This article originally appeared on HaltonHillsToday Sept. 27.
Going to Toronto Rock games as a kid, Sam Haines would often picture himself on the floor. His family had season tickets, so he had plenty of opportunities to imagine himself staring down the sport’s best players.
Haines worked hard at making it a reality. Though he didn’t start his lacrosse career as a goalie, he made the move to the net in his fourth year. His reasoning was simple - it eliminated the one thing he didn’t enjoy about the game.
“I wasn’t a fan of all the running,” he said.
Which also might explain why he ditched soccer in favour of lacrosse. The trade-off was he was having hard rubber balls hurled at him at ever-increasing speeds.
“It was the lesser of two evils,” he says.
At 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, Haines has the size to give shooters limited options, but he has also worked on developing his skills. As a kid, he attended goaltending clinics held by Rock goalie Nick Rose.
This past summer, Rose and Haines went from teacher and student to teammates on the Oakville Rock senior B team that won the Ontario championship. Now Haines hopes to reprise that role in the National Lacrosse League after re-signing with the Toronto Rock, who drafted him in the second round last year.
Haines spent his first season with the organization on the practice squad, giving him the chance to work out with the team.
“I remember walking in the room and seeing my name on a stall and slowly all the butterflies kick in,” the 22-year-old said. “I felt like a kid again. It didn’t feel real.”
Haines got another chance to play with many NLL players again this summer and said it was valuable experience, not only in terms of adjusting to the level of play he would face, but in getting to know the players he hopes to join on the Rock in the future, particularly Rose.
“He’s always open to conversations and I try to absorb as much as I can. He’s been a great influence,” Haines said. “Being my first year of senior, getting into game situations and being a part of it; it helped me grow and build my confidence.”
Though Rose has been a great mentor, he may also provide the biggest roadblock to Haines seeing some time in the NLL. The 35-year-old goalie has started every Rock game since 2017, a stretch of more than 100 straight games including playoffs.
But Haines says he can’t worry about things like that.
“It’s up to me to play up to my potential.”
