Former St. John’s lacrosse star Kieran McArdle is the most decorated player in the program’s history, nobody amassing more career points, assists and goals as a member of the Red Storm than the 24-year-old attackman. After winning Major League Lacrosse’s Rookie of the Year in 2014 as a member of the Florida Launch, McArdle has made headlines once again, signing a one-year deal with the National Lacrosse League’s Toronto Rock.
Selected fifth overall in the 2014 draft, McArdle has made his mark as a professional player. He has been honored as a MLL All-Star team member in each of the past two seasons, with his one-year deal with the Rock being the first with the indoor lacrosse league.
“This is going to be a great opportunity playing in the NLL for an organization like the Toronto Rock,” said McArdle, a native of Ronkonkoma, NY. “Indoor lacrosse is something that I have little experience in but an looking forward to the challenge. The coaches and general manage have been very welcoming and are going to give me all the necessities to make it in this league.”
While at St. John’s, McArdle’s work as a junior was perhaps most impressive. During a campaign in which he was named Big East Attack Player of the Year, McArdle was a unanimous conference first team selection and received Big East honors six times, according to RedStormSports.com. In his junior season, he also scored 36 goals and recorded 49 assists, becoming the school’s record-holder for points and assists in a season. He also is the only player in program history to record 200 points, 100 assists and 100 goals in a career.
At Connetquot High School in Bohemia, NY, McArdle played lacrosse all four years, earning All-American and All-Tri State honors during his senior year. He was ranked 64th in Inside Lacrosse’s 2010 Top 100 recruits, and finished second in Suffolk County with 112 points in 2010.
In a press release shared by team Director of Communications and Lacrosse Operations, Mike Hancock, the Rock stated their excitement for signing McArdle and Tom Schreiber, who was picked up on the same day as McArdle. “Tom and Kieran are both world class players with an interest in playing the indoor game,” stated the press release. They are both highly skilled offensive players with as much interest as anyone. They have made a commitment to investing time to get ready for our training camp and have an opportunity to make our club.”
In just three seasons in the MLL, McArdle has scored 110 goals. As a rookie, he scored 34 goals and recorded 15 assists for 49 points, leading all rookies en route to winning the 2014 MLL Rookie of the Year. After appearing in all 14 games in his second year, McArdle set a new launch record for points in a season with 65, according to floridalaunchlacross.com. In 2016, he followed up his sophomore campaign with 33 goals, 18 assists and 18 ground balls.
“The style of play is very different compared to the outdoor game and is going to take some getting used to,” McArdle said. “I am very excited for training camp to start and can’t wait to get up there with the team.”
The Rock begins its season on Dec. 29 on the road at Rochester, followed by their home opener on Jan. 14 against the Saskatchewan Rush.
