Brooklin Moves Bodies For Possible Future Help

By Sam Laskaris

The Brooklin Lacrosse Club has completed a trade which could potentially significantly assist the team down the road.

It was announced on Monday that Brooklin has traded the playing rights of Dan Lintner and Sheldon Burns as well as a second-round pick in the 2020 Major Series Lacrosse (MSL) Entry Draft to the Oakville Rock. In return, Brooklin acquired the (future) rights to Chris Boushy as well as a first-round selection in next year’s MSL draft. Boushy is currently starring in the Western Lacrosse Association with the Victoria Shamrocks.

“He can be a dominant player,” Brad MacArthur, who doubles as Brooklin’s head coach and general manager, said of Boushy. “He’s leading his team in scoring right now.” Boushy is providing his share of offence for the Shamrocks as he’s collected 23 points (13 goals and 10 assists) in seven games. In a deal Victoria and Oakville had swung earlier, Boushy’s playing rights were to be returned to the Rock at the conclusion of the 2019 campaign. With Monday’s trade, however, Brooklin will now have his rights at the end of the season.

MacArthur is hoping to one day see Boushy in the Brooklin lineup. The Shamrocks would have to complete another deal with Brooklin in order to have Boushy play for them beyond the 2019 campaign. “At some point he’s coming back to Ontario, if not next year maybe the year after,” MacArthur said.

MacArthur is well acquainted with Boushy, who was a member of the Arena Lacrosse League champion Whitby Steelhawks in 2018. MacArthur was the co-head coach/GM of that championship team. Boushy, a 21-year-old who is from Burlington, was also a rookie in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) this year. He played eight games with the Rochester Knighthawks and eight others with the Calgary Roughnecks.

As for Lintner and Burns, both had played for Brooklin in the past but did not fit into the team’s plans this year. Lintner had requested a trade out of Brooklin while MacArthur believed past injuries and career obligations would keep Burns out of the lineup in 2019. He’s now expected to suit up for Oakville.

Both Lintner and Burns also play in the NLL with the Toronto Rock. MacArthur accommodated the wishes of both players, who felt faring well in Oakville, with many of their NLL Rock teammates, would boost their profile with Toronto’s pro team this coming year.

“Their reasoning wanting to go to Oakville was quite specific,” MacArthur said. "I was able to speak with both players throughout the process. We certainly wish Dan and Sheldon well as they move on. You never know when or if you may see guys come back. Life circumstances can always change."

Meanwhile, Brooklin’s next game is Tuesday night against the host Six Nations Chiefs.

And Brooklin’s next home contest is this Wednesday against the two-time defending Mann Cup champions, the Peterborough Lakers. The opening faceoff for that match, which will be staged at the Iroquois Park Sports Centre is Whitby, is set for 8 p.m.