Forward Curtis Knight and defensemen Dylan Evans and Jay Thorimbert have all agreed to one-year contracts.
Rochester Knighthawks General Manager and Vice President of Lacrosse Operations Dan Carey announced on Tuesday that the team has signed forward Curtis Knight and defensemen Dylan Evans and Jay Thorimbert to one-year contracts for the 2019-20 season. All contracts are pending league approval.
Knight, 26, joins the Knighthawks after spending the first six seasons of his NLL career with the Saskatchewan Rush from 2013-19, recording 307 points (122+185) and 350 loose balls in 99 games. The Oshawa, ONT., native helped the Rush to six consecutive first-place finishes in the regular season while also leading the team to a pair of NLL titles over a three-year span.
In his second season with the Rush in 2014, the 5-foot-10, 175-pound forward was named team MVP after registering a career-high 72 points, including 35 goals, which ranked 10th in the NLL. Knight was originally drafted by the Edmonton Rush in the first round (eighth overall) of the 2012 NLL Entry Draft.
Evans, 31, appeared in 16 games with the Philadelphia Wings last season, scoring one goal while also setting career-highs in assists (8) and points (9). Entering his 10th NLL season in 2019-20, the 5-foot-11, 198-pound defenseman spent the first eight years of his pro career with the previous Knighthawks franchise, recording 38 points (10+28) in 108 games while leading Rochester to an unprecedented three straight NLL championships from 2012 to 2014. The Brampton, ONT., native has also notched seven points (1+6) in 17 postseason contests, including 16 for the original Knighthawks. He was the franchise’s all-time faceoff wins leader (949) and was the only player to reach 900 career face-off wins.
Prior to turning pro, Evans played collegiate lacrosse at Dowling College, helping the Golden Lions to the Division II National Championship Game in 2006.
Thorimbert, 33, enters his 12th NLL season and first with the expansion-era Knighthawks after putting up five points (1+4) in 16 games last season for the Toronto Rock. In his pro career, the Whitby, ONT., native has amassed 106 points (40+66) over 174 appearances with prior stints in Boston, Minnesota, Buffalo, New England, and Toronto. His best season came during the 2017 campaign when he established career-highs in goals (7), assists (8) and points (15) on his way to earning All-Pro Second Team honors as a member of the Black Wolves.
Originally Buffalo’s second-round selection (24th overall) in the 2006 NLL Entry Draft, the 6-foot-0, 199-pound defenseman attended the University of Guelph, where he was a four-year captain and a three-time Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association (CUFLA) All-Canadian. During the 2008 season, Thorimbert led the Gryphons to the Begattaway Cup and was named the CUFLA Most Valuable Player in addition to the Most Valuable Midfielder.