Rochester Knighthawks General Manager and Vice President of Lacrosse Operations Dan Carey announced today that the team has agreed to terms with transition man Ryland Rees on a one-year contract for the 2021-22 season, pending league approval.
Taken with the second overall pick in the 2019 NLL Entry Draft, Rees took his first season in the National Lacrosse League by storm, recording 11 points on four goals and seven assists while being one of just four Knighthawks rookies to appear in all 12 games during Rochester’s inaugural campaign. The Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, native finished the year tied for 10th in scoring among all NLL rookies and second behind only teammate Cory Highfield for the most points among all first-year transition players, earning All-Rookie Team honors for the 2019-20 season.
Named Rochester’s Defensive Player of the Year for the team’s inaugural season, Rees also added a team-high 75 loose ball recoveries, trailing only New England’s Joe Nardella (86) and New York’s Alex Woodall (84) for the most among NLL rookies in that category.
After scoring his first two pro goals in a 13-12 win over the defending NLL champion Calgary Roughnecks on Jan. 18, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Rees closed out the season with three straight multi-point outings, including a season-high three-point effort (1+2) at San Diego on Mar. 7.
Rees is currently in his second season with the Waterdogs Lacrosse Club of the Premier Lacrosse League. In 22 career games with the Waterdogs, Rees has recorded 15 points and totaled 87 groundball recoveries.