Recapping the 2022 NLL Draft

With 6 picks in the 2022 NLL Draft, the Philadelphia Wings were looking to invest in the future of Philadelphia Lacrosse. When the draft was all said and done, Wings General Manager / Head Coach Paul Day and Assistant GM Landon Miller selected 4 Forwards, 1 Transition Player, and 1 Goalie.

The Wings first pick of the draft was the final pick of the first round. At pick 23 the Wings selected forward Taggart Clark from Robert Morris University and the Nanaimo Timbermen in the Western Lacrosse Association. Clark had a very productive year offensively both indoors and outdoors in 2022. At RMU, Clark had 65 points (48G, 17A) in 16 games. In Nanaimo, he had 69 points (29G, 40A) in 29 games between the regular season and playoffs. His offensive production at the Senior A level in the WLA was surely a huge reason the Wings selected him at 23. 

Nanaimo Timbermen player Ryan Sheridan, left, tries to create room for teammate Taggart Clark during a WLA playoff game against the Coquitlam Adanacs on Friday, Aug. 12, at Frank Crane Arena. (Greg Sakaki/News Bulletin)

In the second round, the Wings picked at 33 and 38.

At pick 33, Paul Day selected Matt Anderson from Burlington Jr. A Chiefs and Stony Brook University. Anderson had a successful career in Junior A with the Oakville Buzz and Burlington Chiefs before attending Stony Brook University. He has largely played Transition/Midfield but is a player that spends a lot of time in the offensive half of the floor.

At 38, the Wings selected goalie Deacan Knott from the Peterborough Jr. A Lakers. He recently made 46 saves and won a gold medal with Canada at the World Junior Box Lacrosse Championships. Knott is the only player the Wings drafted who won’t be returning to play in college next season, so we will see him at training camp in a few months.

The Wings next pick was in the 3rd round at pick 57, where they selected Troy Hettinger from Jacksonville University. Hettinger is a 6’2″ transition player that was named team captain for Jacksonville University. The Wings are hoping Hettinger’s leadership and big frame will translate to the box game.

Troy Hettinger carries the ball up the field for Jacksonville University

In the 4th Round the Wings selected forward Jack Myers from Ohio State with pick 66. Myers had 83 points (38G, 45A) in 16 games at Ohio State last season.

In the 6th Round the Wings made their final selection of the draft at pick 103. They selected Max Waldbaum from Jacksonville University. A teammate of Troy Hettinger, Waldbaum is 6’2″ and at 230 lbs the Wings are hoping his dynamic offensive game (72 points in 17 games in 2022) translates well in the box game.

With limited roster spots, it’s no surprise that Paul Day and Landon Miller opted to select a group of players who are almost all returning to college for one more year. While we will see Deacan Knott between the pipes at training camp, we won’t see the rest of this group until 2023.