Vancouver Stealth forward Joel McCready is one of three finalists for the 2015 National Lacrosse League Teammate of the Year Award.

The NLL Teammate of the Year award is a brand new award, designed to honour players who demonstrated exemplary teamwork and leadership qualities during the 2015 season.

NLL players voted one teammate from their respective teams into the pool of nine nominees, which was then voted on by players league-wide to determine the three finalists.

“It’s a real honour to be a finalist for the Teammate of the Year Award,” said McCready. “It means a lot, especially with the voting being done by the players.”

McCready was acquired by the Stealth in a trade with the Rochester Knighthawks this past September.

In his first year with Vancouver, the 27 year old put up career highs in almost every offensive category. He scored 51 points, including 30 goals to go along with 21 assists.

McCready netted six hat-tricks in 2015 including a five-goal performance against Rochester.

“Joel is one of the spark plugs for our team,” Stealth president and general manager Doug Locker said. “When our team needed a boost, he was there providing us with the energy we needed. He’s an outstanding teammate and deserves to be recognized for this award.”

“Joel is the definition of a team player” said Stealth captain Curtis Hodgson. “He will do whatever is necessary to make the team better. He is a positive influence in the locker room with his upbeat attitude and brought that attitude to the floor each and every week.”

Aside from lacrosse, McCready is also full-time firefighter with the Burnaby Fire Department.

He joins Edmonton Rush forward Jarrett Davis and Toronto Rock forward Josh Sanderson as the three finalists for the award.

The 2015 NLL Season Awards are determined by a vote of the league’s board of governors, general managers and head coaches. The winners will be announced at the NLL season awards ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 29 in Toronto.

Langley Advance