Rookie forward Thomas McConvey is coming into his own as part of the Rochester Knighthawks. The first overall pick of the 2022 NLL Draft arrived in training camp and made his debut with the ‘Hawks in the team’s season-opening win against Calgary, but McConvey’s presence was felt in full the following week in Saskatchewan.
The Toronto, Ontario, native delivered for his team, scoring his first goal in the National Lacrosse League, then adding to it for a hat trick and a four-point night (3+1) to help Rochester improve to 2-0 on the season.
“It felt really good to get that first one off your back,” said McConvey. “It’s a huge relief to just contribute to a win. It felt really good and now it’s kind of a stress reliever and now I can go out there and play a little more freely.”
McConvey noted how he felt more comfortable just going game-to-game from Week 1 to Week 2, but had an even broader view of his acclimation process that dates back to being called to the podium of the NLL Draft 15 months prior.
“It’s been a big step for sure. After getting drafted I went and played my fifth year of outdoor lacrosse at college (four years at University of Vermont followed by a fifth season at the University of Virginia), and after that in the offseason I was trying to get as much work in as I could by myself coming into training camp. With taking two summers off from box lacrosse, I knew I had to get myself used to that again. Field and box lacrosse are completely different games. I was just trying to take the steps back into the box game again. These guys in this locker room have been awesome in getting me back into a comfortable spot. I think I’ve been doing a good job and I feel like I’m getting more and more comfortable, but I have to keep taking steps forward here as we go on.”
McConvey comes from being a captain in college. Here, he is a rookie. A new kid on the block if you will. The acclimation process isn’t just on the floor. It’s in the locker room, too.
The Saskatchewan Rush host the Rochester Knighthawks in Pre-season action at Sasktel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, December 09, 2023
“You don’t want to come in here as the rookie and try to take over the room,” he laughed. “But these guys have been awesome. Everyone has a voice here and everyone knows that if they want to express their opinion, they can. I think that’s a great culture that captain Dan Coates has built here.”
It’s a team of brothers. A group of men here to accomplish a common goal. McConvey was frustrated in Week 1. Not with the outcome; after all, the Knighthawks did rally back for a 14-13 win, but with his performance as the highly touted forward was unable to find the score sheet.
“I think the nerves were a big thing. Maybe that weighed on my confidence a little bit, so I think getting one early in that next game was definitely a big help. It relieved that stress. That was big for me.”
🚨 THOMAS McHAT TRICK?! THOMAS McHAT TRICK!
13-13, tie game | Q4, 10:55 remaining pic.twitter.com/Zfzreur1ji
— Rochester Knighthawks (@RocKnighthawks) December 10, 2023
The 23-year-old entered a locker room full of new faces just weeks ago, but those new faces quickly became teammates, and shortly thereafter, friends. The pick-me-up mentality on the Knighthawks is paramount, and McConvey felt that early on to reinstall the confidence that he can be what he’s expected to be: a dominant force in the NLL.
“All the guys have had their own pieces of advice. They’ve reminded me that it was okay to be nervous in your first game. It’s going to happen. You’re going to drop a ball. You’re going to make mistakes. Stuff’s going to happen, but you got to just go out there and play confident and know you can play at this level. That was huge in helping me take those next steps on the field.”
