Rochester Knighthawks General Manager and Vice President of Lacrosse Operations Dan Carey announced today that the team has re-signed forwards Dan Michel and Cam Milligan and defensemen Tyler Biles and Doug Utting all to two-year contracts. All transactions are pending league approval.
Michel, 26, returns for his second season with the Knighthawks after posting five goals and six assists in seven games during Rochester’s inaugural campaign. He finished his rookie season second on the team in both points (11) and shots (33) among all Knighthawks first-year players.
In the summer of 2019, he posted six goals and four assists in seven games with the Brooklin Lacrosse Club while also scoring 16 goals with 21 assists in 14 games for the Peterborough Timbermen of the Arena Lacrosse League (ALL). He added a pair of helpers in one playoff contest with the Timbermen while serving as an alternate captain.
The 5-foot-11, 188-pound forward has appeared in 28 career games with Peterborough, scoring 36 goals and 40 assists for 76 points. Michel also totaled five points (1+4) in two postseason games with the Timbermen.
Prior to turning pro, the native of Courtice, Ontario, played five years with the Junior “A” Peterborough Lakers. During his time with the Lakers, he produced 106 goals, 114 assists and 220 points in 98 career games. Additionally, Michel registered 65 points (33+32) in 39 playoff games with Peterborough.
Michel was originally drafted by the New England Black Wolves in the fourth round (38th overall) of the 2016 NLL Entry Draft.
Milligan, 26, appeared in one game during Rochester’s inaugural campaign in 2019-20, recording one goal and one assist. In his NLL career, he has played in four contests, registering a pair of goals and three assists.
Milligan played four years of collegiate lacrosse at both Towson University (2014) and the University of Vermont (2015-17), amassing 170 points in a combined 50 games. During his time at Vermont, the Peterborough, Ontario, native was twice named an America East All-Conference Second Team selection and earned America East All-Tournament honors in back-to-back seasons with the Catamounts. He left Vermont ranked third in assists and seventh in points in school history.
During the summer of 2019, the 6-foot-2, 180-pound forward played with the Cobourg Nissan Kodiaks in Major Series Lacrosse, leading the team with 52 points. He also played three seasons for the Whitby Steelhawks of the Arena Lacrosse League and won a Mann Cup with his hometown Peterborough Lakers in 2018.
Milligan was originally a sixth-round selection (54th overall) of the Black Wolves in the 2017 NLL Entry Draft.
Biles, 22, began his professional career by appearing in six games in his rookie season during the 2019-20 campaign with the Knighthawks, collecting 15 loose balls. He ranked third among all first-year defensemen while also totaling six caused turnovers, which were third-best between all the club’s rookies.
During the 2019 season while with Brampton Excelsiors, Biles set career-highs in goals (1), assists (7) and points (8) while also adding one assist in eight playoff appearances. Since 2015, he has appeared in 78 combined Junior “A” games with Brampton and Halton Hills, recording one goal and 16 assists for 17 points.
Biles was originally a fourth-round selection (49th overall) of the Knighthawks in the 2019 NLL Entry Draft.
Utting 29, returns for his second season with Knighthawks after being voted as the Fan’s Choice Favorite Player in 2019-20. The Wallace, Ontario native was one of 10 rookies to make his professional debut and he scored one goal and collected 47 loose balls with nine penalty minutes. Additionally, he finished the season with 15 shots and seven caused turnovers.
The 5-foot-9, 185-pound defenseman joined the Knighthawks following three seasons with the Peterborough Timbermen (ALL), where he recorded 17 goals, 26 assists and 43 points in 36 contests. He also appeared in two playoff games.
Prior to joining the Timbermen, Utting spent two seasons at Nipissing University (AUCC) from 2015-17. During his second season with the Lakers, Utting, who was named an All-Canadian Defensive midfielder, finished second on the team in scoring, producing 38 points (27+12) in 12 games while serving as one of the team’s captains.
