(Rochester, NY)… Rochester Knighthawks President and General Manager Dan Carey announced today that the team has re-signed their goalie tandem of Rylan Hartley and Riley Hutchcraft to two-year deals. The duo head into their fourth season together in the Flower City.
A native of Orangeville, Ontario, Hartley was originally selected by the San Diego Seals in the 2018 NLL Entry Draft before being acquired by Rochester in the 2019 Expansion Draft.
“I saw him as one of the best junior goalies I’d ever seen and we did a lot of scouting,” Carey said about Hartley as a prospect. “He’s an unbelievable competitor, just an incredible teammate and everybody loves him. He’s just so fiery and so competitive and he’s got so much energy about him. His personality shows in the crease.”
Hutchcraft was drafted to his hometown Toronto Rock in 2017 and played alongside starter Nick Rose for four seasons. In the summer of 2022, he made his way to Rochester, via a trade with Las Vegas, along with Connor Fields and the draft pick that turned into Thomas McConvey.
While Hartley and Hutchcraft play the same position on the floor, they do it in completely different ways. Hutchcraft took his notes from Rose and plays the positioning game to fill the goal while Hartley relies on his athleticism.
“Two guys with very different styles and outlooks. One (Hutchcraft) is a student of the game, he watches a lot of film and he’s a big blocker, and one (Hartley) who likes to react, is very athletic and relies on instincts,” Rochester assistant coach and goalie legend Pat O’Toole said. “They work so well together because they genuinely want to see each other do well… Simply put, they are each other’s biggest fans and that makes for a great tandem.”
The variety of play between the two goalies allows the Knighthawks to give a completely different look in goal between both keepers. In five seasons with Rochester, Hartley played 2,542 minutes in the crease. He made 1,704 saves at 77% throughout his career. He set his single game saves record in 2023, stopping 55 shots against the Philadelphia Wings. In 2024, he backstopped Rochester to its best win in franchise history, 12-3 over the Wings. He’s only the ninth goalie in NLL history to hold a team to that number.
Hutchcraft played 1,393 minutes for Rochester with 943 saves. His career save percentage is 77%. He was named the Knighthawks Unsung Hero in 2024 and in 2023 was named the Defender of the Year in Major Series Lacrosse after posting a 10.63 goals-against average through 15 games.
“Hutchy is calm and composed, he’s really composed and it doesn’t seem like much rattles him,” Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen said. “Ralphie is emotional, uber competitive… The two of them working together keeps the balance between them.”
Rochester begins the 2025-26 NLL season on Sunday, Dec. 14, with a 6:00 p.m. matchup against the San Diego Seals. The Knighthawks then return home to Segar & Sciortino Field at The Blue Cross Arena on Saturday, Dec. 20, when they host the Philadelphia Wings at 7 p.m. For ticket information, please call (585) 510-1616 or email tickets@knighthawks.com.