NLL Insider

Putting our usual Top 20 on hold until our final edition of the countdown next week, but wanted to check in with my nominees for all the NLL’s year-end individual hardware. And then next week, when all is said and done, I’ll chime in again with my picks for each major category.

Like I mentioned earlier this year, I love the way the NHL builds up and hands out their hardware. The whole three nominee system is pretty slick. F’n love it. Love the drama. Love the chatter it creates. And love the fact that more than just one guy gets a bit of love outside of the final winner.

So what I wanna do today is pretty simple. Like the NHL is doing this week and next, I’m gonna give ya my top three nominees for each piece of hardware the NLL hands out (even the non player stuff).

Also, interesting to see all the talk on the boards about the MVP nod, which also spurred on a debate that we brought up a while back on the site. Is the MVP the best individual player in the league, or is it the guy that meant the most to his team? And on top of that, another interesting point brought up on the forums, does an MVP need to come from a successful team during the regular season?

Anyways, here’s who I think should be the trio nominated for each category. Next week I’ll breakdown the year-end Top 20 and make my final pick for each individual nod and justify why.

MVP
Athan Iannucci, Philadelphia Wings
Casey Powell, New York Titans
Gavin Prout, Colorado Mammoth

Best Defender
Ryan Cousins, Minnesota Swarm
Eric Martin, San Jose Stealth
Bruce Murray, Colorado Mammoth

Best Goaltender
Nick Patterson, Minnesota Swarm
Matt Vinc, New York Titans
Bob Watson, Toronto Rock

Best Transitional Player
Brodie Merrill, Portland Lumberjax
Geoff Snider, Philadelphia Wings
Mark Steenhuis, Buffalo Bandits

Best Rookie
Tyler Codron, Portland Lumberjax
Jordan Hall, New York Titans
Craig Point, Minnesota Swarm

Sportsmanship
Pat Maddalena, New York Titans
Blaine Manning, Toronto Rock
Jeff Zywicki, San Jose Stealth

Best Head Coach
Dave Huntley, Philadelphia Wings
Darris Kilgour, Buffalo Bandits
Adam Mueller, New York Titans

Best General Manager
Darris Kilgour, Buffalo Bandits
Marty O’Neill, Minnesota Swarm
Lindsay Sanderson, Philadelphia Wings

I’ll check in with my picks for All-Pro Teams next week too. And make sure to checkout Steve Kojima’s faves for All-Rookie Team spots from earlier this week.

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