Rochester Knighthawks General Manager and Vice President of Lacrosse Operations Dan Carey announced today that the team has re-signed defenseman Ben Macdonnell to a two-year contract, pending league approval.
Macdonnell, 23, appeared in four games with the Knighthawks as a rookie during the 2023-24 season, scoring one goal and adding 15 loose ball recoveries. He made his NLL debut at Halifax on Jan. 27, 2024, scoring his first career goal during the fourth quarter.
The Oshawa, Ontario, native led the Whitby Warriors to a Minto Cup championship in 2022 in addition to putting up seven goals and 18 points while appearing in all 14 games for the Oshawa Outlaws of the Arena Lacrosse League. Macdonnell earned All-Rookie First Team defender honors before emerging as one of the top rookies in Major Series Lacrosse with the Brooklin Lacrosse Club.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound forward played in one game at Robert Morris University during his sophomore season after not playing as a freshman.
Macdonnell was an accomplished two-sport athlete in both hockey and lacrosse at Maxwell Heights high school. As a senior in 2019, he captured a pair of titles with the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) championship and the U18 National Championship.
Macdonnell was selected by the Knighthawks in the first-round selection (16th overall) of the 2023 NLL Entry Draft.