60), 492 loose-ball recoveries, and 139 caused turnovers in 128 career games. He served as captain for four years and added six points (1+5) and 28 loose-ball recoveries in 10 postseason contests while leading the team to an unprecedented eight straight playoff appearances from 2012-2019, including a pair of trips to the Western Division Final over three years.
In his tenure as captain in Rochester, Coates has led the Knighthawks to two of their three playoff berths. He leads not only as a captain but also as a coach on the floor. He has been key to the development of young Knighthawk defenders like Adam Thistlethwaite, Jake Piseno, and Taylor Jensen.
“Going into my sixth year now, it’s felt more like home these last few years,” Coates said. “I strive, along with my teammates, to lift a trophy overhead and put a banner in The Blue Cross Arena. I’m excited to be back under leadership from Dan Carey, our ownership, who took over last year, and a new bench boss in Troy, who I’ve had really good conversations with.”
“I’m excited to see the pieces we’ve added in the dispersal draft,” He added. “We’re going to get a really good pick in the entry draft, and we’ll see what else happens during free agency.”
While he used to play in the summers for the Six Nations Chiefs, winning Mann Cups in 2013, 2014, and 2016, he now stands behind the bench for the St. Catharines Athletics Junior “A” program as their head coach. This past summer, they won the Ontario Junior Lacrosse League Championship, topping the Whitby Warriors in six games.
Coates previously served as head coach for the Rochester Hawkeyes before taking his Junior “A” position. He spent summers coaching up American field players and giving them an opportunity to show their skills in front of NLL scouts at the National Collegiate Box Series National Championships. They made the final in two of the three years he stood behind the bench, taking home the NCBS Cup in 2024 in Utica.
Before his professional career, Coates played four seasons at Canisius University. He played in 50 games and scooped up 113 ground balls and caused 40 turnovers from 2008 to 2011, helping the program capture its first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament Championship. He was the first defender in program history to earn All-MAAC First Team honors.