PISCATAWAY, N.J.- Three Rutgers men's lacrosse players were selected on Saturday as the indoor pro lacrosse league held in 2025 draft. Dante Kulas (Firewolves), Matthew Paolatto (Mammuth) and Joe Juengerkes (Mammoth) were all selected in the NLL Draft.
 
These selections gives RU a draft pick in the NLL for the fifth straight season. Last year, Shane Knobloch was selected by the Philadelphia Wings with the 46^th overall pick. He followed Brandon Hund (Philadelphia Wings, 74th overall, 2023), Brian Cameron (Toronto Rock, 36th overall, 2022) and Adam Charalambides (Vancouver Warriors, 4th overall, 2021) in being selected over the past five NLL drafts. 
 
Kulas was drafted by the Firewolves franchise, which is set to move to Oshawa, Ontario from Albany. He was the first Rutgers player selected, going in the Third Round, 38^th overall.
 
played at Rutgers from 2022 to 2025, appearing in 52 games total and making 32 starts. Across that time, the attackman scored 54 goals and had 30 assists for 83 points, also collecting 40 ground balls.
 
Career highlights for Kulas include two weekly awards. He was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week in 2023 after having four goals, including the game winner in overtime, to lead RU to a 14-13 overtime win over No. 13 Princeton in the 100^th playing of the rivalry game, delivering the Tots Meistrell Cup to Piscataway. He was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week in 2022 after scoring four goals and with two assists against St. John's. Additionally in 2022 as a freshman, he was key for RU in the NCAA Tournament, as he scored a goal in the fourth quarter against No. 3 Penn in the Quarterfinals that put RU ahead for good and sent the team to its first ever Final Four. Following the 2022 season he earned the team's Collins Award.
 
A product of Courtice, Ontario, he has previous indoor 'box lacrosse' experience with a variety of clubs over the years, including the Cobourg Kodiaks, playing two seasons in Major Series Lacrosse. Kulas scored 12 goals and had 34 assists across 24 games in the MSL from 2023-24 to 2024-25.
 
Paolatto was the second Scarlet Knight taken. He was a Third Round selection, going 44^th overall.
 
Paolatto excelled in his lone season at RU, where he was the team's top faceoff specialist. The native of Sherborn, Mass. had a winning percentage of 59.2% at the 'X' last season (173-of-292) with 99 ground balls, two goals and four assists. He was top-three in the Big Ten and top-16 nationally in both winning percentage and ground balls per game (6.19). He was an Honorable Mention All-America by Inside Lacrosse, and a Scholar All-American. Prior to his time at Rutgers, he was a three-time All-American, three-time All-Region and three-time all-league selection at the Division III level with Union, where he was the 2024 USILA Faceoff Person of the Year.
 
Paolatto was previously recognized by professional lacrosse by the PLL's Maryland Whipsnakes. Signed to a free agent contract by the club, Paolatto spent the 2025 summer season as the backup faceoff specialist for the Whipsnakes behind fellow RU alumn Joe Nardella.
 
Juengerkes, who is set to return to Rutgers for the 2025-26 campaign, was the final Scarlet Knight to be taken. He was picked in the Fourth Round, 52^nd overall.
 
Juengerkes was a difference maker for the Scarlet Knights in his initial season after a transfer from Princeton. Named a team captain ahead of his first season on the field in a Scarlet Knights uniform, the Islip, N.Y. native was named Second Team All-Big Ten. A two-time selection to the USILA Team of the Week. The short-stick defensive midfielder had seven goals, four assists, 55 ground balls and 16 caused turnovers. He was named an All-American as well as a Scholar All-American.
 
With his efforts as a short-stick defensive midfielder, Rutgers defense was sixth nationally in scoring defense at 8.88 goals allowed per game. That was the lowest goals per game allowed by Rutgers since 2011, and their best national ranking in scoring defense over that span.
 
Last season, four Rutgers men's lacrosse alumn played in the NLL.  Adam Charalambides played with the Vancouver Warriors, Joe Nardella with the Albany Firewolves, Connor Kirst with the Las Vegas Desert Dogs and Brian Cameron with the Toronto Rock.
 
All four RU alumns had a big impact for their teams in that season. Charalambides had 84 points (30 goals and 54 assists), Cameron had nine goals and 14 assists, Kirst had 12 points and 122 points as a team captain and Nardella had a league-bet winning percentage on faceoffs of 65%.
 
Rutgers men's lacrosse has established a strong pipeline to the professional ranks. Rutgers boasts a total of 47 alumni all-time between Major League Lacrosse (MLL), the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) and the National Lacrosse League (NLL)

This success placing players in the pros has been accelerated recently, with 35 alumni coached at RU by current head coach Brian Brecht to go on to the professional level.