Philadelphia Wings Add Chris Cloutier With Second Overall Pick in the 2018 NLL Entry Draft
The Philadelphia Wings selected eight players at the 2018 NLL Entry Draft at Xfinity Live! in Philadelphia, Pa. on Tuesday. After selecting Chris Cloutier with the 2nd overall pick, the Wings added Trevor Baptiste with the 14th pick, James Leary with the 25th pick, Justin Guterding with the 28th pick, Kyle Staveley with the 39th pick, Christian Cuccinello with the 51st pick, Connor Keating with the 54th pick and Michael Rexrode with the 64th pick in the 2018 NLL Entry Draft.
Philadelphia traded the 40th overall pick (3rd round) in exchange for a 4th round pick in the 2019 NLL Draft to the Rochester Knighthawks.
“We added a strong group of guys to our roster.” said General Manager and Head Coach Paul Day. “Chris Cloutier is a dynamic player and he’ll make an immediate impact in Philadelphia and the NLL. Chris has been on winning teams and will fit right in with our group of veteran NLL players.”
1st round (2nd overall) – Chris Cloutier, University of North Carolina/The Hill Academy
Forward – 6-1, 227 lbs
Born in Kitchener, Ontario
Chosen by the Denver Outlaws in the 2018 Major League Lacrosse Draft…named MLL Rookie of the Year…recorded 26 goals and 14 assists in six games for the Outlaws…led the MLL with seven power-play goals and tied for third with two game-winning goals…played for Denver in the MLL Championship game where they defeated Dallas…selected for the MLL All-Star Game…registered 32 multi-goal games, 43 multi-point games and seven multi-assist games in four seasons at UNC…tied for 20th in school history with 149 career points…his 111 career goals are tied for seventh in Tar Heel history…voted team captain as a senior at UNC where he started all 14 games in 2018…led UNC with 31 goals and 41 points on the season…finished second on the team with 10 assists…tallied 23 ground balls and four man-up goals…named to the All-ACC Team…received honorable mention All-America by U.S. Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association…set UNC record by scoring at least one goal in 31 straight games from May 14, 2016 through April 7, 2018 …led Carolina with 36 goals and 50 points as a junior in 2017…named Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament in 2016…finished second on the squad with 43 goals and 57 points as a sophomore…alumnus of The Hill Academy, where he was ranked top offensive player and earned Rookie of the Year honors…named MVP of his Junior A Team.
“I’m super pumped that I was able to get drafted. To be able to come to Philly, where I’ve had success in the past at the Linc,” said Cloutier. “To come to a place where there has already been an established program and the fans are already so proud. To be able to rebuild and get to somewhere great with this program, it is super exciting.”
2nd round (14th overall) – Trevor Baptiste, University of Denver/Morristown-Beard School
Transition – 5-10, 230 lbs
Born in Denville, N.J.
Selected first overall by the Boston Cannons in the 2018 MLL Draft…went 123-222 at the faceoff position and added three goals in seven games…led all rookies in faceoff percentage and faceoff wins…won gold medal as a member of Team USA in the 2018 FIL World Lacrosse Championships…named to the 2018 USILA Player of the Year Watchlist…received 2018 BIG EAST Preseason Defensive Player of the Year…sixth player in the award’s history to earn USILA First Team All-America honors in all four years at Denver…set NCAA career record with 1,158 faceoff wins and a 7.14 winning percentage…posted double-digit faceoff wins in 68 of 69 career games…went 63-2-4 in career faceoff match-ups…finished second in NCAA history with 644 career ground balls…tallied 30 career goals and 12 career assists…started all 17 games at the faceoff dot for Denver in his senior campaign…finished second in the country with a .744 faceoff win percentage…picked up 9.59 ground balls per game, ranking fifth in the country…finished fourth in NCAA history with a .744 faceoff win percentage as a junior…helped Denver reach two finals fours (2015, 2017) and win the school’s first national title in 2015.
“I grew up in New Jersey. Obviously, this is in my backyard, so I am really excited to be in a place close to home,” transition player Baptiste said. “All through college my parents didn’t miss a game at the University of Denver. This will be easier for them to get to go to games.”
2nd round (25th overall) – James Leary, University of Vermont/Governor’s Academy
Defenseman – 5-10, 185 lbs
Born in Seabrook, N.H.
UVM team captain as a junior and senior…finished first on the team with 69 career caused turnovers…started all 16 games in 2018, Vermont’s most successful season in program history…finished tied for third on the team with 40 ground balls…recorded 19 caused turnovers, the sixth-highest single season total in school history…posted an assist in UVM’s 11-10 OT win over Jacksonville on March 3…named to 2017 America East Helping Hands Team…named team captain and won the Coaches’ Award in his senior season at Governor’s Academy…led the squad to a league championship title in 2012.
3rd round (28th overall) – Justin Guterding, Duke University/Salisbury School
Forward – 6-0, 185 lbs
Born in Garden City, N.Y.
Played for the winning squad in the 2018 MLL All-Star game…voted 2018 ACC Scholar Athlete of the Year…earned 2018 USILA Scholar All-America recognition…set the NCAA Division I all-time record with 212 career goals at Duke…the second player in Division I history to tally 200 career goals…his 351 career points rank fifth in NCAA history…posted 139 career assists…the only player in school history to record 70-plus points in each of his four seasons…led Duke’s offense with 66 goals and 47 assists in 20 games during his senior campaign…led the conference in goals, assists and points for the third straight season….his 66 goals rank third in Blue Devils’ history and are tied for ninth in NCAA history while his 113 points are a Duke single-season best…his career-best 47 assists rank fifth in school history…earned ACC Offensive Player of the Week honors six times on the season…named ACC Rookie of the Year after a standout freshman campaign.
3rd round (39th overall) – Kyle Staveley, University of Ottawa
Defenseman – 6-0, 170 lbs
Born in Mono, Ontario
Posted two goals and two assists in five games as a senior for Ottawa…registered eight points (3g-5a) in 12 games in his junior campaign…added a goal and an assist in the 2017 Baggataway Cup…recorded five goals and three assists in 12 games as a sophomore…scored three goals in two 2016 Baggataway Playoff games…played for the Orangeville Generals U19, Orangeville Northmen Jr. B and Shelburne Vets Jr. C teams.
5th round (51st overall) – Christian Cuccinello, Villanova University/Mountain Lakes
Forward – 6-0, 210 lbs
Born in Mountain Lakes, N.J.
Was selected by the Atlanta Blaze in the 2018 MLL Draft…finished his four-year career at Villanova tied for fifth all-time with 168 career points, eighth with 97 goals and seventh with 71 assists…appeared in 59 games, making 57 career starts at attack…earned 2018 USILA Honorable Mention All-American…named to 2018 BIG EAST All-Tournament Team…posted 33 goals and 24 assists in his senior campaign…contributed at least one point in every game on the season…averaged 6.25 shots and 2.06 goals per game…started in all five BIG EAST tournament games, recording 17 points (8g-9a)…chosen as the 2014 NJILCA Coaches Associate New Jersey Player of the Year and US Lacrosse All-American…served as team captain…set a Mountain lakes single-season scoring record with 108 points (69g-39a).
5th round (54th overall) – Connor Keating – University of Pennsylvania
Defenseman – 6-3, 205 lbs
Born in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania
Played in all 15 games on face-off wing and close defense … Second-team USILA All-America … Third-team Inside Lacrosse All-America … First-team All-Ivy (unanimous) as long-stick middie … Senior CLASS Award finalist … Led team with 58 ground balls … Tied for third on team with eight caused turnovers … Had a goal, four ground balls and two caused turnovers vs. Brown (4/7) … Scored a goal at Yale (3/31) … Scored in season opener vs. Michigan (2/17) … Had two assists and five GB in Penn’s 10-9 win over No. 1 Duke (2/24), the program’s first ever win against the USILA’s top-ranked team … Had eight GB and one CT vs. Bucknell (3/20) … Recorded an assist, seven ground balls and a caused turnover vs. Cornell (3/24) … Assisted a goal vs. Harvard (4/14) … Had six GB and one CT vs. Villanova (3/10) … Picked up five GB in Ivy Tournament loss to Yale (5/4) … Had four GB and one CT in Ivy regular-season finale at Dartmouth (4/21) … Highest pick in program history in Major League Lacrosse Draft, going in the first round (eighth overall) to the Denver Outlaws…Served as captain senior year at Haverford High School…Helped Haverford School lacrosse to state titles in 2011 and 2012.
6th round (64th overall) – Michael Rexrode, Rutgers University/Loudoun County HS
Defenseman – 6-0, 180 lbs
Born in Leesburg, VA
Named 2018 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year…earned Second Team USILA All-American and First Team All-Big Ten as a senior…served as team captain during his junior and senior seasons…started all 15 games, recording 25 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers as a senior…tallied 28 ground balls and a Big Ten leading 23 caused turnovers during his junior campaign…collected 37 ground balls and 15 caused turnovers in 15 games as a sophomore…played and started in 11 games as a freshman, tallying 21 ground balls and caused seven turnovers…two-time U.S. Lacrosse All-American at Loudoun County.
