Washington Stealth general manager Doug Locker has been named the National Lacrosse League’s General Manager of the Year the league announced on Tuesday.
Locker is in his 10th season with the franchise and the fourth as general manager. He helped guide the Stealth to a 9-7 record, tied for best in the NLL’s West Division. The Stealth finished second in the division based on a three-way tiebreaker.
Locker and the Stealth rebounded from a disappointing 2012 season that saw them finish with a 4-12 record, the worst in the NLL.
“This award, which I’m very humbled by, does not come without the support of great ownership, an outstanding coaching staff, and a group of players who perform week in and week out,” Locker said.
The Stealth didn’t have a first-round selection in the 2012 NLL draft, but that didn’t detract Locker from putting a winning product on the field. He added several rookies in the later rounds of the draft that played key roles along with a solid group of veterans to help the Stealth to one of the best records in the league.
“Credit no only to our young players who all stepped up, but also to the veterans who supported the changes that were made,” Locker said.
Locker also helped orchestrate the Stealth’s 2010 championship team and the 2011 team that made a repeat appearance in the title game before losing to the Toronto Rock.
The 2013 NLL General Manager of the Year award was determined by a vote of the league’s Board of Governors and general managers.
Edmonton Rush general manager and head coach Derek Keenan finished second in the voting, while Toronto’s Terry Sanderson finished third.
The Stealth defeated Edmonton last Saturday to advance to the West Division final where they will face Calgary this Saturday. The winner of that game moves on to the NLL Champion’s Cup to face either Rochester or Minnesota.
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