The Ottawa Black Bears signed five more players to contracts on Saturday, bringing the total to 18 deals handed out through the first five days of NLL free agency. Forwards Teioshontathe McComber, Parker Pipher, defencemen Trent Robertson, and Cooper Jackson, and goaltender Laine Hruska make up the five signings.
Teioshontathe McComber — forward — three-year contract
Originally drafted 48th overall by the Georgia Swarm in 2022, McComber played four games in 2023, scoring once and adding an assist. The 5-foot-8 left-shot forward hails from Kahnawake, where he played for the Jr. B Kahnawake Hunters before attending the University of Albany. Through 11 games in his senior year with the Great Danes, he scored six goals and added seven assists.
Parker Pipher — forward — three-year contract
A native of Oshawa, Pipher played with Black Bears forwards Connor Kearnan and Taggert Clark for seven games on the Sr. A Brooklin Lacrosse Club in 2023, where he scored a goal and added 17 assists. Last summer with the Sr. B Brooklin Merchants, Pipher led the team in scoring with 87 points (28 goals, 57 assists), which also placed second in the OSL. Drafted 45th overall in 2022 by the Rochester Knighthawks, Pipher scored three goals and added five assists in his NLL rookie season of 2023–24.
Trent Robertson — defence — three-year contract
Another in a run of sizeable defenders the Black Bears have signed in the opening days of free agency, the 21-year-old Robertson has played 78 games over four seasons in the OJLL between Brampton and St. Catherines. With St. Catherines, the 6-foot-4 Robertson scored three goals and added three assists, while racking up 144 penalty minutes over 24 games. Robertson was drafted 19th overall by the Buffalo Bandits in 2024.
Cooper Jackson — defence — three-year contract
Jackson played 19 games with the Sr. A Owen Sound North Stars this summer, scoring a goal and adding two assists. He also won a Minto Cup with Black Bears head coach and general manager Dan MacRae in 2023 while playing for the Burlington Blaze. In 65 career games with the Blaze, he scored twice and added nine assists. The 6-foot-4 Jackson played 9 games last season as a midfielder for Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, where he scored four goals and added two assists.
Laine Hruska — goalie — one-year contract
After being drafted in the first round in 2020 by the Georgia Swarm, Hruska joined his hometown Saskatchewan Rush, where he was played in 15 games over the last three seasons. He holds a 2-1 record, a .750 save percentage, and 11.77 goals-against average in those contests. Before coming to Saskatchewan, Hruska was named the ALL Rookie of the Year in 2020 after posting a 7.57 goals-against average for the Whitby Steelhawks.
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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