Sam on Sports: Deacan Knott
By Sam Laskaris
CURVE LAKE FIRST NATION – Deacan Knott strongly believes he can finish off his junior lacrosse career on a high note, but now, it’ll be with a different Junior A squad than he had originally envisioned.
Like any athlete who has an opportunity to be part of a championship squad, it’s a trade-off that is not worth fretting over.
Knott, a 20-year-old goaltender who is a member of Curve Lake First Nation, entered the 2023 Ontario Junior Lacrosse League (OJLL) campaign hoping to win a league championship as well as a Minto Cup (annually awarded to the top Junior A franchise in Canada) with the Peterborough Lakers.
The Lakers are the closest OJLL squad to Knott’s First Nation, where he still lives, and is the team he had spent all of his previous junior seasons with.
At the start of the year, it appeared the Peterborough club had a serious run for the Ontario title; however, things did not go quite as well as Knott or the Lakers planned with its a five-game losing streak start.
The Lakers then only managed to win two of their first 10 regular season matches.
When it became obvious to the club’s brass, at the halfway point of its regular season, that this was not going to be the Lakers’ year, the Peterborough coaching staff approached Knott and a couple of other team players in their final season of junior eligibility.
Knott and his veteran teammates all responded they wanted an opportunity to capture a Minto Cup this season.
Knott did not specifically request a trade, but shortly thereafter, Knott and two of his Peterborough teammates, Ben Trumble and Zack Thompson, were sent to the Burlington Blaze as part of a blockbuster deal.
Since Burlington is one of the OJLL’s top squads, Knott’s dreams of winning a championship this season are now very much reignited again.
Knott, who was drafted by the National Lacrosse League’s Philadelphia Wings last year, is certainly doing his part. He’s now the Number 1 goaltender for the Blaze and he managed to win three of his first four starts in a Burlington jersey.
Knott, who works as an apprentice for D & D Plumbing in Curve Lake First Nation, is understandably happier these days as he’s on a winning squad.
And he doesn’t mind the fact he has a lengthy commute to get to Burlington for team practices and its home games.
It takes Knott about two hours and 10 minutes to get from his home to Burlington. Once you double that for the return trip, that’s a good chunk of his day that he spends travelling to be a part of his new squad.
While Trumble and Thompson have spent some nights staying with new Blaze teammates, since he also works full-time, Knott doesn’t have the luxury of staying in Burlington for several days at a time to cut down on some of his commutes.
It’s a sacrifice Knott doesn’t mind making, especially if the Blaze keeps winning more than its share of contests, keeping Knott’s championship dreams alive.