VICTORIA – For the second year in a row, University of Victoria men's rugby players will make the jump to the pros after getting selected in this year's Major League Rugby Collegiate (MLR) draft on August 18. In round one, the Dallas Jackals picked up recent graduate
Ethan Hager as the eighth overall pick, only one of four Canadians drafted in the first round. Third-round picks Gabe Casey and
Denver Fatt, who went fifth and sixth respectively, are both headed to play for the Toronto Arrows.
"It is great to see these guys achieve a goal they've been working so hard for. The MLR is still relatively new, but it makes professional rugby more visible and more attainable for Canadians going through the university system. It is important that student-athletes view UVic as a viable option to earn a degree while also developing into the type of rugby player that could play professionally," said
Scott Manning, UVic men's rugby coach.
In last year's MLR draft, the only Canadian selected in the first round was UVic's
Logan Martin-Feek, who went fourth overall to the Arrows. Due to an injury, Martin-Feek didn't end up playing with the Arrows and sat out all of 2021-22. A healthy Martin-Feek will return to the Vikes and suit up for the 2022-23 season.
For athletes like Hager, a multi-dimensional 6'2" winger/fullback from Brantford, ON, seeing teammates like Martin-Feek and James O'Neil get drafted last year demonstrated a viable pathway for Canadian university athletes to play professionally after wrapping up their university careers.
"I decided I was going to declare for the draft last year after my fellow teammate,
Logan Martin-Feek was drafted in the first round. I have always wanted to be a professional athlete; that has always been goal number one. The draft is an excellent pathway for university ball players to achieve that goal," said Hager.
"At the end of the day, it's a small but meaningful step for my rugby career. I look forward to testing my limits and finding my final form as a player and an individual. I am most grateful to my parents, John and Cherie, for their support over my lifetime. Without them, I would not be making this step closer to my dreams."
The University of Victoria men's rugby program continues to prove itself as one of, if not the top tier program in Canadian university rugby, taking a silver medal at least year's national championships. UVic will look to win back its national championship crown in late November at the Canadian University Men's Rugby Championship tournament (November 30 – December 4) hosted by the University of British Columbia.
"Under Doug Tate, the program here at UVic has produced many athletes who have gone on to national team, and professional representation. We are lucky to inherit a team with players like Logan, Gabe, Ethan, and Denver already in place. We'll do everything we can to ensure that the next wave of athletes to come through here can follow the path these guys have carved if that is a part of their aspirations," said Manning.
Gallery: (8-26-2022) Men's Rugby
