Four sign with 2-year deals while 1 signs for 2021-22 season.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Rochester Knighthawks General Manager and Vice President of Lacrosse Operations Dan Carey announced today that the team has signed forward Jeff Wittig and defensemen Mitch Gustavsen, Rowan Kelly, and Mitch Ogilvie all to two-year contracts, and the team has re-signed defenseman Julian Garritano to a one-year contract for the 2021-22 season. All transactions are pending league approval.
A native of St. Catharines, ONT., Wittig has spent the last two seasons in Colorado after being selected by the Mammoth in the fourth round (39th overall) of the 2017 NLL Entry Draft. In 14 career games with the Mammoth, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound forward has totaled 29 points, including five goals in six appearances this past season.
Wittig, who was acquired by Rochester from Colorado as part of a draft day trade on Sept. 17, 2020, also notched 264 points (115+149) in 106 career games over seven seasons while playing Junior “B” lacrosse with the St. Catharines Athletics of the Ontario Lacrosse Association.
Gustavsen recorded one assist and 19 loose balls in five games as a rookie with the Toronto Rock during the 2019-20 season. The Toronto, ONT., native made his pro debut at Buffalo back on Jan. 18, 2020 and notched his first point in the Rock’s 13-9 win over the Bandits on Feb. 9 that same season.
Toronto’s sixth-round pick (68th overall) in the 2018 NLL Entry Draft, Gustavsen totaled 51 points (19+32) in 75 games over five seasons of Junior “A” lacrosse with the Toronto Beaches. During the 2018 season, he set career-highs in goals (8), assists (8) and points (16) while also winning 39 of 53 face-offs to rank among the league leaders in that category.
The 5-foot-10, 175-pound defenseman also tallied 15 points (6+9) in 15 playoff contests while helping the Beaches advance to the postseason in three of his final four seasons.
He played collegiately at Brock University in St. Catharines, where he was a three-year member of the Badgers lacrosse team.
Kelly made his professional debut with the Colorado Mammoth during the 2018-19 season, appearing in one game after being selected by the club in the sixth round (55th overall) of the 2017 NLL Entry Draft. He was acquired later that season by the previous Knighthawks organization in exchange for Ian Llord and Colorado’s third-round selection in the 2021 NLL Entry Draft but did not appear in a game with Rochester.
Prior to turning pro, Kelly played five seasons with the Junior “A” Toronto Beaches. In 46 regular-season games, the 6-foot-3, 200-pound Toronto, ONT., native notched eight goals and 10 assists for 18 points.
Kelly played his collegiate lacrosse at Western University, where he won three consecutive Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association Championships with the Mustangs from 2016-18.
A native of Peterborough, ONT., Ogilvie is fresh off an 18-point season with his hometown Peterborough Lakers in 2019, including a career-high eight goals. In his Junior “A” career, he has collected 51 points (15+36) over 56 games prior to selected by the Knighthawks in the fourth round (54th overall) of the 2020 NLL Entry Draft.
Acquired by Rochester in a draft-day trade that sent Chris Wardle to the Colorado Mammoth as part of the 2019 NLL Expansion Draft, Garritano completed his first season with the Knighthawks in 2019-20 with four penalty minutes and 11 loose ball recoveries in three games.
In his pro career, the 6-foot, 207-pound Brampton, ONT., native has scored one goal and collected 30 loose balls in 11 games, including eight appearances with the Mammoth during the 2018-19 campaign.
Garritano was Colorado’s sixth-round selection (72nd overall) in the 2018 NLL Entry Draft following four seasons of college lacrosse at Sacred Heart University, where he amassed 64 goals and 79 points in 59 career games for the Pioneers. He also added 62 ground balls and totaled 256 shots while playing midfield.
As a freshman during the 2014-15 season, he appeared in all 13 games, scoring 15 goals with four assists, including his first of two hat tricks on just three shots in a 21-17 win over Vermont. He was twice named the NEC Rookie of the Week (March 16 and April 20) and finished the season with an NEC All-Rookie Team selection.
Prior to joining Sacred Heart, Garritano played two years at Trinity-Pawling prep school, earning All-New England and All-Founders League honors and was named a U.S. Lacrosse All-American.