Shane Simpson Reconnects with His ‘Why’ with Warriors

Over the past few years, Shane Simpson has learned a lot about what drives him as a professional lacrosse player.  

In his first year as a free agent, Simpson finally had autonomy over his career. Although Vancouver is nearly a six-hour flight from his hometown of Hamilton, Ontario, he felt the team’s goals and player-first approach aligned with his own. 

He has seen the team blossom over the last couple of years and has history with several players who have become some of his closest friends. On top of that, the coaching staff’s humanistic approach is something that resonates with him. 

“Ultimately, it's just the coaching staff that I wanted to compete for,” Simpson said. 

“What I had to come to terms with over the last number of years is loving the jersey that I'm competing for, loving what the mission that’s behind the jersey, and I think I found that in Vancouver, so I’m very thankful.” 

He is grateful to Warriors General Manager/Head Coach Curt Malawsky and the Aquilini family for giving him the opportunity to compete for a championship. Their trust in him and playing for the guy next to him is all the motivation he needs. 

“I'm going to absolutely leave 110 percent on the floor because of the relationships that I’ve built in the locker room and then with the coaching staff as well,” he said. 

Malawsky says Simpson’s lacrosse IQ elevates the defensive group and gives the Warriors another offensive threat out of their own end in transition. Simpson also has a strong understanding of the Warriors’ defence-first, run-second philosophy. 

“I think he'll help our short man too, he's an elite scorer when he gets in front of the net, and he's got a very high shooting percentage,” Malawsky said. “In my mind, he's the fastest guy in the National Lacrosse League. It’s his ability to know how to play honest defence, and to know when to go, then Delbs is able to put the ball on his stick.” 

With so many veterans in the room, Simpson felt welcomed right away. He’s comfortable with the systems and structure, and the team has been working on building chemistry through training camp. 

In their first preseason game against the San Diego Seals, Simpson said it wasn’t the result they wanted, but the focus right now is on the process over results. The 17-11 loss to the Seals was a reminder to the group that nothing is going to be easy this season, and they need to focus on the details of the game. 

“The five-minute segments are something that Mouse has always preached, and we're just really looking to take it shift by shift,” Simpson said. “Obviously it was not the result that we wanted, but we'll take it as a positive. We'll learn from it, get better, and go twice as hard against Colorado this coming week, and really bring that workhorse mentality.” 

The Warriors’ back end kept the Seals to the outside, but he said there’s always room for improvement to extend the defence and elevate their game. The group’s identity continues to be built on size, strength, and shared purpose; it’s now just a matter of refining their execution. 

“If we can keep teams to the shots that they saw this past Saturday, we know that we'll be successful more times than not with Del Bianco, who’s the best goalie in the league,” Simpson said. 

He also liked the team’s compete on draws against Trevor Baptiste and how they battled for every loose ball. The Warriors pushed back in the second half and fought for each other. 

“Obviously, that team-tough mentality and the way in which we were able to compete in the second half was positive. We saw some good things, but there’s a long way to go to get to where we need to be in May,” Simpson said. 

The Warriors are now preparing for their second exhibition game against the Colorado Mammoth – the first of their back-to-back meetings in two weeks. Simpson believes the Warriors have the foundation to grow into the team they want to be, and he’s committed to setting the standard every day.  

With an extra week to prepare before the regular season opens on November 29th, the team has time to sharpen the details that have defined their play over the last two seasons.