8 Jake Stevens, RT, Brooklin Lacrosse Club Sr A & Princeton/Syracuse
Stevens was generally considered likely to be the first defender taken in this draft for years leading up to it. He had a great junior career, including being named the OJLL transition player of the year, then carried his strong performance over to Sr A in his rookie season of 2022, albeit in limited game action. This summer was a bit of a tough one for the righty out of Guelph, who played his Jr A with Kitchener-Waterloo. There is no huge cause for concern, though. Stevens is smart, skilled and athletic; he is well built for the fast-paced game the NLL emphasizes, similar to someone like Jake Boudreau, to name a recent comparable. Stevens is also at Syracuse for a grad year.
7 Matthew Wright, RD/T, Peterborough Lakers Sr A & North Carolina/Syracuse
For certain players, the game just seems to move at a slower pace. Wright is one of those players; he always seems to have the time to assess a situation and take the best course of action, even when the game looks chaotic around him. His size, strength and lacrosse IQ make him a strong defender; that sense of composure under duress contributes to his effectiveness in clearing and pushing transition. He was limited to three games in MSL this summer, so it is good that Wright should have next summer to play a full senior box season before heading to the NLL after spending a grad year going to school and playing at Syracuse.