The Rochester Knighthawks made three local selections, including a two-time NCAA National Champion, during the 2024 National Lacrosse League Entry Draft.
The Knighthawks opened the draft by selecting defenseman Conner Fingar at 27th overall. A native of Penn Yan, Fingar was part of the University at Albany men’s lacrosse team that captured the America East championship in 2024, marking the program’s first conference title since 2018.
Fingar appeared in all 18 games during the 2024 campaign, recording six points (3+3) while adding a career-high 30 ground balls. In 50 career games with the Great Danes, he totaled 20 points (10+10) and 73 groundballs while also causing 17 turnovers from the midfield position.
Fingar also competed for the Hawkeyes over parts of three seasons in the Upstate Collegiate Box Lacrosse League. He captained the Hawkeyes to an undefeated season in 2024, culminating with the team’s first-ever NCBS National Championship.
Prior to attending the University at Albany, the 6-foot-1, 200-pound defenseman was an accomplished three-sport athlete at Penn Yan Academy, where he competed in football, basketball and lacrosse. As a senior, he was named a First-Team All-State and Section V Class C Defensive Player of the Year in football, a Second-Team All-League selection in basketball and an All-American in lacrosse. He was also a member of the Democrat and Chronicle All-Greater Rochester Super 16 team after leading Penn Yan to a Section V lacrosse championship.
The Knighthawks added their second local player into the mix while also keeping the University at Albany pipeline intact by selecting face-off specialist and Farmington native Regan Endres with the 51st overall pick.
Endres is coming off a career-best season for the Great Danes in 2024, scoring four goals and going 263-for-456 (.577 winning percentage) at the face-off circle while appearing in all 18 games as a senior. His prowess at the center dot led the Great Danes to the first American East Conference title since 2018.
In 60 collegiate contests with Albany, he totaled seven points (4+3) and 328 groundballs while also winning 655-of-1,234 face-off attempts for a career .531 success rate. As a sophomore, Endres was named to the 2022 America East All-Tournament team and was also an America East All-Conference Second Team selection.
Before joining Albany prior to the 2021 season, the 5-foot-9, 175-pound Endres was a two-sport athlete in both lacrosse and wrestling at Victor High School. Endres led the Blue Devils to a pair of New York State lacrosse championships in 2017 and 2019, earning First Team All-County and Under Armour Underclass All-American honors. He was also a two-time All-County selection for wrestling, garnering Second Team accolades in 2018 and First Team honors in 2019.
It marks the second straight year in which the Knighthawks selected multiple picks out of the University at Albany. In 2023, Rochester chose forward Graydon Hogg in the first round (15th overall) before taking two-time America East Defensive Player of the Year and 2024 USILA National Defensive Player of the Year Jake Piseno in the second round (35th overall).
Rochester used its final pick of the night to select defenseman and two-time NCAA National Champion Caleb Commandant out of Rochester Institute of Technology (R.I.T.) at 80th overall.
A native of Rockwood, Ontario, Commandant spent the last four years at R.I.T., where he recorded 11 points (7+4) and 82 groundballs over 65 career games while leading the Tigers to back-to-back Division III national titles in 2021 and 2022. Over his first two seasons with R.I.T., the Tigers posted a near-perfect 31-1 record in the games in which Commandant appeared in.
Commandant appeared in all 24 games as a senior in 2024, helping the Tigers to a 21-3 record during which he anchored a defense that allowed only 255 goals.
Additionally, Commandant has notched two points (1+1) over 18 games in Major Series Lacrosse slit between the Peterborough Lakers and Owen Sound North Stars as well as nine points (2+7) in 26 appearances at the Junior ‘A’ level with the Burlington Chiefs and Oakville Buzz.
