Graeme Hossack named NLL Defensive Player of the Year for third-consecutive Se
Jun 30, 2020
For the third time in five seasons in the National Lacrosse League, Graeme Hossack has been named the league's top defensive player. The human “Cyborg” proved that not only is he getting better, he has yet to scratch the surface of his prime. His fifth season of play in the NLL has arguably been his most dominant yet, on pace to break records in goals, assists, points, looseballs, and cause turnovers.
"Graeme came into camp in fantastic shape, he worked hard, and has done all the right things," said Head Coach, Mike Accursi. "In practice you won’t find a harder worker than Graeme. He makes everyone around him better and everyone has to bring their game up to where he is. He’s going to be a force in this league for a very long time and I’m sure this wont be the last defensive player of the year award for him."
In just 12 games Hossack tallied 9 goals and 9 assists gathering 107 loose balls, and logged a staggering 27:32 minutes of floor time, second only to Kiel Matisz of the Philadelphia Wings. His presence on the floor is noticeable to everyone in the building, running through offensive players with ease, pushing the floor in transition, and scoring goals not typically seen by defensive players.
“Graeme has all the natural talent in the world to win this award year after year,” said fellow defenceman Scott Campbell. “But what is awesome to see is he also has an unmatched work ethic to continue to get better on and off the floor every day when he is already the best defender in the league. Just when you think he can’t elevate his game any further he does and that’s what has been so fun to watch over the years.”
For Hossack, winning Defensive Player of the Year is nothing he takes for granted. The humble defenseman when asked about winning DPoY, "I am excited to continue growing the game on the East Coast. Playing in front of our Halifax fans in The Nest seems to bring out our best. We had a no quit mentality in each game. This hopefully taught our fans to never leave a game early"
“Well deserved award for Graeme, Defensive Player of the Year, First team All-Star, said Owner/GM, Curt Styres. "By far the hardest working player in the whole league. Every game he gets better, and just being around him and watching him, our players get better. He pushes our whole defense and team to a level where we need to be, in order to be competitive every year."
Coach Accursi and his staff have the ability to craft their lineup knowing that they have a player in Hossack, who can move the ball and truly dominate at both ends of the floor.
"Some nights he was a great transition player, he can play many different facets of the game and again I don’t think we have seen the ceiling on Graeme Hossack. I think he’s only going to get better and better as he gets older.”
Pat Gregoire, NLL insider and Thunderbirds colour analyst believes Hossack could immortalize himself in the likes of Jim Veltman, Pat Coyle, and Regy Thorpe. “Many say he's the best defender in the world. Some say he's the best overall player in the NLL. I say, Graeme Hossack could be one of the greatest defenders to ever play the game once he hangs up his stick and calls it a career."