Riggs Ready to make an impact

Ethan Riggs was tuned into the 2020 NLL Draft alongside his family at home, wondering what his future would hold. 

At just 20 years old, he had made the decision to turn pro and try his luck at his dream of playing in the National Lacrosse League. Thankfully for him, he didn’t have to wait around long to get the call, as the Halifax Thunderbirds selected the defender with their 11th overall pick. 

“When my name was called in the first round, I was legitimately stuck in my place,” Riggs said. “My mom jumped up and started screaming. It was funny for us, because the person picked before me was also Ethan, so we all jumped up and then went, ‘Oh wait,’ and sat back down. It was my name the next time, and we lost it.

“I was just stuck in place. I couldn’t move. It didn’t really sink in until I got that call from Curt Styres to say congratulations.”

Riggs’ journey to his first training camp as a professional has been a winding one that first started in Ontario Junior C with the Brantford Warriors back in 2017. He was able to post nine points in 13 games, while also splitting time making appearances in Junior B with the Hamilton Bengals. 

The following summer, Riggs made it into 15 games with the Bengals, and after making one appearance for the Junior A Burlington Chiefs during the 2018 campaign, he’d crack their roster in 2019. 

It wasn’t a big point year for Riggs, as he focused on playing in his own end and learning from the coaching staff in Burlington while playing the top competition in his age group.

But he didn’t stop with just playing Junior ball, as he tried his hand in the Arena Lacrosse League in both 2019 and 2020, playing against grown men, the majority of which had experience in senior ball or played in the NLL previously. He started out with the Peterborough Timbermen before being traded to the Six Nations Snipers in his second year.

“It was definitely a change for me. Playing with and against bigger guys was something I wasn’t used to,” Riggs said. “My whole Junior career, I’ve been one of the bigger guys, so playing against guys that were bigger and could throw me around, it definitely brought up the experience level for me. Even now in Junior, I feel like these guys aren’t as big to me because I’ve played against those (Senior players).”

Year after year, the youngster was making a name for himself while continuing to improve.  

Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and both the Junior and Senior circuits of Canadian summer lacrosse came to a screeching halt. Going without box lacrosse for the summer of 2020, Riggs made the choice to renounce his NCAA eligibility and declare for the 2020 NLL Entry Draft. 

As one of the last individuals to enter the draft class, Riggs made sure to check mocks and rankings, which had him touted as an early-to-mid second-round selection. But his solid play with the Chiefs and Timbermen -- along with his play style and frame -- got him on the radar of NLL teams. 

“We had wanted to get a big, young defender. We had watched him play Junior, and we were really impressed,” Thunderbirds Head Coach Mike Accursi said of Riggs. “Then we saw his name pop up, and he was draft eligible, and we said that he was a guy that impressed us and had the size and athleticism to play at the next level. So, we knew that he was the guy we were going to pick.”

Riggs has already received high praise from defensive coach Billy Dee Smith, and his journey has drawn comparisons to three-time NLL Defensive Player of the Year Graeme Hossack, who also worked his way up the ranks after starting out playing Junior C lacrosse.

This summer, Riggs had the chance to get added reps ahead of his first professional training camp, as the Ontario Junior Lacrosse League returned for a condensed three-weekend campaign. He was one of the top defenders in the tournament, helping to lead a Burlington team who, unfortunately, came up just short of the postseason. 

Burlington’s coaching staff had no shortage of NLL talent, with New York’s Dan MacRae and Philadelphia’s Alex Crepinsek behind the bench. Those two individuals have helped Riggs out with his play out of the back gate, learning better positioning and how to put himself in the best position to succeed on every possession.

Standing at 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, the 21-year-old unsurprisingly described himself as a physical presence who loves to get gritty. 

“I love getting in peoples faces, and people call me crazy because I’ll be smiling at you while I hit you,” Riggs said. 

Despite his larger frame, Riggs does possess agility and quickness that can catch opponents off guard. He added that in making that next step in his game, he wants to gain more confidence with carrying the ball up the floor. 

Now that his summer campaign has come to a close, Riggs is set to come out to Thunderbirds training camp, where he’s looking forward to being a sponge and learning from the veterans on the Thunderbirds’ roster. He’s looking forward to getting the chance to learn from Halifax Captain Cody Jamieson especially. 

The pair were on opposite sides during the OJLL season, as Jamieson was coaching the Six Nations Arrows alongside Georgia Swarm forward Randy Staats. 

Since the Thunderbirds last took to the floor, they’ve made some significant additions on the back end. On top of the likes of Hossack, Jake Withers, Luc Magnan, Brad Gillies, and Scott Campbell, the team also added a pair of impact defenders in David Brock and Tyson Bell. 

First-year standout Nonkon Thompson has continued to develop, James Barclay and Colton Armstrong are solid pieces within the defence, and Swiss-Army Knife Ryan Terefenko has also signed a three-year deal off a stellar summer in the PLL. That depth benefits Accursi and his staff, who can take their time with Riggs instead of rushing him into a top role right away. 

That should allow him to develop at his own pace. Riggs is considered to have an extremely high ceiling as a defender, so having him possibly sit behind experienced players is a nice problem to have for the coaches. 

“The good thing with our team is that we have a lot of experience and depth on the back end. And that affords us the ability to not have to unfairly put him in situations where he might get exposed,” Accursi said. “We’re going to give him the time to make sure that he learns the way the game needs to be played at the next level and not have to force him into a situation where he’s got to go up against a Callum Crawford or Dan Dawson right away. 

“I think we begin to slowly put him into game situations, and he might surprise up and be able to make that jump immediately. But we don’t need to rush him, which is nice for us.” 

Last summer, Riggs received a customized jersey from the team with his name and number on the back. At that moment, he said that it became real to him. He was a professional lacrosse player. 

In just a few month’s time, he’ll have a chance to don the jersey once again, but this time, it’ll be when he suits up for his first professional game. 

“From a young age, you just have that dream of playing the sport you love professionally, so when you see your name on the back of a team’s jersey, your heart just kind of drops, and it’s like, ‘Wow, look at this!’” Riggs said. “I love the city of Halifax. It’s definitely one of the places I wanted to go to, and I can’t wait to get down there, and I can’t wait for training camp.”