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SportsOakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 201034 By Jon Kuiperij BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR As a coach in the Oakville Minor Lacrosse Association in the mid-1990s, Rob MacDougall had no shortage of young talent to work with. Players MacDougall had at his disposal included John Tavares, Steve Mason, Stefan Legein, Reggie Traccitto, Michael Scholz, Jeff Budd and Chris Moulson. All have gone on to accomplish great things in sports. Tavares and Mason are both stars in the National Hockey League, while Legein and Traccitto are currently with NHL farm teams. Scholz has suited up for the national mens rugby team, Budd was a Canadian finalist in badminton, and Moulson (whose brother Matt is a teammate of Tavares with the New York Islanders) is playing uni- versity hockey at Cornell. Ive always basically said that was the way the cards fell, MacDougall said of the crop of talent. The same thing happened in Thunder Bay with the Staals (four brothers now playing in the NHL) and Patrick Sharp (of the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks). It was just a fluke. Five more of MacDougalls former charges could be on the way to similar heights as well after being selected in last weeks National Lacrosse League draft. Dan MacRae was the first OMLA product to have his name called, going sixth overall to the Calgary Roughnecks. Josh Ruys went next, selected by the Rochester Knighthawks with the 12th pick. Ben McCullough was drafted immediately after, going to the Buffalo Bandits. Scott Johnston was picked by Rochester in the third round, and Sean Gillies rounded out the local crop by going to the Toronto Rock in the sixth round. Dan MacRae Of the five OMLA alumni to be drafted this year, MacDougall said MacRae was the one who always gravitated towards lacrosse the most. You could really tell when he became the stick stringer in town, said MacDougall. Theres a real skill in stringing sticks. Ive never attempted to string a stick. Yet, he was the kid at 13 or 14 years old walking around with a red tool box in his hand. It was full of leather, string, knives, scissors... you name it, he had it. He was the stick doctor. In peewee, MacRae began to develop into an elite player. He is now a highly-regarded defender with a knack for getting loose balls, a reputation that was enhanced by a strong Major Lacrosse Series season with the Brampton Excelsiors this summer. I was learning something new every game. I felt every game that I was improv- ing, said MacRae, who helped Brampton reach the provincial final before the Excelsiors fell to the Peterborough Lakers in seven games. MacRae was flattered to be picked so high in the draft, but hes not taking anything for granted. Nothings set in stone. Everyones asking me if Im excited to live out there (in Calgary), but I still have something to prove to myself and the coaching staff, said the Holy Trinity grad. Josh Ruys Ruys has always been known for his size. I always considered him as Baby Huey, said MacDougall. He was always the biggest kid amongst everybody. That size hasnt always worked out to Ruys advantage. In fact, it often led to some extra punishment in front of the oppositions net. I think he was (mad) at me a few times because Id send him into the middle, post- ing, MacDougall recalled. He thought it was because I didnt like him, but it was because he was big and strong and disci- plined. The coach expects Ruys, a graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas, should be a good fit with the Knighthawks, a club known for its toughness. Rochester fits his personality. That team has good skill, but even their skill players carry a swagger, MacDougall said. Ben McCullough McCullough was a Brampton resident who came to play lacrosse in Oakville because he couldnt crack the bantam A squad in his home organization. He walked into our team and he just took off, said MacDougall. He was an exception- ally talented kid but he never got a fair shake. McCullough, a midfielder, was fourth in team scoring for the State University of New York at Potsdam Bears field lacrosse team last season. Scott Johnston Johnston is following in the footsteps of his father, Jim Johnston, who played pro lacrosse for the Toronto Shooting Stars and Boston Bolts in the 1970s. It still hasnt really set in. Its crazy - Ive been watching the pros my whole life and now getting drafted, said the 21-year-old Iroquois Ridge grad. It was always lacrosse, Five former Hawks selected in National Lacrosse League draft DRAFTED: Pictured from left to right, local residents Dan MacRae, Josh Ruys, Scott Johnston and Sean Gillies were all selected in last weeks National Lacrosse League draft. Ben McCullough, a Brampton resident who played in the Oakville Minor Lacrosse Association for several season, was also picked in the draft. MACRAE AND GILLIES PHOTOS COURTESY OF ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY; RUYS AND JOHNSTON PHOTOS BY OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF See Gillies page 35