The Peterborough Lakers have made a splash ahead of the 2025 Major Series Lacrosse (MSL) season, acquiring veteran goaltender Nick Rose from the Oakville Rock in exchange for goalie Landon Kells, a 2026 first-round draft pick, and a conditional second-round pick in 2027. The trade, announced earlier today, bolsters the Lakers’ roster with one of the most accomplished netminders in lacrosse.
With Rose coming in, the Lakers were forced to move Kells, a promising young goaltender who has been a fixture with the team in recent seasons. Kells, who helped Peterborough capture the Mann Cup in 2019, started 13 games last summer and currently plays for the Las Vegas Desert Dogs in the NLL. While Kells heads to Oakville with a first-round pick, the Lakers are banking on Rose’s veteran presence to push them toward another championship run.
Rose, a native of Orangeville, Ontario, brings a wealth of experience to Peterborough. The 37-year-old began his lacrosse journey with the Orangeville Northmen, where he won back-to-back Minto Cups in 2008 and 2009, earning the Robert Melville Memorial Trophy both years, along with teammate Dillon Ward, as the Most Outstanding Goaltenders in (Ontario) Junior ‘A’ lacrosse. His professional career has been equally illustrious, most notably with the Toronto Rock in the National Lacrosse League (NLL), where he was named the league’s Goaltender of the Year last season. Last month, after over a decade in Toronto, the Rock traded Rose to the Calgary Roughnecks.
Reflecting on the trade to the Lakers, Rose emphasized his excitement to join one of Canada’s most storied lacrosse franchises.
Audio PlayerRose’s resume speaks for itself. After his junior success, he spent time in the Western Lacrosse Association (WLA) with the Coquitlam Adanacs and Langley Thunder before returning to Ontario in 2014 to join the Oakville Rock in the MSL. He played nine seasons with the Rock, including their two-year stint in Senior B from 2022 to 2023. Last summer, he posted a 9.12 goals-against average and an .829 save percentage over nine games with Oakville. He also won gold with Canada back in September, along with Laker Jake Withers, at the World Box Lacrosse Championships in Utica, New York.
For Rose, the move to Peterborough represents a chance to chase one major accolade missing from his trophy case: a Mann Cup.
Audio PlayerThe Lakers will face Rose’s former team, the Oakville Rock, on June 5 in Peterborough, a matchup sure to carry extra weight for the veteran goaltender. But for now, Rose is focused on integrating with his new teammates, many of whom he already knows from his years in the sport.
Audio PlayerWith his track record and hunger for a Mann Cup, the veteran goaltender could be the key to another championship summer for the Lake Show, who last hoisted the trophy in 2022.
Peterborough will open their 2025 season on the road when they travel to Brooklin on May 21, before returning home the following night for their much-anticipated home opener against the two-time defending champion Six Nations Chiefs.
(Written by: Scott Arnold)
