(October 1, 2012)… The defending champion Rochester Knighthawks went after defense and transition tonight at the 2012 National Lacrosse League Entry Draft in Toronto. The Knighthawks used four of their five picks to add depth to the two positions. The lone exception was forward Chris Attwood (pictured), who was picked in the fifth round.

Rochester kicked off the draft with transition player Robbie Campbell, and followed with taking defenseman Cody Hawkins and transition man Matt Hummel. Attwood and defenseman Cody McLeod rounded out the selections by the 2012 NLL Champs.

“We are quite excited to get Campbell and Hawkins. They are two western boys that are going to come in compete for jobs,” said Knighthawks Head Coach Mike Hasen about the team’s third-round picks.

Rochester drafted Campbell with their first pick in third round, 26th overall. Campbell, who hails from Delta, BC, was a two-sport star, playing lacrosse and football at Stony Brook University. He earned All-America East honors two straight seasons for the lacrosse team, including first team honors in 2012. He had a career-high 24 goals and 41 assists for a Seawolves team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Campbell finished his college career with 82 goals and 56 assists in 60 games. In the indoor game, he ranks seventh on the Delta Islanders (BCJALL) with 96 points in 55 games.

Rochester stayed out west with its 29th selection, choosing Hawkins also from the Delta Islanders. The 5-10, 190-pound defenseman was called “a can’t miss” player and labeled as one of the Top 10 graduating BCJALL prospects. This past season, he was awarded the British Columbia Junior “A” Lacrosse League (BCJALL) Defender of the Year and a First Team All-Star. Over the past three seasons, he has played 62 regular season games and 21 playoff games.

“Cody was a great captain and a terrific kid," said Delta Head Coach Shaun Springett in a team press release. “We're definitely going to miss him and the other graduating players that played a big part in what we accomplished this year.”

Hummel joins the Knighthawks from Division II power Mercyhurst College. In 2012, he appeared in all 14 games and scored 15 goals, which was the third most on the team. The Kitchener, Ontario native played for the Kitchener-Waterloo Kodiaks of Major Series Lacrosse in 2012. He notched 170 point at the Junior “A” with Kitchener-Waterloo and was a 2008 OLA Junior “A” All-Star.

The Knighthawks used their fifth-round pick (47th overall) to take goal-scorer Chris Attwood from St. Catharines. In 2012, he was a member of the CLAX Champion Ohsweken Demons and was named the Championship Game MVP. The league's leading scorer was also the league’s Most Outstanding Player. This summer, he was also named the MVP of the Nations Cup and won a championship with the Ohsweken Aces, playing alongside Rochester forwards Alex “Kedoh” Hill, Craig Point and Cody Jamieson. In addition, Attwood collected 74 points at the Junior “A” level as he played for Whitby and St. Catharines.
“I am just going to go out there and work as hard as I can. I am going to look to feed off of guys like Cody Jamieson, Craig Point and the veterans on the team,” said the 21-year-old Attwood.

At the Junior “B” level, Attwood compiled an impressive 341 points in just 82 games. He also tacked on 179 points in just 40 playoff games. In 2011, he led the Junior “B” circuit with 134 points and won the Founders Cup.

The Knighthawks completed the draft by selecting Cody McLeod from Orangeville in the sixth round (59th overall). McLeod spent four seasons with the Junior “A” Northmen and won Minto Cups in 2009 and 2012. The defenseman has played in 68 games over that time span.

Rochester will begin its title defense on the road to open the 2013 season. The World Champions will open their 19th season against the Washington Stealth at 10:00 p.m. (EST) on Saturday, January 5th. The Knighthawks will play their home opener on Saturday, January 19th against the rival Buffalo Bandits at 7:30 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena. Season tickets are currently on sale at the Knighthawks Office and can be purchased by calling (585) 454-HAWK (4295).