Deagan Watson and Landon Lowes, both Fort Frances locals, have signed on to play for the Fort Frances Lakers next fall.
Watson comes to the Lakers after playing last year for the Warroad High School Warriors. The six-foot-two defenseman helped his team to a 29-1-1 record. Warroad reached the Minnesota State Hockey tournament finals, where they lost 6-5 in the championship game to Mahtomedi High School.
A dual citizen, Watson played minor hockey in Fort Frances before pursuing other high-level opportunities — first with the Thunder Bay Kings in the 2021-22 season, and then with Warroad last year. During his time in the Fort Frances system, Watson has played under members of the Lakers staff, according to Lakers general manager Luke Judson.
“Deagan is a player that most of our coaching staff has worked with in the past,” Judson said. “We know him as a determined player, teammate, and person who has grown leaps and bounds over the past few years, and we’re looking forward to working with him again.”
For his part, Watson believes he can bring some physicality on the back end with a Canadian style of dump-and-chase hockey.
“Down (in the U.S.) they want more focus on the rushes and the plays,” Watson said. “Here it’s more dump and chase and hard hitting. Like Tyler (Miller) said, I’m a big body off the back end. I’d like to just play defense, keep low-scoring games, and I think the physicality is a big factor, so I think it’ll bode well.”
Lowes, a forward, came up in the Fort Frances system having played for the Fort Frances High School Muskies in 2021-22 and then spent last year with the U18 AAA Kenora Thistles. Lowes averaged better than a point per game with 43 points over 40 appearances. The six-foot, 165-pound forward joined the Lakers as an affiliate player at the end of last season and notched an assist through three playoff games. Judson says the Lakers liked what they saw last year and hope to see even more during the upcoming season.
“Landon played well for us as an affiliate last year,” Judson said. “We’re expecting him to take on a bigger role this season. What he exemplifies as a player, teammate and person are exactly the traits we are trying to bring to the Lakers.”
Head coach Tyler Miller says he hopes Lowes continues how he played last season.
“We are excited to have local talent like Landon, who brings a strong work ethic and is an offensive threat,” Miller said. “He contributed points for us in the playoffs and we are hoping to see more of that this coming season.”
Lowes considered other junior programs but said the idea of being at home drew him to the Lakers.
“I just want to stay and play in front of my hometown,” Lowes said. “I wasn’t here last year so I thought it’d be nice to come back for the year and have a good year here.”
The Lakers are hoping to build on a season that saw them go 9-41-1. They hope to have most of the players who finished last season with the team back in the fall. Under Miller, the team felt games were closer and went better.
The Lakers are hosting a golf tournament this Friday at Kitchen Creek Golf Course and there are still spots for more teams available. The scramble event costs $500 per team of four and you can register by calling Kitchen Creek Golf Course at 274-4653.
The Lakers also launched their new Facebook page this week where members of the community can find all the news about the Lakers, player signings and commitments and other information. To stay updated on the Lakers visit facebook.com/fortfranceslakers.
