Boston Cannons Add Five New Players Via Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft

BOSTON (CBS) -- The Boston Cannons filled some holes on their roster Monday night through the 2020 Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft, adding a big-time defender with the fourth overall pick.

The Cannons made five selections in the draft, which was held via a teleconference call:

Round 1, Pick 4: Nick Mellen, Defenseman, Syracuse

Mellen, a 5-9 and 187-pound defenseman, was slated to play a redshirt senior season for the Orange in 2020 before all athletics were ceased due to the pandemic. He announced in mid-April that he would not be returning to Syracuse for a sixth year and entered himself into the MLL Draft Portal.

He finished his college career with 101 groundballs and 55 caused turnovers in 47 games. He played one game in 2020 before suffering an injury.

"We've had a lot of success with the guys we've had from Syracuse in the past," Cannons head coach and director of player personnel Sean Quirk said of the Mellen pick. "Watching Nick play a lot his junior year and then the beginning of 2020, I think he's a prototypical, professional MLL defenseman that (could) play for us right away. He was someone we were planning on taking and I'm delighted that he was still available."

Round 5, Pick 25: Jeff Teat, Attackman, Cornell

After joining the Big Red for the 2017 season, Teat went on to score 116 goals and 152 assists in 51 games. He was named a Tewaaraton Award nominee in 2018 and 2019.

Teat has not yet announced his intentions for 2021.

Round 5, Pick 28: Michael Sowers, Attackman, Princeton/Duke

Sowers is Princeton's all-time leading scorer with 121 goals and 302 points in 47 games. This year, he buried 16 goals and racked up 47 points in five games before the season ended.

"Sowers is a generational player," Quirk said. "There's a lot of great players in college lacrosse but I think he stands above just about everyone. Teat, I've watched his career closely the last three and a half seasons and he's just a great attackman. Both of those guys fit well into what we do system-wise."

Sowers is set to join Duke University as a graduate student in 2021.

Round 6, Pick 34: Peyton Smith, Faceoff, Marist College

A faceoff-specialist from Marist College, Smith won 386-of-622 faceoffs over 45 games. His .621 winning percentage puts him first on the program's all-time faceoff percentage list.

Smith also picked up 215 groundballs and scored two goals for the Red Foxes.

Round 8, Pick 46: Jason Brewster, Defense, UMBC

With their final pick in the draft, the Cannons took Brewster 46th overall from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. The 6-0 and 190-pound defenseman joined the Retrievers in 2016 and recorded 76 groundballs, 36 caused turnovers, and three goals in 46 games.

"This draft made us deeper," said Quirk. "This gave us more opportunities and competitiveness on our roster."

The 2020 MLL season was scheduled to begin May 30 but was postponed last month due to the coronavirus pandemic. The collegiate draft was the first MLL event to take place since the announcement.

A new opening weekend date has not been announced yet by the league.