The summer months are traditionally part of the National Lacrosse League’s offseason, but for Rochester Knighthawks General Manager and Vice President of Lacrosse Operations Dan Carey, there is no such thing.
“There’s no offseason for me,” smirked Carey. “It’s part of the job and the business of making sure that we’re doing what we need to do to continue getting better.”
So, in July of 2022, while some were swimming, resting, taking in a Rochester Red Wings game, vacationing, or something else along the lines of rest and relaxation, Carey was preparing to make some noise in the NLL with a trade that could go down as arguably the biggest in Rochester Knighthawks history.
On July 7, 2022, a combined eight assets were dealt in a trade between the ‘Hawks and the incoming expansion-Las Vegas Desert Dogs. For Las Vegas, the team received four draft picks, including two first-round picks for 2022 and 2023, respectively. Additionally, the Desert Dogs nabbed Knighthawks forward Charlie Bertrand fresh off a 41-point rookie season.
“There’s a lot of movement in our league. Teams aren’t afraid to make a decision that betters them. You’re always looking to make a decision that makes the best sense for your organization. We were at a point where we knew what our needs were and knew what to look for.”
And so, for Carey, the decision that made the most sense was to offload those four picks in exchange for not just one pick, but the pick of the 2022 NLL Draft, acquiring the first overall selection. Months later, that pick would go on to become Thomas McConvey.
“Thomas McConvey was a guy I was really targeting in the draft. We figured he would be the first overall pick. There was a lot of talent in that draft, but that was the player we were interested in. We needed a lefty and he was that, plus that style of player we wanted. He was kind of the centerpiece of what we were looking for in that trade.”
But the ‘Hawks didn’t stop there. In addition to the pick, Carey wanted immediate assets, players he could see deployed into the lineup the following season. So, Las Vegas dealt goaltender Riley Hutchcraft in the trade. Hutchcraft represents the seventh piece of the eight-player puzzle. The trade was finalized after Carey acquired one more player coming to Rochester.
Enter Connor Fields.
“There was a lot going on,” said Fields. “I was playing for Buffalo the year before and you’re still going through the emotions of making it to the championship and losing. Then there was the Expansion Draft and not knowing what was going on.”
“I got a call in the morning the day before the trade from Dan (Carey),” said Hutchcraft. “He just was asking if I was interested in coming to the Knighthawks. He had a deal in place with Shawn Williams, the general manager of the Desert Dogs. Any chance you get to play in the NLL, you’re going to take it, so I was all onboard. Then an hour later, Shawn called and let me know they were going to take me in the expansion draft and send me to Rochester.”
“Some trades take less time than others,” said Carey. “This one required a lot of time investment. I couldn’t even tell you the number of hours spent on the phone, watching video, gauging the fit for our organization.”
Both Fields and Hutchcraft were on previous teams, but left exposed in the NLL Expansion Draft for Las Vegas to pluck from their respective teams. Las Vegas acquired each through the Expansion Draft before then shipping the duo to the Flower City. At this point, Hutchcraft had spent his first four professional seasons with the Toronto Rock, his hometown team. Fields began his career out west in San Diego but wrapped up his first (and only) season with the team he grew up watching in Buffalo.
Most professional athletes can only dream of getting to play for the team they grew up rooting for. The emotional high of getting that call can be trumped, however, by the devasting blow you take when getting told it is no longer your home. For Fields and Hutchcraft that became a reality, though the distance from home had to be factored in, and Las Vegas wasn’t the ideal hike from Buffalo or Toronto.
“I played in San Diego the beginning of my career and it was tough on me,” said Fields. “It was hard being that far away from home with all the travel. It ended up taking a toll on me. That was why I ended up getting traded to Buffalo. I told them (San Diego) that I needed to get back out east because it was best for me and my family.”
“My son had just turned one at the time,” said Hutchcraft. “I had grown up watching the Toronto Rock. I had season tickets growing up. It was like a dream come true. But then there was a lot going on, but it was kind of a blessing in disguise. I didn’t have to worry about traveling on an airplane every week to Las Vegas. I’m only a couple hours from home. Growing up, there was three teams I’d want to go watch: the Toronto Rock, Buffalo Bandits, and Rochester Knighthawks.”
“The quality of players and type of players we were looking for made this trade make a lot of sense,” said Carey. “It’s really hard to acquire guys like that. It just worked out that we were able to come to a deal with Las Vegas and I’m sure there’s a lot of benefit from their side as well.”
Fast forward nearly 19 months later and this trade certainly made sense.
Hutchcraft has emerged as the starting goaltender for the ‘Hawks in the absence of Rylan Hartley due to injury. It took him six seasons, but the Toronto native earned his first NLL win in December and posted a 3-0 record to start the season.
McConvey has continued to make strides in his rookie year and currently sits fourth in team scoring with 25 points and third on Rochester with 13 goals.
And Fields? Well, he only went on to post 112 points (52+60) in his first season with Rochester, forging his way into the discussion of being one of, if not the best player in the National Lacrosse League.
Carey pushed his chips into the center of the table. He was all in with a city known for leaving visitors’ pockets empty. Instead, Carey went double or nothing, and it paid off in spades.
