DENVER – The Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League (NLL) today announced the organization has signed Defensive Coordinator Dan MacRae to a multi-year contract. The new contract will take effect immediately, with MacRae joining Pat Coyle and Jason Bishop on the bench for the upcoming 2023-24 NLL season.
“We identified Dan early as a candidate for the Defensive Coordinator position. He came highly recommended from people within and outside our organization,” Mammoth General Manager Brad Self shared. “He had a great career as a player, he is a proven leader and winner and has carried that over to coaching one of the top Jr. A teams in Canada. Dan’s got a bright future and we’re excited for him to get to work with our group.”
Originally drafted by the Calgary Roughnecks during the 2010 NLL Entry Draft (first round, sixth overall), MacRae recorded 12 NLL seasons as a defenseman, playing his first nine seasons with the Calgary Roughnecks before concluding his career with the New York Riptide over the past three years. Most recently logging two regular season appearances while dealing with lingering injuries during the 2022-23 season, the 35-year-old announced his retirement Thursday afternoon prior to accepting his new role as Defensive Coordinator with Colorado.
“I’m beyond excited to join one of the top organizations in National Lacrosse League,” MacRae shared. “I had a good experience working with Pat and Brad in bringing this to life and know they have a successful staff, team and system that they follow, so I’m really excited to be on board and contribute anyway I can.”
In 178 regular season appearances, the defenseman racked up 119 points (29g, 90a), 850 loose balls, 197 caused turnovers and 108 penalty minutes during his combined time with the Roughnecks and Riptide. Adding seven points (1g, 6a), 92 loose balls, 25 caused turnovers and 21 penalty minutes in 25 career postseason games played, MacRae helped Calgary secured its most recent NLL Championship in 2019, chipping in three points (1g, 2a), 19 loose balls and six caused turnovers in four playoff appearances.
The Rochester Institute of Technology graduate assumes his new role with several seasons of coaching experience to his name, most recently spending the past three seasons coaching the Burlington Blaze Jr. A squad of the Ontario Junior Lacrosse League (OJLL) after representing the club as a player from 2007-09. Coaching the squad to a 19-7 regular season record en route to securing the No. 2 seed for postseason play, MacRae’s Blaze are currently enduring a playoff series with the Mimico Mountaineers.
Additional details on former Mammoth Defensive Coordinator Andrew McBride stepping away from the bench will be shared in the near the future, as the dedicated lacrosse mentor plans to spend more time with his family during the 2023-24 campaign.
Mammoth fans can stay tuned to coloradomammoth.com and Colorado Mammoth social media channels for the latest transactions, offseason announcements and beyond!
