The WIZard

Feb 26, 2020

 

Thunderbirds defenceman, Jake Withers, has dominated at the X since joining the franchise as the second overall pick of the 2017 NLL entry draft. He’s made a name for himself as one of the best in league when it comes to face-offs, as well as being a top defenceman on the teams roster. In last Saturday’s game, Withers won his 700th face-off in just three years in the league. He is also currently third in the league for loose balls (97). 

 

The Peterborough, Ontario native  remains humbled by his impressive career. “It’s been a product of having unbelievable teammates over my first 3 years in the NLL. I have been fortunate enough to play with a lot of great players thus far, that have helped put me in a position to win possessions for the team.”

 

Withers has maintained a steady career of milestones, accepting the award for the NLL Rookie of the Year in 2018 as well as having a successful run with the Peterborough Lakers and Team Canada. He brings these experiences with him to the turf when playing for the 'Birds.

 

“Ups and downs will happen. Sometimes everything will be going right and sometimes everything will be going wrong. You just have to keep your head down, continue to work hard and stay even keel.  Don’t get too high and don’t get too low, manage the good and bad times the same and keep what you’re trying to achieve at the forefront.”

 

So what does the face-off specialist do when he’s not winning possession for the Thunderbirds? You can find Withers studying in his spare time to become a firefighter, as well as running face-off clinics across North America for the Faceoff Academy. Fan’s might not know this about Withers but he loves video games as well!

 

“I put down the lacrosse stick and pick up the xbox controller. Nothing better than winding down on the gaming sticks. Sometimes it’s just as frustrating as lacrosse, though.”