Rochester starts out as a true expansion franchise with no history.
By CRAIG POTTER / C&C Worldwide Sports Director
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The new Rochester Knighthawks, under the ownership of Terry and Kim Pegula, met with the media on Wednesday evening at the Blue Cross Arena to launch the team’s logo and operations staff.
Just to clarify, on Sept. 13, 2018, Curt Styres agreed to sell the Rochester Knighthawks to Pegula Sports and Entertainment (PSE).
It was thought at that time, until today, that the Knighthawks colors and franchise history would stay with the new Knighthawks. That turned out NOT to be the case as the NLL championship banners and John Grant Jr.’s retired number banner were taken to Halifax by Styres.
The Halifax Thunderbirds franchise history now will include the first 25 years as the Knighthawks.
The new Rochester Knighthawks is an expansion franchise, currently with no coaches or players. Rochester has the first pick in the Expansion Draft, to be held in July, and that first player selected will be the first player in the new franchise history of the PSE-owned Knighthawks.
So to be clear, Rochester will continue its affiliation in the National Lacrosse League, but starting in the 2019-20 season as an expansion franchise.
Under the ownership of PSE, the Knighthawks enter their inaugural campaign as one of two expansion teams in the NLL, following the relocation of the original Knighthawks franchise to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where the team will operate as the Thunderbirds.
The new Knighthawks become the second NLL team under the ownership of PSE, which also operates the Buffalo Bandits as well as the Buffalo Bills (NFL), Buffalo Sabres (NHL) and Rochester Americans (AHL). Additionally, PSE oversees all aspects of operations for the downtown Blue Cross Arena.
“The history and community impact of professional lacrosse in this market is strong and well storied,” said Rob Minter, vice president of business operations for the Knighthawks. “We’re thrilled to finally unveil the next chapter of that story as we introduce the new look and feel of our expansion club. This is another exciting step in our continued investment and support of sports and entertainment here in Rochester.”
The addition of the Knighthawks and New York Riptide expansion franchises will bring the NLL to an all-time high 13 teams for the 2019-20 season. Since 2016, the league has experienced substantial growth under the leadership of Commissioner Nick Sakiewicz, who has been instrumental in introducing the game of lacrosse to new markets while being a driving force behind the overall expansion efforts across North America.
“The Knighthawks and the city of Rochester have played an enormous part in the NLL’s history and have created some incredible memories for more than two decades,” said Sakiewicz. “We are excited the Knighthawks name will remain as we look forward to a new era of more great moments the fans and organization will create in the coming seasons. As we continue to expand our league, it is important to remember our roots and the communities that got us here.”
Sakiewicz added that the league will expand to 16 teams over the next 3 years with the ultimate goal of having a 30-team league in cities in the US and Canada.
“There are more potential owners that we have franchises to award right now,” Sakiewicz said.
New team colors, logo
New team logo
The team’s colors will be predominantly a mix of a military-style green, black and white with silver accents. Rochester’s primary logo is a winged “R” outlined in the team’s main colors while the secondary logo features a flying hawk with gold accentuations in the bird’s beak, talons and feathers. Both representations will be prominently featured on the team’s home and away jerseys, which will be unveiled at a later date.
Dan Carey, who was appointed the first general manager and vice president of lacrosse operations this past December, has the responibility to manage and oversee all aspects of lacrosse operations of the franchise, including team services, player acquisitions and contracts, and personnel development.
“Today is a monumental day for our organization as we enter a new era of Rochester Knighthawks lacrosse,” said Carey. “I’m excited for the opportunity that lies ahead as we begin to shape our organization over the next several months through both the NLL Expansion Draft and Entry Draft. The city of Rochester has a deep-rooted history of lacrosse with a strong, passionate fan base, and I look forward to building a franchise that the city and fans alike can be proud of.”
Joining Carey on his staff is Craig Rybczynski, who will transition into the role of lacrosse operations manager after serving as director of communications for the former Knighthawks franchise for the past 20 years. Rybczynski will assist Carey in all day-to-day operations and will oversee all game-day operations and logistics for all lacrosse-related events.
His primary responsibilities will include monitoring news sources to stay current with the changing lacrosse environment, assisting in travel accommodations and player payroll, and overseeing game day operations for the building, league officials and the opposing team. In addition, he will maintain all alumni connections and communication, assist with youth programming, and connect players with various team promotions. Rybczynski will also remain as the radio and TV voice of the Knighthawks for all home and away games, keeping him the longest-tenured broadcaster in NLL history.
“Craig recently finished his 20th season with the former Knighthawks organization, and his wealth of knowledge and experience is certainly a great addition. I’m looking forward to seeing him contribute to our success,” said Carey.
As part of the Expansion Draft, NLL teams can protect up to 11 players with a maximum of one goalie and five forwards from their current roster while all remaining unprotected players will be eligible for selection. Each existing NLL franchise will lose no more than two players and teams will not be allowed to protect additional players after losing a player in the Draft.
Additionally, expansion teams are not required to select one player from each of the other 12 teams, allowing the opportunity to draft multiple players from the same team, and will also receive additional draft picks to solidify the active roster. A full list of eligible players will be available beginning on Tuesday, June 25 leading up to the NLL Expansion Draft on Tuesday, July 9.