Shawn Evans signs with Vancouver Warriors days after winning Mann Cup
Shawn Evans (Photo: David Pickering)
Just days after collecting his record-tying eighth Mann Cup with the Peterborough Lakers, National Lacrosse League unrestricted free agent Shawn Evans has signed a one-year deal with the Vancouver Warriors.
Evans was one of the few remaining big-name UFAs left in the NLL, last year splitting his season between the Rochester Knighthawks & Halifax Thunderbirds after the future Hall of Famer was traded in a mid-season move.
Shawn Evans (Photo: Micheline V)
Entering his 17th season in the league in coming months, Evans averaged under a goal a game in 2022 (only the second time that’s ever happened in his career), but still stacked up a strong assist tally. His 52 helpers in just 16 games was good enough for 15th in the league, while that combined two-team total was higher than any player produced on either the Knighthawks or Thunderbirds roster.
Although he missed Game 7 of the Mann Cup due to an ankle injury, Evans still led the seven-game series in assists (26) while also setting a new all-time career points record. Evans ranked fourth during the 2022 Major Series Lacrosse regular season in points (40) and led the league in assists (34).
Shawn Evans (Photo: Trevor MacMillan)
Evans ranks Top 10 in all-time regular season goals (457), assists (838), points (1,295) and penalty minutes (585) in the NLL, ditto for the playoffs (53, 70, 123, 51). He is one of the few over the NLL’s 35 years to register 30 goals, 60 assists and 90 loose balls in a single season, one of only three to ever do it twice (Dhane Smith & Lyle Thompson the other two). Evans is also one of only five players to win the NLL MVP on more than one occasion (Smith, John Grant, Gary Gait and John Tavares the other four), named the league’s most valuable in 2013 & 2015 while playing for the Calgary Roughnecks.
The Warriors have had a busy offseason, first cutting ties with Head Coach Chris Gill & Assistant Coach Kaleb Toth, replacing them with Troy Cordingley & Phil Sanderson, fighting over restricted free agent Kyle Killen with division rivals the Panther City Lacrosse Club, drafting high-profile defensemen Owen Grant third overall in the NLL Entry Draft, and so far signing or re-signing 32 players, including Chase Scanlan.
Rogers Arena, Vancouver (Photo: Jordan Leigh)
As part of yesterday’s 2022/23 NLL schedule announcement, the Toronto Rock announced their home opener against the Warriors as a guaranteed-win night.
Vancouver UFAs Matthew Dinsdale, Jordan McBride and goalie Steve Fryer remain unsigned, while Taylor Stuart is the lone RFA on the Warriors’ roster.
Other notable NLL UFAs still on the sidelines include: Jeremy Noble, Zack Greer, Jordan Hall, Curtis Manning, John Lintz, Joel White, Stephan Leblanc, Stephen Keogh, and goalie Evan Kirk, who only played part of last season due to his new non-NLL commitments. Saskatchewan forward Jeff Shattler, who last year indicated 2022 would be his last NLL season, has yet to officially announce his retirement.