NLL Announces 2007 Divisional Alignment/Expansion Draft

[Sonny]

National Lacrosse League Announces 2007 Divisional Alignments

Expansion teams in Chicago and New York to play in Eastern Division

The National Lacrosse League has announced its divisional alignments for the 2007 season. The league will continue to play with two divisions. The expansion teams in Chicago and New York will join the Eastern Division in 2007 to create a seven-team division. The Western Division will consist of the same six teams that comprised the division during the 2006 season.

As for team schedules, each team will play each of their divisional opponents at least twice in 2007, consisting of a minimum of at least one home game and one away game against each divisional opponent. The playoff format will remain unchanged, with the top four teams in each division advancing to the playoffs.

2007 NLL Eastern Division
Buffalo Bandits
Chicago Shamrox

Minnesota Swarm
New York (to be named)
Philadelphia Wings
Rochester Knighthawks
Toronto Rock

2007 NLL Western Division
Arizona Sting
Calgary Roughnecks
Colorado Mammoth
Edmonton Rush
Portland LumberJax
San Jose Stealth

2007 Champion's Cup Playoffs Format
Divisional Semi-Finals
East #4 at East #1; East #3 at East #2
West #4 at West #1; West #3 at West #2

Divisional Finals
East #1/#4 winner vs. East #2/#3 winner
West #1/#4 winner vs. West #2/#3 winner
(All games hosted by higher-seeded team)

Championship Game
East winner vs. West winner

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NLL Expansion Draft on July 12th

New York and Chicago to begin building rosters; team protected players lists to be announced on Wednesday

The National Lacrosse League has expanded to New York and Chicago for the 2007 season, and the rosters of those teams will begin to take shape when the Expansion Draft takes place on Wednesday, July 12th at 4PM Eastern. The two new franchises bring the league's total number of teams to 13. Chicago and New York will each select eleven players from the rosters of the existing NLL franchises.

A coin toss between the expansion clubs was held earlier this month at the league's Board of Governors Meetings at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. New York won the coin toss and was given the option of either selecting first in the Expansion Draft or the 2006 Entry Draft. New York chose to select first in the Entry Draft. As a result, the Chicago Shamrox have the first selection in the Expansion Draft. Details surrounding the 2006 Entry Draft will be announced at a later date.

The existing clubs can each protect up to fourteen players on its roster from the Expansion Draft. Clubs may either protect one goaltender and thirteen of its runners (forwards/defenseman/transition players) or two goaltenders and ten runners. The list of players left unprotected by their clubs, and therefore made available in the expansion draft, will be announced on Wednesday, June 28th. During the Expansion Draft, once a player is selected from an existing club, the club is then allowed to protect one of its remaining unprotected players. No team may lose more than two of its players in the Expansion Draft. Once two players from a club have been selected, the club's remaining unprotected players are no longer available in the Expansion Draft.

The 2005 Expansion Draft, in which the expansion Edmonton Rush and Portland Lumberjax drafted players, produced talented players that included the leading goal scorers for each club last season. Mike Hominuck (28 goals for the LumberJax) was selected first overall by Portland from the Buffalo Bandits. Kevin Howard (21 goals for the Rush) was selected fourth overall by Edmonton from the Calgary Roughnecks. Ryan Sharp, selected by Portland, made the 2006 West All-Star team as a defenseman. Pat Campbell, a goaltender selected by Edmonton, started fourteen games in net for the Rush. Other players selected included goaltender Rob Blasdell, who became the starting goaltender in Arizona (via trade from Edmonton) and forward Cory Bomberry, who became a key contributor for Buffalo (via trade from Edmonton) in their run to the 2006 Championship Game.

The Expansion Draft will take place on Wednesday, July 12th at 4PM Eastern via conference call. Results will be posted live at the league's official website, nll.com. The selection order for the draft is as follows:

1. Chicago
2. New York
3. Chicago
4. New York
5. Chicago
6. New York
7. Chicago
8. New York
9. Chicago
10. New York
11. Chicago
12. New York
13. Chicago
14. New York
15. Chicago
16. New York
17. Chicago
18. New York
19. Chicago
20. New York
21. Chicago
22. New York