Rochester Knighthawks General Manager and Vice President of Lacrosse Operations Dan Carey announced today that the team has re-signed veteran defenseman Dan Coates to a one-year contract for the 2024-25 National Lacrosse League season, pending league approval.
Coates, 37, has been a mainstay on the Knighthawks defense over the past three seasons since joining Rochester prior to the 2021-22 campaign. In 39 games with the Knighthawks, Coates has recorded 28 points (3+25) and 216 loose ball recoveries while also leading the team to back-to-back playoff appearances in each of the last two springs.
Coates, who served as the Knighthawks team captain in 2023-24, came to Rochester following nine seasons with the Colorado Mammoth, during which he compiled 75 points (15+60), 492 loose ball recoveries and 139 caused turnovers in 128 career games. He posted his best season during the 2014-15 campaign when he scored one goal and posted career-highs in assists (11) and points (12) in 18 games.
A former first-round selection (8th overall) by Colorado in the 2011 NLL Entry Draft, he departed the Mammoth ranked second in franchise history in caused turnovers (139), fourth in face-off wins (477) and games played (128) and seventh in loose balls (492).
A four-year captain, the St. Catharines, Ontario, native also added six points (1+5) and 28 loose balls 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 a three-year span.
A veteran of 167 career NLL games with Rochester and Colorado, Coates has totaled 103 points (18+85) and 723 loose balls while also adding seven points (1+6) in 12 playoff appearances.
Prior to turning pro, the 6-foot-0, 195-pound defenseman played his collegiate lacrosse at nearby Canisius University. Coates appeared in 50 games with the Griffins during his four-year career at Canisius (2008-11), helping the program capture its first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament Championship. Coates, the first defender in program history to garner All-MAAC First Team distinction, finished his collegiate career with 113 ground balls and 40 caused turnovers to go along with two goals and four assists.