Jackson Webster has always had to wait for his opportunity.
After being taken sixth overall in the Ontario Jr. A draft, he got into just one game with Barrie in 2019, and then the 2020 season was cancelled due to COVID-19.
He reemerged with St. Catharines in 2021, helping the team win the Ontario Jr. A title and then exploded for a 90-point season to finish in the top-10 in league scoring.
He didn’t start a single game in his first three seasons at Canisius College, but then finished second on the team with 32 points in his senior year.
So when Webster was selected in the third round of the National Lacrosse League draft by the Las Vegas Desert Dogs, he wasn’t expecting a roster spot to be waiting for him, but he wasn’t ruling it out either.
“Getting drafted is just an invitation to training camp. Everybody is equal when you show up. It doesn’t matter if you were a third-round pick, or an all-American in college,” he said. “I just wanted to go and be the best Jackson Webster possible.”
He impressed the coaching staff enough to be offered a spot on the practice squad. Throughout December the 22-year-old flew from Buffalo, where he’s finishing his masters degree in sports administration at Canisius, to Las Vegas, knowing there was little hope he’d ever get into a game.
But after the Desert Dogs lost their first four games, the team was looking to shake things up.
At the morning shootaround before Las Vegas’ Jan. 4 game in Albany, he was told he was going into the lineup. He texted his parents, who quickly found somewhere to board their dog for the night and then jumped in the car, making it in time to see their son’s NLL debut.
And it’s a good thing they weren’t late, because just nine minutes into his pro debut, Webster scored on his first shot on goal. He would add two more goals, each one giving Vegas the lead.
And when the game went to overtime, Webster set up Adam Poitras’ game winner.
“Taking a step back the day after, the coolest part was the fan in me got to see an overtime game-winning goal closer than anybody else in the arena did,” said Webster, who finished with six points. “That’s what I’ve been literally dreaming of since I was really young, so to have some personal success but also contribute to a win, you feel as though your hard work has paid off.”
Webster has continued to contribute. Despite missing the first four games, he has climbed to sixth on the team in scoring with 11 goals and 13 assists in seven games. And the Desert Dogs have gone 3-4 since he joined the lineup.
He had another three-goal, six-point game against Georgia earlier this month and has scored in all but one of the Desert Dogs' games since his debut.
Even though Webster was obviously ready when Las Vegas came calling he said he has gained a further appreciation for what the top players in the league do to be at their best.
“The National Lacrosse League is unique because we go home and live a normal Monday to Friday life,” he said. “The things the guys do away from the weekends, preparing themselves on top of working, having families, really hit me – the standards they hold themselves to, those guys embody being a professional.”
Webster admits he is not the most skilled player and that the game does not come naturally to him. But he loves to learn and the grind of putting what he’s learned into action. Being able to sit down with teammates like Jack Hannah and Jonathan Donville and learn how they break down plays and read the game has been an eye-opening experience.
Webster said he’s picked up something at every stage, “right back the Halton Hills Bulldogs minor system, which really set the stage to being able to compete and pursue opportunities.”
As for being able to step in and have an immediate impact in professional lacrosse, Webster attributes that to one of the lessons he learned along the way.
“I had a coach who told me ‘You never rise to an occasion. You rise to the level of your preparation and training.’”