Forward Holden Cattoni and defenseman John Wagner agree to terms.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Rochester Knighthawks General Manager and Vice President of Lacrosse Operations Dan Carey announced today that the team has re-signed forward Holden Cattoni to a one-year contract, and agreed to terms with defenseman John Wagner for the 2021-22 National Lacrosse League season, pending league approval for both players.
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Named Rochester’s Offensive Player of the Year for the team’s inaugural campaign, Cattoni established himself as one of the NLL’s elite point-getters during the 2019-20 season, finishing sixth in the league in scoring while pacing the Knighthawks in goals (24), assists (38) and points (62). The fourth-year pro also ranked ninth among NLL leaders in goals and assists and tied for fifth with a team-high 12 power-play assists, eight of which came over his last seven games of the season.
A native of Calgary, Alberta, Cattoni averaged nearly five points per game through 12 games and was one of only two Knighthawks to record at least one point in every contest he appeared in. He reached the 50-point mark for the third straight year and was on pace to shatter his career-high 80-point campaign which he set during the 2018-19 season as a member of the Georgia Swarm.
Cattoni’s best performance of the season came back on Jan. 11, 2020, when he scored five of Rochester’s 12 goals in a 13-12 loss to the Toronto Rock at Scotiabank Arena, replicating a feat he’s accomplished just four other times throughout his professional career. The 5-foot-11, 216-pound forward followed that up with a season-high 10-point effort with three goals and seven assists in the 16-15 loss at Buffalo to close out the month of January 2020.
He was acquired by Rochester in the second round (third overall) of the 2019 NLL Expansion Draft from the Georgia Swarm.
Wagner was acquired by the Knighthawks during the second round of the 2020 NLL Entry Draft from the New York Riptide in exchange for Rochester’s 25th pick and defensemen Darryl Robertson and Jay Thorimbert.
The native of York, ONT., completed his rookie season in 2019-20 with five points (2+3) and 48 loose ball recoveries in 10 games with the Riptide.
Wagner is a product of Marquette University, where he was a two-time All-BIG EAST selection and a two-time team captain. In 59 games with the Golden Eagles, he recorded 109 points on 45 goals and 77 assists, twice leading the team in scoring. During his junior season, Wagner captained Marquette University to an All-BIG EAST championship after leading the team with 30 goals and 39 points, including five game-winning tallies that came in either overtime or the final seconds of regulation. That season, he was named an All-BIG EAST First Team selection and won his first of back-to-back BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Awards.
He was also a BIG EAST All-Academic selection in all four years and was named the Ralph H. Metcalfe Senior Male Athletics Award winner.
Before playing at the collegiate level at Marquette University, Wagner was a three-time all-state and US Lacrosse All-America selection while attending Cranbrook-Kingswood preparatory school. He served as team captain during his senior season, scoring 69 goals and adding 41 assists on his way to earning Perani’s Michigan Lacrosse 2015 Player of the Year honors. He led his team to three straight regional championships and helped the squad to state championships in 2013 and 2015. He was also an accomplished hockey player at Cranbrook-Kingswood, leading the Cranes to two state titles in three years, including the program’s 17th state championship as a senior.
Internationally, he competed in the U-19 World Lacrosse Championship with Team Canada back in 2016.