Halifax parts with prospect & pair of picks for Panther City’s Randy Staats
Randy Staats (Photo: Dylan Nadwodny)
Both the Halifax Thunderbirds and Panther City Lacrosse Club have confirmed a significant trade today. Forward Randy Staats has been sent to the east coast for Jackson Reid (Ohio State/Six Nations/Kitchener-Waterloo), Halifax’s ninth overall pick in next month’s NLL Entry Draft, plus the Thunderbirds’ second-round selection in the 2025 draft.
Panther City now owns the fifth, ninth and twenty-first overall picks in the upcoming draft. The second-year team will also have 2021’s first-overall selection Jonathan Donville in the mix moving forward, the high-end pro prospect spending last season winning an NCAA DI national title with the University of Maryland during his final year of collegiate eligibility.
Halifax still has their own first-round pick in the upcoming draft (12th overall), however, today’s swapped 2022 selection previously the property of the Albany FireWolves (New England Black Wolves).
Staats missed the entire 2022 campaign due to an unannounced but suspected knee injury and had yet to play for Panther City. PCLC had previously traded for the player in a deal with Georgia, sending a series of picks to the Swarm for his services. Panther City did move Staats to their active roster in mid-April, but he did not see any game action.
The Lax Mag has learned that Staats was the centrepiece of trade talks involving one other team earlier this summer, that rumoured move never coming to fruition however.
Prior to his most recent injury, Staats was a regular 30-goal scorer and was having arguably his most impressive campaign during the pandemic shortened 2020 season. Staats has 250 career assists over 75 regular-season games with the Swarm. He returned to game action this past summer playing for the Six Nations Chiefs in Major Series Lacrosse. He registered 38 points in 15 regular season and playoff games combined for the Senior A side.
Randy Staats (Photo: Dylan Nadwodny)
“Randy is a gamer,” Thunderbirds Assistant GM Scott Campbell said in today’s team announcement. “He is at his best in the big games and the big moments.
“He is big and athletic. Good outside shot, can play inside, draw the double, and find the open man. We are really excited. He is the type of player that makes everyone on the offence better.”
The Thunderbirds ranked fifth in the NLL’s East Conference with 198 goals last year, their power-play efficiency (27.6%) last in the league during the 2022 regular season.
During that incomplete 2020 season, Staats ranked fourth overall in individual power-play goals (8) and second in the NLL in power-play assists (18).
Randy Staats, Six Nations Arrows, 2013 (Photo: Ward Laforme Jr.)
Staats was an integral player on the Swarm’s 2017 NLL Cup-winning roster, co-leading the team in points over their undefeated four-game run to the title.
“Playing with Randy is a lot of fun,” said Thunderbirds captain Cody Jamieson in the same team statement today. “His vision is superior. He makes plays when it doesn’t seem like one’s available. And no one questions his heart and passion.”
Earlier this offseason, Halifax signed forward Ryan Benesch. Unrestricted free agents, Shawn Evans and Stephen Keogh, both of whom were with the Thunderbirds last year, remain unsigned.