ROCHESTER — The Rochester Knighthawks announced they have signed 2017 Ontario Lacrosse Association Senior “B” Defensive Player of the Year Brock Farmer to a one-year deal.
“It feels good,” said Farmer about inking his first pro contract. “I am excited to try to crack the lineup and make the squad.”
The 6-foot-3, 235-pound defenseman is fresh off a Senior “B” Ontario championship with the Six Nations Rivermen and a silver medal in the President’s Cup tournament. The 27-year-old has played with the Rivermen for the past four seasons, posting 14 goals and 17 assists in 47 games.
During that stint, he won three Ontario championships (2014, 2015 and 2017). At the President’s Cup, he earned silver medals in 2014 and 2017, and raised the prestigious trophy in 2015. In this past summer’s tournament, he appeared in seven games and dished out five assists.
Farmer was also called up by the Six Nations Chiefs during the 2017 Major Series Lacrosse season. On July 4, he scored his first goal as a Chief in an 8-7 win over Brooklin. Six Nations General Manager Duane Jacobs said he was impressed by Farmer’s size and strength.
“He played a couple of games for our senior team,” said Jacobs, who is also the Knighthawks Director of Player Development. “What impressed us the most was that he was a relatively big player who could get up the floor. He is a pretty good defender and has a lot of tools, and parts of his game suit the NLL style.”
Farmer, who began playing with the Six Nations Arrows, was a member of the hometown Junior “A” team from 2008-11. In his junior career, he appeared in 38 regular season games and notched five goals and six assists. With the Arrows, he played with future Knighthawks like Cody Jamieson, Wayne Van Every and Angus Goodleaf.
After seeing some of his former teammates go on to have success in the NLL, he is finally getting his opportunity.
“Having a chance to come out to camp and try out for the team is a big step,” he said. “Playing for them would be more exciting. I never thought I would have gotten the chance to play in the NLL. Being given the opportunity now, (I know) I am almost there.”
Knighthawks head scout Stuart Brown said that the Knighthawks were eager to see Farmer compete in camp, which kicks off Nov. 3-4.
“Brock is a big, strong defender who we think has upside,” he said. “We are excited to get him to camp and start working with him.”