Knighthawks Make Six Selections in 2022 National Lacrosse League Entry Draft, Take McConvey First Overall
September 10, 2022 – National Lacrosse League (NLL) – Rochester Knighthawks News Release
(Rochester, NY) – The Rochester Knighthawks made six selections during the 2022 National Lacrosse League Entry Draft earlier today, beginning with taking forward Thomas McConvey with the first overall pick.
McConvey, who will be transferring to the University of Virginia this fall as a fifth-year graduate student, played the previous four years at the University of Vermont, where he was a three-time USILA and Inside Lacrosse All-American.
One of the most decorated players in program history, the Toronto, Ontario, native compiled one of the most dominant offensive performances as a senior in 2022, setting a program-record with 60 goals, becoming the first player in school history to score more than 50 in a season. He also added 14 assists for a career-high 74 points while starting in all 19 games for the Catamounts, earning him America East Offensive Player of the Year and ECAC Offensive Player of the Year honors. McConvey is just the second player in Vermont history to be tabbed the top player by America East.
He scored 12 goals in the America East championship on his way to being named the Most Outstanding Player during Vermont’s run to its second straight conference championship.
In 52 career games with Vermont, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound midfielder totaled 174 points (127+47), finishing seventh all-time in scoring in program history. He recorded at least one point in every game over his four-year career, including a hat trick in eight straight games during his final season.
A two-time America East All-Conference First Team selection (2021-22) and a two-time All-New England First Team selection (2021-22), McConvey was also named to the America East All-Rookie Team following a productive 32-point campaign as a freshman in 2019.
Before attending Vermont, McConvey helped St. Michael’s College School to four straight Ontario provincial championships. A two-year team captain, he amassed 207 points over his final two seasons and was named team MVP as a senior in 2018.
In four years of Junior ‘A’ lacrosse with the Mimico Mountaineers, he posted 188 points (82+106) in 60 career games. His best season with the team came in 2019 when he scored 48 goals, including 11 on the power-play, and finished with 105 points in only 20 games.
Later in the round, Rochester acquired the 18th overall pick from the Las Vegas Desert Dogs in exchange for goaltender Joel Watson and its second-round pick in the 2024 NLL Entry Draft. The Knighthawks subsequently selected forward Austin Hasen at 18th overall to conclude the opening round.
Hasen, the son of Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen, completed his senior season at Belmont Abbey College in 2022 with career-highs in goals (41), assists (17) and points (58) while starting all 15 games. He was named the 2022 Conference Carolinas Offensive Player of the Year after leading the Crusaders in scoring in addition to recording 81.5 percent of his shots on goal. He also had seven caused turnovers and 14 groundballs, earning him a spot in the 2022 USILA Senior All-Star Game.
In 51 career games with the Crusaders, Hasen totaled 154 points (113+41) and 45 groundballs.
A native of Brampton, Ontario, Hasen completed his first season with the Peterborough Lakers of Major Series Lacrosse, notching 23 points on 11 goals and 12 assists in 12 games. He also played five seasons of Junior ‘A’ ball with his hometown Brampton Excelsiors, recording 207 points (105+102) over 69 career games as well as 66 points (28+38) in 30 playoff appearances. He was an OLA Junior A Second Team All-Star selection following the 2019 season.
Internationally, Hasen won a gold medal representing Team Canada at the 2019 World Junior Lacrosse championship.
Rochester used its second-round pick to select forward Thomas Vela at 25th overall.
A native of Burnaby, British Columbia, Vela split the 2022 season at the junior and senior level with the Burnaby Lakers as well as brief stints with both the Langley Thunder and New Westminster Salmonbellies.
He spent the majority of the campaign playing Junior ‘A’ ball with the Burnaby Lakers of the British Columbia Lacrosse Association, recording 71 points (36+35) in 14 games. He also combined for 12 points (7+5) over six Senior ‘A’ games between Langley, New Westminster and Burnaby of the Western Lacrosse Association.
Rochester acquired its fourth forward of the day to begin the third round in selecting 2022 Minto Cup winner Parker Pipher of the Whitby Warriors at 45th overall.
In two seasons with Whitby, the Oshawa, Ontario, native has totaled 49 points (11+38) in 32 games while also adding one goal in eight playoff contests. He scored the game-winning goal to give Whitby its eighth Minto Cup.
The Knighthawks used their first of two fourth-round picks to select Fairport native and two-time Division III National Champion Spencer Bell from the Rochester Institute of Technology (R.I.T.). He becomes the third Rochester native in team history to be drafted by the Knighthawks.
Bell, the 60th overall pick, is coming off a banner year in 2022 that saw him post career-highs in goals (34) and points (45) while starting in 19 of R.I.T.’s 22 games. The 6-foot-2 attackman recorded at least one point in each of the final 13 games of the season on his way to finishing sixth on the team in scoring.
A two-time Liberty League Rookie of the Week selection, Bell registered 106 points (73+33) and 91 groundball recoveries in 56 career games at R.I.T. while leading the Tigers to back-to-back NCAA Division III championships in 2021 and 2022.
Bell, who captained Fairport high school to a Section V Class A Championship in 2018, also recently led the Hawkeyes to a UCBLL title in 2022 as well as an appearance in the National Collegiate Box Series championships in August.
With their final pick of the day, Rochester selected defenseman Carter Schott at 65th overall.
The first defenseman to be taken by the Knighthawks in this year’s draft, Schott played two seasons of Junior ‘B’ lacrosse with the Green Gaels from 2018-19, recording 16 points (8+8) in 26 games. He also appeared in eight games with the Junior ‘A’ Whitby Warriors as well as six games in 2021 with Trent University.
2022 NLL Entry Draft Class – Rochester Knighthawks
Round Pick Player Position Amateur Club
1 1 Thomas McConvey Forward University of Vermont/Virginia (NCAA)
1 18 Austin Hasen Forward Belmont Abbey College (NCAA)
2 25 Thomas Vela Forward Burnaby Lakers Junior A (BCLA)
3 45 Parker Pipher Forward Whitby Warriors Junior A (OLA)
4 60 Spencer Bell Forwards Rochester Institute of Technology (NCAA)
4 65 Carter Schott Defense Whitby Warriors Junior A (OLA)
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