Staats named NLL Rookie of the Month

#83 Randy Staats. Photo Credit: Larry Palumbo

The National Lacrosse League has announced that Georgia Swarm forward Randy Staats is the recipient of the Rookie of the Month award for January.

Staats led all rookies in goals (11), assists (14) and points (25), and ranked among the top six leaders in all major scoring categories in the NLL in January. Staats' 25 points and 11 goals are second-best on the Swarm and his 14 assists rank third. Staats had three hat trick performances and three six-plus point outings in January to go along with 22 loose balls. The Swarm finished the month 3-2 and in second place in the East Division.

"It's humbling and I'm really honored to win Rookie of the Month," Staats said. "It's pretty special, there are a lot of good players that represent our rookie class. Obviously, I didn't do it by myself. All the other guys on the Swarm have really helped me elevate my game."

The 23-year-old from Six Nations, Ont., who played collegiately at Syracuse University, was Georgia's first-round (6th overall) selection in the 2015 NLL Draft. Staats was a Tewaaraton Trophy finalist in 2014 and two-time NJCAA Player of the Year at Onondaga C.C. in 2012 and 2013.

The NLL Monthly Player Awards are determined by a vote of the league's general managers and head coaches.

Georgia faces the Calgary Roughnecks (2-3) for a 9 p.m. ET road showdown this evening on FOX Sports GO. The Swarm returns home to Harrah's Cherokee Casino Field at Infinite Energy Arena for a Valentine’s Day showdown on Sunday, Feb. 14 against the Buffalo Bandits at 2:05 p.m. To purchase tickets, call 844-4-GASWARM or visit GeorgiaSwarm.com