Rochester Knighthawks General Manager and Vice President of Lacrosse Operations Dan Carey announced today that the team has signed forward Mike Burke to a one-year practice player contract for the 2021-22 NLL season, pending league approval.
Burke, 31, spent the 2019-20 season with the Halifax Thunderbirds, recording 31 points (8+23) and 40 loose ball recoveries in 10 games. He was averaging a career-best 3.1 points per game prior to the cancellation of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Brampton, Ontario, native posted his best season during the 2018-19 campaign when he set career-highs in games (14), goals (15), assists (27) and points (42) with the previous Knighthawks franchise.
Entering his sixth NLL season, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound forward has amassed 108 points (38+70) over 46 career NLL games with Edmonton, Colorado, Rochester and Halifax.
Burke’s vast lacrosse experience also includes stints in Major Series Lacrosse (MSL) with his hometown Brampton Excelsiors and with the Paris RiverWolves of the Arena Lacrosse League (ALL).
In 2018, Burke earned ALL MVP honors after scoring 25 goals and finishing with a league-best 63 points in 10 games while serving as team captain. He also added 22 points in three postseason appearances while leading the RiverWolves to the ALL Cup Finals.
That same year saw him tie for the MSL scoring lead with 68 points (17+51) with Brampton and was named the co-recipient of the Bucko McDonald Trophy for his efforts.
Originally a third-round selection (28th overall) of the Edmonton Rush in 2012, Burke played his collegiate lacrosse at Guelph University, where he was named a Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association (CUFLA) West Division All-Canadian selection for the 2012-13 season.