Black Bears select Caputo, Patten, and Sharkey

The picks are in!

The results of the NLL Dispersal Draft are here, and the Ottawa Black Bears were busy. The team made three picks, at seventh, 13th, and 21st.

The action kicked off with Ottawa’s first selection at seventh, which the team used to select forward Phil Caputo. Last season, Caputo played in all 18 regular season games for Panther City, during which he scored 24 goals and added 16 assists for a total of 40 points. Caputo’s career spans back to 2016, during which Caputo has played for the Panther City Lacrosse Club, Rochester Knighthawks, Toronto Rock, and the New England Black Wolves (the latter of whom Caputo was drafted by 28th overall in the 2015 NLL Entry Draft). In 82 career regular season NLL games, Caputo has recorded 105 goals and 66 assists for a total of 171 points.

The Ottawa Black Bears didn’t just make draft picks at the NLL Dispersal Draft — the team made a trade, as well. The Black Bears traded goaltender Will Johnston to the Albany FireWolves in exchange for the team’s 13th pick, which was used to select defenceman Liam Patten. Last season, Patten made 18 appearances for Panther City. The defenceman totalled 10 points in the form of three goals and seven assists in that span. Patten was drafted 26th overall by the Calgary Roughnecks in the 2017 NLL Entry Draft. The defenceman’s career has seen him play for Panther City Lacrosse Club, the Philadelphia Wings, and the Buffalo Bandits. In that time, he has played in 85 regular season games, and scored 19 goals and 24 assists for a total of 43 assists.

The Black Bears’ third pick in the NLL Dispersal Draft was used to select transition Colin Sharkey at 21st. Sharkey spent his 2024 season playing NCAA lacrosse with the University of Maryland. Sharkey played in 17 games with Maryland, recording three points, all assists. Prior to joining Maryland, Sharkey played four seasons at the University of Vermont. There, he played in 51 games, recording five goals and five assists for a total of 10 points. Sharkey was drafted 61st overall by Panther City Lacrosse Club in the 2023 NLL Entry Draft.

Welcome to Ottawa, Phil, Liam, and Colin!

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