Drexel's McIntosh Says Being No. 1 Pick In NLL Draft Is 'Huge Honor'

By Matt Leon

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- The National Lacrosse League Draft was held Monday in Toronto and the Edmonton Rush used the No. 1 overall selection to take former Drexel Dragons midfielder Ben McIntosh.

"It's a huge honor," McIntosh tells KYW Newsradio. "It was really cool. Edmonton's a great team. Honestly, they're probably one of the best teams in the league and they got the first overall pick, so that's pretty rare that that happens. I don't even know if it (being drafted No.1) has sunk in yet."

McIntosh scored a school record 48 goals as a senior this past season for Drexel, helping the Dragons advance to the NCAA Tournament's quarterfinals.

"Drexel, I have nothing but good things to say," McIntosh says. "I had an absolute blast there. I lived with a great group of guys, had a great team, it was a great school."

McIntosh, a native of British Columbia, will be joining a familiar face with the Rush. Another former Dragon, forward Robert Church, was drafted in the first round by Edmonton in 2013.

"Church and I, we've played a lot of box lacrosse together," McIntosh says. "We've played a lot of field lacrosse together. So it's really good to have someone you're familiar with and it definitely helps the transition."

McIntosh and the Rush open the 2015 season on January 3rd on the road against Buffalo.

You can follow Matt on Twitter @mattleonkyw.