The Georgia Swarm today announced they have signed Jeff Henrick and Ethan Walker to two-year contracts and re-signed nine additional rookies. Tanner Buck, Lukas Coote, Reece Eddy, Sam Firth, Jordan Gillis, Laine Hruska, Robert Hudson, and Miles Silva all agreed to two-year contracts, and Justin Lemcke inked a one-year deal.
The Swarm have now signed their entire 2020 NLL Entry Draft class through the 2022-23 NLL season. Henrick and Walker were placed on the Draft List following the 2020 NLL Entry Draft, as they both returned to their respective universities for the 2021 NCAA DI Men’s Lacrosse season.
Hudson, 24, was selected in the first round (No. 6 overall) of the 2020 NLL Entry Draft. Out of Oakville, Ontario, the transition player is an alum of the University of Vermont. In 44 games for the Catamounts, Hudson had 71 points (50G, 21A), 25 ground balls, and six caused turnovers.
Listed at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, the left-hander played in 17 regular season games as a rookie with the Brampton Excelsiors in Major Series Lacrosse (MSL), posting five points (1G, 4A). In four postseason contests, Hudson netted two goals.
Hudson spent four seasons with the Mimico Mountaineers in the Ontario Jr. A Lacrosse League (OJALL) from 2015-18. In 64 regular season games with the program, he had 65 points (27G, 38A). In 22 postseason games, Hudson recorded 21 points (12G, 9A).
Henrick, 23, was selected in the first round (No. 8 overall) of the 2020 NLL Entry Draft. The left-handed defenseman returned to Ohio State University for a fifth season of NCAA eligibility granted to 2020 seniors following the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA men’s lacrosse season. Listed at 5-foot-11 and 189 pounds, Henrick wrapped up his collegiate career with 11 points (7G, 4A), 115 ground balls, and 43 caused turnovers in 66 games played.
During the 2019 summer, the Orangeville, Ontario native played for the New Westminster Salmonbellies in the Western Lacrosse Association (WLA). In 17 regular season games, he recorded 14 points (6G, 8A), and Henrick netted a goal in five postseason contests.
Walker, 23, was selected in the first round (No. 10 overall) of the 2020 NLL Entry Draft. A left-handed forward, he returned to the University of Denver for a fifth season of NCAA eligibility.
Photo Credit: University of Denver Athletics
Out of Peterborough, Ontario, Walker finished his collegiate career leading the Pioneers in career points (279) and assists (98) and second in career goals (181). Listed at 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds, Walker also collected 111 ground balls and seven caused turnovers in his five seasons out west. He spent the 2019 summer in the MSL with the Peterborough Lakers, playing in six games and posting 12 points (5G, 7A).
Hruska, 20, was selected in the first round (No. 13 overall) of the 2020 NLL Entry Draft. He became one of three goaltenders to be selected in the first round of an NLL Entry Draft in the past decade, joining Evan Kirk in the 2011 Entry Draft (selected No. 6 overall by the Minnesota Swarm) and Dillon Ward in the 2013 Entry Draft (selected No. 3 overall by the Colorado Mammoth).
Out of Warman, Saskatchewan, Hruska is also the second-highest drafted player from Saskatchewan – defenseman Casey Zaph was selected by the Buffalo Bandits in the first round (No. 7 overall) of the 1997 Entry Draft.
Listed at 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds, Hruska was named the 2020 Arena Lacrosse League (ALL) Rookie of the Year and named a 2nd Team All-Star following his 7.57 GAA in 285:19 min. played with the Whitby Steelhawks. In the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League (RMLL) Jr. A, Hruska was named the 2019 RMLL Goaltender of the Year and to the 1st Team All-RMLL after he posted an 8.07 GAA and .837 SV% in 721:03 min. with the Saskatchewan SWAT.
Firth, 21, was selected in the third round (No. 39 overall) of the 2020 NLL Entry Draft. He won a Minto Cup in 2019 with the Orangeville Northmen in the OJALL. Listed at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, he was called up for the 2017-19 seasons (the 2017 season by the Peterborough Lakers), playing in seven regular season games and posting 16 points (8G, 8A).
Firth has 24 postseason contests at the Jr. A level under his belt, and he has recorded 49 points (18G, 31A). In 79 regular season games with the Nepean Knights of the Ontario Jr. B Lacrosse League, the Ottawa, Ontario native has 348 points (154G, 194A). He has 68 points (28G, 40A) in 16 postseason Jr. B contests.
Buck, 20, was selected in the fourth round (No. 60 overall) of the 2020 NLL Entry Draft. Tapped to play a transition role for the Swarm, the Orangeville, Ontario native played his first full season for the Orangeville Northmen in the OJALL in 2019, recording 65 points (28G, 37A) in 19 regular season games. In 12 postseason contests, he posted 27 points (5G, 22A).
Listed at 5-foot-8 and 155 pounds, Buck also played in the ALL with the Toronto Monarchs from 2019-20, and in his 25 regular season games played in that league, he recorded 93 points (53G, 40A).
Silva, 24, was selected in the fifth round (No. 75 overall) of the 2020 NLL Entry Draft. A graduate of Army West Point, Silva posted 66 points (65G, 1A), 47 ground balls, and 10 caused turnovers in 34 games.
Photo Credit: Army West Point Athletics
The Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida native played in the 2020 Major League Lacrosse (MLL) season for the Denver Outlaws, and netted four goals as a rookie.
Eddy, 23, was selected in the sixth round (No. 88 overall) of the 2020 NLL Entry Draft. Listed at 6-foot-0 and 163 pounds, he played his junior and senior seasons at Boston University, one of four captains for the Terriers in his senior year. His first two years of college lacrosse were spent at Canisius College.
Across his four years of NCAA DI lacrosse, Eddy collected 237 ground balls and caused 95 turnovers in 55 games, leading his team every year in caused turnovers.
Out of Skaneateles, N.Y., Eddy wrapped up his rookie season in the 2020 Premier Lacrosse League Championship Series with the Chrome Lacrosse Club, scoring a goal, scooping up 13 ground balls, and causing five turnovers. He was a finalist for the Brodie Merrill LSM of the Championship Series Award.
Coote, 30, spent the past four seasons in the Arena Lacrosse League (ALL), the most recent three with the Whitby Steelhawks. He won ALL Championships in 2017 with the Oshawa Outlaws and 2018 with the Steelhawks. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Coote earned three wins in 277:00 min. played and recorded a 9.96 GAA with four assists.
Photo Credit: Anna Taylor/Peterborough Timbermen
In 45 regular season games played in the ALL, Coote logged 1583:32 min. in between the pipes and posted a 13-11 record, 13.60 GAA, and 22 assists. In seven postseason contests, the Whitby, Ontario native handed out three assists to complement a 10.98 GAA in 295:04 min. of action.
Coote also won a Creator’s Cup with the Durham TurfDogs in 2016 in the defunct Canadian Lacrosse League (CLL), making 42 saves on 51 shots in the championship game. The left-hander is known for his clearing ability, earning Transition Player of the Week honors in the CLL after assisting on five goals in a single game.
Gillis, 23, was selected in the fifth round (No. 74 overall) of the 2019 NLL Entry Draft. Over five seasons as a transition player for the Hamilton Bengals Jr. B team, Gillis posted 198 points (58G, 140A) in 76 games played.
Lemcke, 24, was originally drafted by the Swarm in the 2018 NLL Entry Draft in the fourth round (No. 46 overall). Out of Orono, Ontario, Lemcke played with the Whitby Warriors in the Ontario Jr. A Lacrosse League from 2015-16. In 13 regular season games as a defenseman, Lemcke posted eight points (6G, 2A), and in 13 postseason contests, he had three assists.
In 2019, Lemcke played for the Peterborough Lakers in Major Series Lacrosse before being traded halfway through the season to the Brooklin Lacrosse Club. Across his 11 regular season games in the league as a rookie, Lemcke had four points (2G, 2A).
The NLL 2021-22 Face-Off Weekend is scheduled for Dec. 3-4, 2021, and Season Ticket Memberships for the 2021-22 Swarm season are on sale now. Fans can take advantage of the best sports entertainment deal in Atlanta by joining the Swarm’s 404 Club – 10 Swarm home games for $100 – at GeorgiaSwarm.com/404Club or by calling 844-4-GASWARM.
