September proved to be a magical month for Six Nations lacrosse star Marshall Powless.
First, on Thursday, September 17, the years of hard work and sacrifice paid off when he realized a lifetime dream of being drafted in the 2020 NLL Draft.
One of several Six Nations products to be selected in what was due to COVID-19, a virtual draft, Powless was with his parents, grandfather, girlfriend along with brothers Sidney and current NLL star Johnny, who all shared in the thrilling achievement of Marshall being drafted first round, seventh overall by the Saskatchewan Rush. Almost two weeks later, this offensively gifted forward was all smiles when life got even sweeter as he officially inked a two -year contract with Saskatchewan.
“I signed with Saskatchewan on September 28,” Powless said. “I was really excited as it was my first ever NLL contract. It was nice to see it finally in front of me.”
History was also made when he was selected first round as he along with Johnny Powless become only the third Iroquois brothers to be NLL first round draft choices.
Johnny Powless, who currently plays for the Toronto Rock, was drafted first round, fifth overall in the 2011 draft by the Rochester Knighthawks.
“It’s really unlikely I’ll meet up with him on the floor, but just the intensity of knowing my opponent is Johnny and his team is crazy since I’m more about playing with him rather than against him,” Powless said about the prospect of playing against his brother.
Playing for the Six Nations Rivermen in 2019 as an AP, Marshall Powless played a big role in helping them achieve the ultimate goal of pulling off a 9-5 championship win against the Akwesasne Bucks to win the Presidents Cup. What made this so extra special for Powless was that he got to experience this thrill with brother Johnny.
“He was not an off-the-board pick for us,” Rush GM Derek Keenan said about Marshall Powless. “We got the player we wanted. He’s highly skilled, a very smart player with tons of upside.”
Finishing up his Junior ‘B’ career in 2019 with the Six Nations Rebels, Powless made a statement when he was named the league’s MVP following a solid regular season which saw him score 151 points in 20 regular season games. Proving to be clutch, Powless continued to produce in post season as he produced 108 points in 21 playoff games in leading the Rebels to a silver at Founders Cup tournament championship play.
Looking ahead to this new exciting chapter, Powless is understandably excited about putting on the Saskatchewan Rush colors and getting started whenever that might be.
“They see me as an offensive player. They want to bring young blood into the team so it’s exciting,” Powless said. “I am excited for training camp when everything (COVID) gets situated. It’s going to be a lot of fun getting back to work.”
