The Victoria Shamrocks announced Friday that Jesse King is returning to the team for the 2018 Western Lacrosse Association season.
The 25-year-old native of Victoria is considered one of the most complete players in the game today. King was a key component of the Shamrocks’ 2015 Mann Cup championship team. The six-foot-three left-hander has recorded 224 points with 99 goals and 125 assists in 61 career games with the Shamrocks before suffering an injury during the 2016 playoffs that would cause him to miss the entire 2017 season.
“I am beyond excited to once again be playing in Victoria this summer,” said the Claremont Secondary graduate, who played field-lacrosse in the NCAA for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
“Having the ability to play in front of family and friends is something I cherish very much. Being injured last summer and not being able to be around my teammates was tough, and I hope to bring whatever I can to the team again this summer.”
It is hoped King’s return will make up for the loss of former Shamrocks captain Corey Small, the 31-year-old scoring machine, who is returning to his home province of Ontario.
The Peterborough Lakers announced that Small will play for them this season in the Ontario Major League. A standout with the Shamrocks the past seven seasons, Small announced earlier this spring he would not be returning to Victoria.
The five-foot-10 dynamo was twice WLA scoring champion and four-time WLA all-star during his time in Victoria. Ironically, Small was the Mann Cup championship series MVP in 2015 when the Shamrocks defeated the Lakers to win the Canadian Senior A title.
