“Shooter” Wins NLL Points Title

TORONTO – Josh Sanderson is the National Lacrosse League points champion for the 2006 season, finishing with 98 points in 16 games with the Rock this season.

Sanderson, who also led the league in assists for the second straight season with 69 helpers, edged Rochester’s John Grant (97 points) and Rock teammate Colin Doyle (96 points) for the points title. Rock forward Blaine Manning finished in a tie for eighth place with 80 points. Grant won the scoring title with 54 goals, including five game-winners.

Toronto’s Jim Veltman won the loose-ball title once again, setting a new league standard by scooping up 226 loose balls on the season. It’s the 13th season Veltman has led the league in this category in 14 seasons.

For Sanderson, who is in his second season with the Rock, the accomplishment is another to add to an impressive resume. In 2005, Sanderson set a new all-time mark for assists in a season with 71. He was also selected to the 2006 NLL East Division All-Star Team.

“It’s good to see him get that type of recognition,” said Rock assistant coach Matt Sawyer. “He’s a special player who puts a lot of effort into every game… but it’s definitely a team award, he’d be the first to tell you that. We’ve got a lot of good players on offence. Two years in a row, two different guys win the league points title. It shows they’re a very unselfish group.”

“It’s a nice accomplishment, but when you’ve got a team like ours there’s so many offensive guys who contribute that you can’t forget to recognize the team,” adds general manager and head coach Terry Sanderson. “But when you’re competing against the Doyles, the Tavares and the Grants of the league, it’s a nice recognition of the talent.”

Josh, who turns 29 on Sunday, currently resides in Orangeville with his girlfriend Lindsay, son Cameron and daughter Ashley.

Josh Sanderson Bio

Position: Forward

Shoots: Left

Height: 5’7″

Weight: 150 lbs.

Birthdate: April 23, 1977

Born: Orangeville, Ont.

Resides: Orangeville, Ont.

Years played: 8

2005 Team: Toronto

Nickname: Shooter

Occupation: Sales Manager, Sanderson Source for Sports

How Acquired: Part of a six-player trade with San Jose in 2004

Summer Team: Brampton Excelsiors

Championships: 1 NLL Championship with Toronto

Career Stats

Yr. Team GP G A PTS LB

2006 Toronto 16 29 69 98 92

2005 Toronto 16 31 71 102 112

2004 San Jose 16 28 61 89 60

2003 Albany 15 25 51 76 61

2002 Albany 16 36 68 103 62

2001 Albany 14 18 32 50 68

2000 Albany 11 30 34 64 61

1999 Rochester 5 6 6 12 17

1998 Rochester 4 1 3 4 10

TOTAL 113 204 395 598 543