Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/5/20
From Press Release
Major League Lacrosse’s 20th anniversary Collegiate Draft Presented by Cascade, was held Monday night. This was the first time the Philadelphia Barrage participated in an MLL Collegiate Draft in 12 years. After a very busy spring season with a number of trades, the Barrage entered the Draft with 10 selections to make (more than any other team) across 8 rounds.
With size, speed, skill, game IQ and depth, Head Coach Spencer Ford has assembled an extremely impressive 2020 draft class for the Barrage. Looking ahead to the 2020 season, Ford has made it abundantly clear that he is most interested in finding players who will be “authentically Philly,” and “Philly tough.” Now the question becomes, which of these men will make the 2020 Philadelphia Barrage’s roster.
9th Overall Pick – Mark Evanchick, Defense, University of Pennsylvania
The first thing Coach Ford did in the 2020 draft was find Liam Byrnes a partner on defense. The Barrage selected Penn defenseman Mark Evanchick to fulfill that role. In 37 career games with the Quakers, Evanchick scooped up 36 ground balls and caused 14 turnovers. Evanchick was named a USILA AllAmerican in 2019. Ford is looking forward to Evanchick’s skill, size and IQ. He posses all of Coach Ford’s headliners about the 2020 Barrage season, “Philly Tough,” “Fast Play,” “Flawless.” But most importantly, Evanchick is pro-ready with experience being coached by Associate Head Coach, Jamie Hanford.
10th Overall Pick- Jon Mazza, Midfielder, Towson University
It is well known Coach Ford favors players from his alma-mater, but Mazza is a truly talented Towson Tiger. At Towson, Mazza scored 55 goals to go along with 20 assists. Mazza caught the attention of MLL scouts after a strong start to the 2020 season. In Towson’s first three games, Mazza found the back of the net seven times. Mazza will team-up with fellow Towson alumni Alex Woodall and Brendan Sunday, with the hope of bringing the Barrage to the playoffs in their first season back in Philly.
14th Overall Pick- Reece Eddy, LSM, Boston University
Reece Eddy is a great pick by Coach Ford. Eddy transferred to Boston University after his sophomore season. In his junior year with the Terriers, Eddy set a school record with 34 caused turnovers to go along with 71
ground balls. He is one of the highest performing LSMs in NCAA play. Despite being #1 or #2 across defensive stats for his team every season, he has remained hungry and improved across the statistical board
each season. In limited action in 2020, Eddy was named a USILA All-American after finishing second in the nation in both caused turnovers with 2.67 per game and ground balls per game with 5.17.
We expect Eddy could turn some heads this season with the Barrage.
15th Overall Pick- Connor Fletcher (Princeton Day School, Lower Bucks Lacrosse, Tri-State), Midfielder, Cornell University
Connor Fletcher is coming home. After 4 cold years in Ithaca, Fletcher, from Newtown in Bucks County, will be returning to Pennsylvania. Fletcher’s numbers declined a bit his sophomore and junior seasons at Cornell, but
the kid can score. Fletcher scored 56 career goals with the Big Red including 22 as a freshman. Fletcher’s fast start to the 2020 season (six goals in five games) likely compelled Ford to draft him at 15. Ford stated “He can go righty, he can go lefty, he shoots with distance he’s skilled inside…and he’s a force to be reckoned with.”
16th Overall Pick- Matt Gaudet, Attack, Yale
Matt Gaudet is, quite simply, a beast. At 6-1, 220 pounds, Gaudet dominated around the crease with the Bulldogs. In 2017, Gaudet scored a Yale rookie record 32 goals. In his sophomore year, Gaudet upped his total to 41, before upping it once more to 51 his junior season. His 142 career goals are third-most in Yale history. Gaudet’s most memorable moments came in 2018 when he was named NCAA Championship Weekend Most Outstanding Player. Gaudet scored ten goals at Gillette Stadium that weekend while
propelling Yale to a runner-up finish. The Barrage coaching staff has high expectations for Gaudet to jump into a stacked attack, that includes MLL
leaders like Mark Matthews and Tommy Palasek, and not miss a beat.
19th Overall Pick- Brendan Hoffman, Williams College, Midfielder
There is no doubt that Coach Ford was drafting for power and size when picking Hoffman. 6’6” and 210 lbs, Hoffman can likely just bulldoze his way down the field. Hoffman is more than muscle, like Gaudet, he can score. In 56 career games for the EPHS (Williams College’s mascot), Hoffman scored 102 goals to go along with 28 assists. Hoffman was the first MLL draft pick in Williams’ program history.
21st Overall Pick- James Wittmeyer, SSDM, Mercyhurst University
The Barrage weren’t afraid to break from the traditional powerhouses, proven through another selection outside of division one. James Wittmeyer. played for the division II, Mercyhurst Lakers. First and foremost,
Wittmeyer brings leadership to the Barrage, having served as captain in 2020 for the Lakers. He is also has demonstrated a high level of coachability and a willingness to take on a challenge, as noted by Mercyhurst
Head Coach, Chris Ryan, “James was unheralded coming out of high school, but was willing to switch positions and put in the time as well as the effort to make himself a team captain and an All-American.”
33rd Overall Pick- Colin Minicus, Attack, Amherst College
Much like the previous two selections, Colin Minicus falls outside of the typical top 10, D1 picks. Minicus played at Division III Amherst College in Massachusetts. In 58 career games, Minicus racked up 128 goals to
go along with 148 assists. If Minicus can replicate that kind of production at the professional level, he could pair nicely with fellow draftees Matt Gaudet and Brendan Hoffman.
39th Overall Pick- Justin Schwenk (Spring-Ford, NXT) , Faceoff, Virginia University
Justin Schwenk is a good depth move if anything happens to franchise player Alex Woodall. Schwenk amassed a career percentage of 57.3% of draws at Virginia. Schwenk probably won’t beat out Woodall for the top faceoff spot, but it is always good to have a second player on your roster who has experience facing off against top talent, and winning.
45th Overall Pick- Adam Goldner (Malvern Prep, Duke’s LC) , Midfielder, University of Pennsylvania
As the 45th overall pick, the Barrage snuck away with great value in their pick of Adam Goldner. He is a bonafide scorer. At Penn, Goldner netted 106 goals in 49 games including setting a single season school record with 56 goals in 2019. Goldner will provide additional scoring depth for the Barrage next season, filling a gap left when the Barrage traded Randy Staats and Bryan Cole for P.T. Ricci and 3 draft picks from the Cannons.
Honorary Draft Pick – Laura Kupsey, Registered Nurse, Delaware County Memorial Hospital
We would like to again recognize the inaugural Barrage Honorary Draft Pick. Kupsey is a top lacrosse photographer and a registered nurse. With COVID-19 she has risen to the challenge introduced with a shift in her normal duties at Delaware County Memorial Hospital.
Coach Ford was happy with how the draft turned out. He stated, “The most important thing to me is that the coaching staff that we’ve assembled, are comfortable with the players we’re picking. And so, with a lot of these guys, we have great comfort heading into the season to coach these players. As for talent and being Philly-Tough, we are extremely excited that almost everyone on our draft board, we ended up getting.”
Round Overall Pick Player College Position Height Weight City State High School
2 9 Mark Evanchick Penn Defense 5’11” 210 Darien CT Darien High School
2 10 Jon Mazza Towson Midfield 6’4″ 207 Davidsonville MD The Calverton School
3 14 Reece Eddy Boston LSM 6’0″ 178 Skaneateles NY Skaneateles High School
3 15 Connor Fletcher Cornell Midfield 6’3″ 230 Newtown PA Princeton Day School
3 16 Matt Gaudet Yale Attack 6’1″ 210 Hamilton Ontario Salisbury School
4 19 Brendan Hoffman Williams Midfield 6’6″ 205 Darien CT Fairfield Prep
4 21 James Wittmeyer Mercyhurst SSDM 6’2″ 202 Hamburg NY Hamburg High School
6 33 Colin Minicus Amherst Attack 5’10” 170 Darien CO Darien high School
7 39 Justin Schwenk Virginia FO 6’0″ 190 Royersford PA Spring-Ford High School
8 45 Adam Goldner Upenn Attack 5’9″ 180 Allentown PA Malvern Prep
Honorary Honorary Laura Kupsey Delaware County Memorial Hospital Nurse Springfield PA
Full Draft
First Round
| 1 | TD Ierlan | FO | Yale | New York Lizards |
| 2 | Michael Kraus | M | Virginia | Connecticut Hammerheads |
| 3 | Colin Burke | A | Utah | New York Lizards |
| 4 | Nick Mellen | D | Syracuse | Boston Cannons |
| 5 | Tom Rigney | D | Army | Denver Outlaws |
| 6 | Will Weitzel | M | Yale | Chesapeake Bayhawks |
Second Round
| 7 | Charlie Trense | D | Notre Dame | New York Lizards |
| 8 | Aidan Hynes | D | Yale | Connecticut Hammerheads |
| 9 | Mark Evanchick | D | Penn | Philadelphia Barrage |
| 10 | Jon Mazza | M | Towson | Philadelphia Barrage |
| 11 | Nick Washuta | G | Vermont | Denver Outlaws |
| 12 | Will Yorke | A | Bucknell | Chesapeake Bayhawks |
Third Round
| 13 | Tommy Wright | LSM | Penn State | New York Lizards |
| 14 | Reece Eddy | LSM | Boston U | Philadelphia Barrage |
| 15 | Connor Fletcher (Princeton Day School) | M | Cornell | Philadelphia Barrage |
| 16 | Matt Gaudet | A | Yale | Philadelphia Barrage |
| 17 | Michael Brown | SSDM | Brown | Connecticut Hammerheads |
| 18 | Chase Levesque | LSM | Boston U | Chesapeake Bayhawks |
Fourth Round
| 19 | Brendan Hoffman | M | Williams | Philadelphia Barrage |
| 20 | Ben Martin | A | Dartmouth | Connecticut Hammerheads |
| 21 | James Wittmeyer | SSDM | Mercyhurst | Philadelphia Barrage |
| 22 | Sean New | D | Holy Cross | New York Lizards |
| 23 | Sean Leahey | A | Providence | Denver Outlaws |
| 24 | Sam Luccessi | G | Hobart | Chesapeake Bayhawks |
Fifth Round
| 25 | Jeff Teat | A | Cornell | Boston Cannons |
| 26 | Pat Aslanian | LSM | Notre Dame | Chesapeake Bayhawks |
| 27 | Griffin Peene | D | Air Force | Denver Outlaws |
| 28 | Michael Sowers (U. Dublin) | A | Princeton | Boston Cannons |
| 29 | Eric Holden | A | Hobart | Denver Outlaws |
| 30 | Rock Stewart | LSM | Williams | New York Lizards |
Sixth Round
| 31 | Connor Waldron | M | Holy Cross | New York Lizards |
| 32 | Brandon Salvatore | LSM | Cornell | Connecticut Hammerheads |
| 33 | Colin Minicus | A | Amherst | Philadelphia Barrage |
| 34 | Peyton Smith | FO | Marist | Boston Cannons |
| 35 | Jeff Trainor | M | UMass | Denver Outlaws |
| 36 | Luke Anderson | FO | Marquette | Chesapeake Bayhawks |
Seventh Round
| 37 | Terrence Haggerty | A | Cortland State | New York Lizards |
| 38 | Will Renz | M | Yale | Connecticut Hammerheads |
| 39 | Justin Schwenk (Spring-Ford) | FO | Virginia | Philadelphia Barrage |
| 40 | Connor Kirst | M | Villanova | Denver Outlaws |
| 41 | Nate Siekierski | G | Albany | Denver Outlaws |
| 42 | Grant Maloof | M | Towson | Chesapeake Bayhawks |
Eighth Round
| 43 | Andrew Pettit (Tower Hill) | A | Lehigh | New York Lizards |
| 44 | Charlie Bertrand | A | Merrimack | Connecticut Hammerheads |
| 45 | Adam Goldner (Malvern Prep) | M | Upenn | Philadelphia Barrage |
| 46 | Jason Brewster | D | UMBC | Boston Cannons |
| 47 | Miles Silva | A | Army | Denver Outlaws |
| 48 | Kevin Kodzis | A | Holy Cross | Chesapeake Bayhawks |