Thursday marked the busiest day yet for the Ottawa Black Bears since NLL free agency opened on Tuesday.
The Black Bears signed Luke Keenan (three-year contract), Jake Saunders (two-year contract), Vaughn Harris (one-year contract), Zach Herreweyers (one-year contract), as well as 2025 NLL Draft selections Aidan Fearn, Cole Begley, and Max Skene (three-year contracts).
Luke Keenan — transition — three-year contract
Hailing from Clarington, Keenan played his junior lacrosse with the Whitby Warriors of the OJLL while playing junior hockey for the Whitby Fury. Keenan was drafted in the fifth round of the 2014 OHL Draft by his hometown Oshawa Generals, but chose to attend Princeton instead, where he was a two-sport athlete. Keenan was drafted in the fifth round of the NLL Draft in 2019 by Halifax.
Jake Saunders — defence — two-year contract
Saunders was drafted 16th overall by Las Vegas in 2022. A native of Oakville, the 25-year-old Saunders has played 20 games for the Desert Dogs over the past two years, compiling nine assists and 79 loose balls in 20 games. Saunders played for the Richmond Spiders of the NCAA before being drafted. He started 16 games in his final season, leading the team with 35 caused turnovers.
Vaughn Harris — forward — one-year contract
Harris has played both ends of the floor throughout his lacrosse career, most often forward during his NLL career. Harris won back-to-back Mann Cups with his hometown Six Nations Chiefs of the MSL in 2013 and 2014. Afterwards, Harris was drafted in the second round of the NLL draft by the Calgary Roughnecks. The 33-year-old right-hander has 30 goals and 30 assists overall through 33 career NLL games, including stints in Calgary, Buffalo, Philadelphia, and Georgia.
Zach Herreweyers — forward — one-year contract
Originally drafted 9th overall by the Colorado Mammoth in the 2016 NLL Draft, Herreweyers has played 38 career games, scoring 39 goals — including a 21-goal season with the Calgary Roughnecks in 2022. The left-shot forward hails from Strathroy, and starred with Loyola University in the NCAA before being drafted, where he scored 103 goals in 42 games.
Aidan Fearn — defence — three-year contract
A faceoff man and defender, Fearn graduated from Bellermine University. He played six games this summer for the Sr. A Six Nations Chiefs, and 13 for the Sr. B Six Nations Rivermen, where he scored a goal and an assist. A member of Glooscap First Nation in Nova Scotia, Fearn launched a successful petition back in 2020 calling on countries to boycott the 2022 World Lacrosse Games unless the Haudenosaunee Nationals were allowed to compete, for whom he competes on the national stage. The Toronto native was drafted 53rd overall by the Black Bears in the 2025 NLL Draft.
Cole Begley — defence — three-year contract
A left-shot defenceman, Begley was Saint Michael’s College School’s captain and Most Valuable Player. He played two seasons with Drexel University, and is in the midst of his first season with the Laurier Golden Hawks, who compete in CUFLA. Begley also played six games for the Sr. B Ennismore James Gang in the summer, recording three assists. The hard-nosed Toronto native was drafted 55th overall by the Black Bears in the 2025 NLL Draft.
Max Skene — defence — three-year contract
A native of Ottawa, Max Skene played Jr. B for the Nepean Knights before enrolling at the Rochester Institute of Technology, where he played 20 games over five seasons. Skene played Jr. A for the Burlington Chiefs (now the Blaze) in 2022 under Black Bears head coach Dan MacRae. Skene played 16 games for the Sr. A Nanaimo Timberman of the WLA this summer. He was drafted 81st overall by the Black Bears in the 2025 NLL Draft.
This year, the Black Bears will play four Friday home games and five Saturday home games from November to April. You can view the team’s entire schedule here, and purchase Season Seats here. Single Game tickets will go on sale on Thursday, Oct. 30.
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