MONTREAL – Kieran McKay, a graduate of the McGill University men's lacrosse team, made his professional debut with the National Lacrosse League's Calgary Roughnecks against visiting Colorado at the Saddledome on Feb. 11, 2023.
 
"Coach pulled me to the side and said he was hoping to put me in tonight,"  McKay told the Roughnecks team website. "He said it's going to be my shot and if I wanted to let my family know now would be a good time. I usually like to take a little nap on game days but I was having trouble sleeping. I was pretty excited."

McKay, who signed with the team last August, was credited with recovering three loose balls, a blocked shot and one shot on net a 13-9 victory for the Roughnecks.
 
A 24-year-old member of the Cree nation, McKay hails from Richmond, B.C., and graduated from McGill in 2021 with a science degree, majoring in kinesiology.
 
The first aboriginal-status student-athlete in McGill lacrosse history, he emerged quickly as one of the team's top offensive-minded players and in 2019, was one of three inaugural recipients of a Canadian Lacrosse Foundation Athletics Award, a prize valued at $2,000.
 
Over his four seasons at McGill, the 6-foot-4, 190-pound midfielder scored 24 goals and 38 points in 41 regular season games. He was only penalized three times. In the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association playoffs for the Baggataway Cup championship, McKay added three goals and seven points in seven games.
 
Prior to enrolling at McGill in 2016, McKay graduated from Robert A. McMath secondary school in the Steveston area of Richmond. He is also a product of the Burnaby Mountain Selects, an elite development field lacrosse program, and played at the Jr. A level with the Burnaby Lakers.

McKay is the fifth McGill player to be associated with the NLL, a select group that includes midfielder Ethan Forgrave (BSc '23), defenceman Oliver Bolsterli (BCom '21) and attackman Spencer Bromley (BA '17), who were previously drafted, and midfielder Connor Goodwin (B.Eng '16) who signed with the Vancouver Warriors in 2022.

Forgrave was a third-round pick, 43rd overall by Saskatchewan in the NLL's 2021 Entry Draft. Bolsterli was a fourth round selection, 56th overall, by San Diego in 2019, while Bromley was chosen in the fifth round, 48th overall, by Saskatchewan in 2016.

Founded in 1986, the NLL describes itself as the North America's premier professional box lacrosse league. It is comprised of 14 franchises across the United States and Canada, including Calgary, the Halifax Thunderbirds, Saskatchewan Rush, Toronto Rock and Vancouver Warriors.
 
SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-398-7012 (Tel.)
m.athletics.mcgill.ca (mobile website)
www.mcgillathletics.ca
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca