The Maple Ridge Burrards have completed yet another trade for their run at a Mann Cup, and it was perhaps the biggest yet.
The Burrards have acquired Dane Dobbie, the scoring leader in the National Lacrosse League last year, and his Calgary Roughnecks teammate Reece Callies, who was the NLL championship club’s defensive ace.
They will play out the balance of the season with the Burrards, in exchange for Matthew Dinsdale, a second round pick in 2020 and future considerations.
Dobbie needs no introduction in lacrosse circles, having just put up 47 goals and 115 points in 18 games last season to lead the NLL. The Elora, Ontario native has averaged 87 points per 18-games in the league since 2008. He has been a Roughneck his entire career, and is their all-time francise scoring leader, and is an NLL Most Valuable Player candidate for 2019.
“He has been a great player,” said GM Lance Andre, noting longtime Burrard Curtis Dickson joins Dobbie on the Roughnecks – and now in Maple Ridge – to create an awesome scoring punch.”
“The are two of the best goal scorers in all of lacrosse.”
As great as Dobbie is on offence, Andre said he is also excited to have added Callies.
“He’s a big defender who can run and move the ball,” he said.
The Roughnecks list the Langley native as 6’7″ and 240 pounds, which combined with good pace accounts for him being known as one of the hardest hitters in the NLL.
Both players are acquired only for the remainder of the season, and their playing rights will go back to Langley for next season.
Andre has already pulled off several huge deals this season.
• He swapped first-round draft pick Marshal King for Jeff Shattler and Brett Craig in a deal with the Victoria Shamrocks.
• Andre acquired the 2019 playing rights to West Berg, who was second in scoring with the Roughnecks in 2018, defender Alex Bohl and Roughnecks goaltender Christian Del Bianco in a huge deal with the Coquitlam Adanacs.
• The GM traded for high scoring lefty Ryan Keenan of the Saskatchewan Rush. He came from Brooklin of Ontario’s Major Series Lacrosse in a cash transaction.
It’s all aimed at hosting the Mann Cup this season.
“We’ve improved our team,” said Andre. “We’ve been to the Mann Cup two out of the last three years, so we know where we’re lacking.
“Now we need to find the chemistry on offence, and get the guys going.”
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