The Seneca Nation is a sovereign Native Nation and the largest nation of the Haudenosaunee, also known as the Iroquois Confederacy. The Seneca people have lived on the lands in what is today the western part of New York State for time immemorial, and have made countless contributions to the region’s history, culture, and economy. Today, the Seneca Nation has more than 8,500 enrolled members, most of whom live on several distinct territories in Western New York.
Dan Carey enters his seventh season with the Rochester Knighthawks and first as the team's president and general manager. Carey brings a wealth of experience to his new role, having previously served as the team's vice president of lacrosse operations and general manager.
Under his leadership, the franchise has made significant strides on and off the floor since the Seneca Nation purchased the Knighthawks on Aug. 5, 2025. Carey is responsible for the team's success on and off the floor.
In his role as general manager, Rochester has reached the playoffs three straight seasons. Last season, the Knighthawks tied their franchise record for wins in the modern era and finished in fifth place.
During his tenure, he has made some ground-breaking trades, acquiring current Knighthawks Zed Williams, Connor Fields, Ryan Lanchbury, Riley Hutchcraft, Matt Gilray, Kyle Waters, and Brad McCulley. In 2024-25, Fields became the first Knighthawks player since John Grant Jr. (old Knighthawks) to earn NLL MVP honors.
Carey was equally aggressive in the NLL Entry Drafts, landing All-Rookie Team selection and transition man Ryland Rees second overall in 2019 before selecting Robert Morris University standout Ryan Smith, one of the most decorated lacrosse players in school history, with the third overall pick in 2020. Most recently,
Carey added another offensive weapon to the Knighthawks' arsenal by selecting forward Thomas McConvey with the first overall pick in 2022. McConvey, who transferred to the University of Virginia as a graduate student after four years at the University of Vermont, has become one of the team's most accomplished scorers. The Knighthawks also stocked up on talent in expansion drafts, choosing goalie Rylan Hartley in 2019 and Josh Medeiros in 2024.
During the 2022-23 season, Carey was named the National Lacrosse League's General Manager of the Year after engineering one of the most incredible, yet unexpected, transformations by an NLL franchise. The 2022-23 campaign was one of significant change and remarkable growth for the Knighthawks, who, after combining for six wins through their first two years of the expansion era, finished the season fourth in the Eastern Conference standings with a 10-8 record, culminating with the organization's first-ever playoff berth.
Carey was the key architect of the team's rebuild, most notably with the acquisition of one of the NLL's top scorers in forward Connor Fields. A native of East Amherst, New York, Fields enjoyed a record-setting season and was the catalyst for Rochester's extraordinary rise up the NLL standings. He closed out the year second in the NLL with 52 goals behind only New York's Jeff Teat and finished fifth with 112 points despite missing one game. Fields, who set the Knighthawks single-season franchise records for goals, assists, and points, became only the third American-born player in NLL history to record 100 points in a season.
Carey has excelled on the international stage as the general manager of Team Canada. In 2025, he assembled Canada's roster for the World Lacrosse Men's U20 World Championship, which earned the country its first gold medal at the event. In 2023, Carey helped Canada earn silver in the Men's Lacrosse Championship in San Diego.
Carey joined the Knighthawks before the team's inaugural 2019-20 campaign and was tasked with building the organization from the ground up. His aggressive, steadfast approach to bringing top-level talent to Rochester was evident from the start, following the acquisitions of forwards Shawn Evans and Holden Cattoni with the team's first two picks in the 2019 NLL Expansion Draft.
Carey came to Rochester following three years with the NLL's Colorado Mammoth, most recently serving as general manager. Named just the second general manager in Colorado franchise history on July 13, 2017, Carey was instrumental in assembling a Mammoth roster that posted two straight winning seasons, culminating in back-to-back postseason appearances. During the 2018 season, Colorado finished second in the Western Division with an 11-7 record, marking its second runner-up finish in three years, while advancing to the NLL's Champion's Cup Playoffs for an unprecedented eighth straight season.
Carey was elevated to general manager from his role as the team's director of player personnel, a position he assumed in October 2015. In that role, Carey oversaw all collegiate, club, and professional scouting activities and operations and worked closely with the coaching staff and team management to address the team's on-field needs. He originally joined the organization as the team's eastern scout, following five seasons with the Mammoth, during which he was one of the most prolific and decorated players in team history.
A native of Peterborough, Ontario, Carey was the Mammoth's first-round selection (seventh overall) in the 2005 NLL Entry Draft. He was named an NLL All-Star in each of his first three seasons in the league, and, as a rookie, was instrumental in Colorado's Champion's Cup win in 2006. In 60 career regular-season games with Colorado, Carey scored 89 goals and assisted on 147 others before adding 25 points in 12 games with the Toronto Rock during the 2012 campaign to close out a six-year professional playing career. He posted his best season in the NLL in 2007 when he tallied career-highs in goals (32), assists (44), points (76), and points-per-game (4.75) before being named the recipient of the 2008 NLL's Sportsmanship Award a year later.
Carey spent one season playing collegiate lacrosse at nearby Canisius College, leading the team with 30 goals and ranking second with 35 points in 2005. He joined the Griffs after a stellar two-year career at Herkimer County Community College (HCCC), leading the Generals to the NJCAA national championship in 2003 and a national runner-up finish in 2004. As a senior, Carey scored 54 goals and recorded 95 points in 17 games while serving as team captain. For his efforts, he was named the 2004 HCCC Male Athlete of the Year and won league Most Valuable Player honors. Carey was also named an NJCAA All-American and an Academic All-American during his time at HCCC.
Carey is also a three-time Mann Cup champion with his hometown Peterborough Lakers. He helped the Lakers to three titles over four years (2004, 2006, 2007) and was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2006 Mann Cup, Canada's top prize in senior men's box lacrosse.
Internationally, Carey also won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2007 World Indoor Lacrosse Championship and took home silver while serving as team coordinator for the Canadian men's national team at the 2018 World Lacrosse Championship. In August of 2020, Carey was named general manager of Team Canada by the Canadian Lacrosse Association for the 2021 Men's U-19 World Lacrosse Championship.
Carey resides in Farmington with his wife, Lisa, and children, Nina and Kelson.
Widely regarded as one of the most passionate and dedicated sports professionals in Western New York, Craig Rybczynski currently serves as the Senior Director of Operations and Communications for the Rochester Knighthawks, a position he was honored to accept in August 2025.
His journey with the Knighthawks began in 1999, when he was named Director of Communications. For two decades, he led the team’s communications strategy—developing media policies, building community and business partnerships, and delivering impactful storytelling through feature writing, video content, and television and radio broadcasts.
Rybczynski’s work earned him recognition as the National Lacrosse League’s Public Relations Executive of the Year in 2006 and the Knighthawks’ Seventh Man Award in 2018-19 for his dedication and commitment to the franchise.
In 2019, he transitioned into a new role as Lacrosse Operations Manager with the expansion-era Rochester Knighthawks, helping lay the foundation for a new chapter in the franchise’s history. That experience prepared Rybczynski for his current senior leadership position, where he continues to support the organization’s growth both on and off the floor.
In addition to his front office duties, Rybczynski has proudly served as the radio and television play-by-play voice of the Knighthawks for 23 seasons. In 2020, he was honored with the NLL’s Tom Borrelli Award as Media Person of the Year. He is the longest-tenured broadcaster in league history, setting a record by calling his 400th consecutive NLL game in 2024.
Beyond the Knighthawks, his experience includes working with the Rochester Americans (AHL), the Rochester Rhinos soccer club, and Major League Lacrosse’s Rochester Rattlers and Hamilton Nationals. Rybczynski also had the privilege of serving on the media teams for Team USA at the 2011 World Box Lacrosse Championship and Team Canada at the 2015 tournament, as well as broadcasting at the 2024 World Box Lacrosse Championships.
Rybczynski has also contributed to the growth of the sport at the collegiate level, serving as co-commissioner of the Upstate Collegiate Box Lacrosse League (UCBLL) for five years. The league has proven to be a key feeder for the NLL, with 13 players drafted from its ranks. In 2025, the UCBLL Hawkeyes captured the 2024 National Collegiate Box Series National Championship.
The Hamburg, NY, native is a proud graduate of Mercyhurst University and holds a master’s degree from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.
He resides in Greece, NY, with his wife, Amy, and sons Jacob and Carter.
| Front Office Staff | |
| Executive Staff | |
| Owner | Seneca Nation |
| President & GM | Dan Carey |
| Communications/Lacrosse Operations | |
| Sr Director of Ops & Communications | Craig Rybczynski |
| Communications & Lacrosse Ops Coordinator | Chamberlain Bauder |
| Business Development | |
| Sr Director Business Development | Daniel Langdon |
| Manager of Partnership Services | Ryan Gall |
| Marketing | |
| Sr Director of Marketing | Lauren Pober |
| Digital Content Coordinator | James Baehr |
| Mascot | Chopper |
| Tickets | |
| Sr Director of Ticket Sales | Zac Brown |
| Sr Ticket Sales Account Executive/ Merchandise Manager | Chris Reed |
| Ticket Sales Account Executive | Celia Dow |
| Ticket Sales Account Executive | Mitchell Kelly |
| Ticket Sales Account Executive | Liam Peterson |
| Team | |
| Head Coach | Mike Hasen |
| Assistant Coach | Pat O’Toole |
| Assistant Coach | Kyle Kallay |
| Assistant Coach | Matthew DiLella |
| Athletic Trainer | Stephen Lobsinger |
| Strength and Conditioning Coach | Nate VanKouwenberg |
| Strength and Conditioning Coach | Joe Aratari |
| Medical | |
| Team Doctor | Dr. Ilya Voloshin, M.D. |
| Team Doctor | Dr. Mark Mirabelli, M.D. |
| Team Doctor | Dr. Peter Obourn, M.D. |
| Team Chiropractor | Dr. Donald Dudley, CCSP, CSCS, D.C. |
| Team Chiropractor | Dr. Jennifer Spitzer, D.C., CSCS |
| Contact Information | |
| Tickets | 585-510-1616 |
| info@knighthawks.com |