The Washington Stealth inked a handful of players hopeful of earning a spot on the 23-man roster this fall at training camp while also re-signing veteran defenseman Travis Gillespie and forward Tom Johnson.
The team added defensemen Rhys Jones and Ross Halliday, face-off specialist Brekan Kohlitz and forward Martin Cummings.
Jones, who played this summer for the Victoria Shamrocks of British Columbia’s Western Lacrosse Association (WLA), is a familiar face in the franchise. The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder spent last season on Washington’s practice roster after being selected 29th overall in the 2009 National Lacrosse League entry draft.
Halliday is a three-year WLA veteran currently with the Coquitlam Adanacs. At 6-foot, 200-pounds, the right-hander could use his experience to make a push for the roster.
Also coming to the organization is Michigan native Brekan Kohlitz. The 6-foot, 200-pound St. Claire Shores, Mich., native was a face-off specialist at the University of Michigan from 2005-‘08. Kohlitz, captain of the Wolverines’ Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association team and a three-time MCLA All-American, won 71 percent of his face-offs during his career and averaged 102 grounds balls per season.
On offense, the Stealth signed 6-foot-3, 175-pound Martin Cummings, a left-hander from the defending WLA champion New Westminster Salmonbellies. In 28 career regular season games with New Westminster, Cummings has earned 48 points (25 goals, 23 assists).
The team also came to terms with veteran defenseman Travis Gillespie and forward Tom Johnson.
Gillespie, a seven-year NLL veteran, broke his hand during a fight in the first game of last season and missed the entire year. In 2009, Gillespie appeared in seven games for the Stealth (recording eight points and 41 loose balls) before a season-ending leg injury. The 34-year old was acquired by the Stealth in 2008 in a trade with the Boston Blazers.
Johnson, a 6-2 forward, played in seven games for the Stealth in 2010, recording 17 points (nine goals, eight assists). Johnson had a career-best year in 2009 with 33 points (20 goals, 13 assists) in 14 games.
Expect Washington to add a few more new players as the league holds a player dispersal draft for the on-hiatus Orlando Titans organization at 10 a.m. (PST) today. The Titans ceased operations for at least one season because of restructured ownership and a lack of strong financial backing from minority owners.
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