truebluefan

Buffalo Bandits Director of Lacrosse Operations Scott Loffler today announced forward Mark Steenhuis has signed a five-year deal with the club. The contract is pending league approval. Steenhuis will be in attendance at the Bandits open practice on Saturday at HSBC Arena. Practice starts at 11 a.m.

The 29-year-old Steenhuis led the Bandits in scoring last season, posting career highs in goals (51), assists (50) and points (101). Steenhuis set the franchise record for points in a game with 17 (4+13) on Feb. 14 vs. Toronto. He followed that up with another record-setting performance six days later when he scored a team-record eight goals in a 17-16 win in Toronto on Feb. 20.

"We are extremely happy to have Mark locked up for the next five years. He is a major piece of this team and we only expect more great things from him," said Loffler. "Mark is one of the leaders of this team and signing with us for five years only shows his commitment to the organization, and to the greatest fans in the game."

Steenhuis was named MVP of the 2008 Championship Game, collecting 17 points (12+5) in three playoff games, including a team-record seven goals in the East Division Championship game against New York.

Steenhuis is a two-time All-Star Game MVP, and was named the NLL's Transition Player of the Year in 2008. In seven seasons with Buffalo, Steenhuis has scored 421 points (221+200) in 108 regular season games, and 53 points (36+17) in 16 career playoff games.

Steenhuis was acquired from Columbus in 2002 in exchange for Ken Montour.