Shamrocks Sign Burton, King & Small

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Written by Lucas Wilson

Victoria, BC – The Victoria Shamrocks have announced forwards Corey Small, Jesse King, and defenseman Tyler Burton as their first three signings for the 2016 Western Lacrosse Association season.

In 2015, Small led the WLA in points with 33 goals and 46 assists for 79 points in 18 games. Small dominated the postseason as well, scoring 40 points in eight WLA playoff games, and 25 points in six Mann Cup games. For his efforts, Small was awarded Mann Cup MVP and was named a WLA 1st team All-Star. Small will be turning 29 this year, and is heading into his seventh season with the Shamrocks.

In his first full season in WLA, King finished seventh in points scoring 33 goals and 31 assists for 64 points in 16 games. In the postseason, King scored 18 points in five WLA playoff games and 14 points in six Mann Cup games. For his efforts in 2015, King was also named a WLA 1st team All-Star, and won two team awards: the George Blackstock Memorial Award for most valuable player and the Chris Hall Award, which is awarded to the player with the most competitive spirit. King is from Victoria, and grew up playing with Juan de Fuca Lacrosse. He will be turning 24 in the summer.

Burton, 27, is returning for his fourth season with the Shamrocks. As well as being one of the top faceoff men in the in WLA, Burton brings considerable size and strength to the Shamrocks back end. In 2015, Burton finished with seven points, tied for second most on the team for defensemen.

Shamrocks General Manager Chris Welch sees these players as important signings. “It's great to have three of our core players signed at this early stage of the year,” said Welch. “All three of these players played key roles for us last year and will continue to be big contributors going forward.”