For the first time in franchise history, the Rochester Knighthawks had the first overall selection in the 2022 National Lacrosse League Entry Draft, which meant there was no waiting game this year and whomever they wanted was theirs for the picking.
That player, and highly touted prospect, just happened to be forward Thomas McConvey, who recently played under the helm of Knighthawks general manager Dan Carey for Team Canada in the U-21 championships a few weeks back.
“A little bit,” stated McConvey when asked if he had an inkling if Rochester was going to take him first overall in the 2022 NLL Draft. “I’ve gotten to know Dan Carey really well, playing for Team Canada over there in the U21 championships a couple of weeks ago. So, I had a good relationship with him. Nothing was set in stone, obviously, but it was super exciting and I was kind of just waiting on it and it came out to be true.”
A new member of the Knighthawks organization and some new home jerseys…
Today really is a great day! Welcome to the organization, Thomas! pic.twitter.com/WeTlrJLrFI
— Rochester Knighthawks (@RocKnighthawks) September 10, 2022
McConvey will be transferring to the University of Virginia this fall as a fifth-year graduate student after playing the previous four years at the University of Vermont. With the Catamounts, McConvey was a three-time USILA and Inside Lacrosse All-American and one of the most decorated players in program history.
And McConvey didn’t want to stop his prolific collegiate career just yet, as he still has dreams of chasing a national championship upon his arrival to Virginia this fall.
“I took the fifth year,” McConvey said, “going back to school to a little bit bigger program, kind of chasing that national championship, getting a master’s degree as well. It’s an awesome school and an awesome program.”
As a senior for the Catamounts in 2022, McConvey went on to compile one of the most dominant offensive performances in program history, setting a program-record with 60 goals, becoming the first player in school history to score more than 50 in a season. McConvey also added 14 assists for a career-high 74 points while starting in all 19 games for Vermont, earning him America East Offensive Player of the Year and ECAC Offensive Player of the Year honors. McConvey is just the second player in Vermont history to be tabbed the top player by America East.
Additionally, McConvey scored 12 goals in the America East championship on his way to being named the Most Outstanding Player during Vermont’s run to its second straight conference championship during his senior season.
In 52 career games with Vermont, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound midfielder totaled 174 points on 127 goals and 47 assists, finishing seventh all-time in scoring in program history. McConvey went on to record at least one point in every game over his four-year career, including a hat trick in eight straight games during his final season in 2022.
Thomas McConvey has an exciting announcement for everyone ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/INcFiuZdEq
— Rochester Knighthawks (@RocKnighthawks) September 10, 2022
“UVM has played a huge part in my career. Committing there when I was a 16-year-old kid, they kind of took a chance on me. So, they’re the ones that kind of developed me through my teenage years and I’ve had some great experiences there,” commented McConvey when asked how Vermont helped set him up to take on professional lacrosse.
McConvey then continued with “Coach Vines, Coach Bernhardt, Coach Kavanaugh, all of those guys, they’ve really groomed me to be who I am now going from a 17-year-old kid, going in there to a 21-year-old graduate. So, I can’t thank them enough and I really appreciate their support and everything that they have given me in my career.”
Before attending Vermont, McConvey helped St. Michael’s College School to four straight Ontario provincial championships. A two-year team captain, he amassed 207 points over his final two seasons and was named team MVP as a senior in 2018.
Thomas McConvey. That’s it. That’s the tweet. pic.twitter.com/11seD7MFkE
— Rochester Knighthawks (@RocKnighthawks) September 11, 2022
“I’ll be watching all the games this year and be really excited, but really bummed that I can’t play,” stated McConvey when asked about how much more exciting it’ll be to make it to the NLL when he’s ready. “It’s going to kind of fuel the fire watching this game, the NLL and watching the guys go compete. So, I’ll be cheering them on, and I’ll be excited for when I can join them.”
