NLL Insider

So the NLL Divisional Finals are already upon us! The New York Titans will travel to the Buffalo Bandits and the Portland Lumberjax visit the Calgary Roughnecks. Both Divisional Finals are on Saturday night.

That also means there are only a handful of NLL rookies still playing in the post-season. Earlier today we took a look back at all the rookies that will be watching these games on B2, now let’s take a quick peek at the rookies we’re going to see in action this weekend.

New York

What more can you say about Jordan Hall (16gp, 24g, 69points, 109gbs)? He’s the overwhelming choice for Rookie of the Year after an extremely productive NLL season. And he’s not the only rookie who’s had a great year in New York.

In his first ever boxla season, Mitch Belisle (12gp, 2g, 4points, 48gbs) quickly became accustomed to the pick-and-roll game and has been a starter for the club since about game six. “The thing that sets Match apart from many defenders is his strength and one-on-one coverage,” added New York head coach Adam Mueller. “He usually is assigned one of our opponents’ toughest checks. Mitch is good with loose balls and has a very good stick for a former college long pole. In addition, Mitch has worked on our face-off line and man-short units all season.”

And we’ve all seen what Rory Smith (11gp, 25gbs, 36pims) can do to spark his team. The youngest player on their roster, he got a chance in game six and never looked back. “He is an excellent slider and is establishing himself as a punishing body checker,” added Mueller, referencing his toughness and athleticism. Shanny noted how New York feels a little tougher with Smith in the line-up, and you notice it. When a scrum went down last weekend and Rory was one of the first guys in there, ready to go, the respect he had from his teammates was evident.

If you read any of the articles we did on Mitch this year year, you can also tell where Pat Maddalena was coming from when he told Insider Lauren Ward these New York rooks also add character to the locker room.

Buffalo

Transition player Brandon Swamp (8gp, 2g, 6points, 27gbs) and defender Kyle Schmelzle (8gp, 2g, 5points, 27gbs) were rotated in and out of the line-up for Buffalo during the regular season, and they did an excellent job. They won’t be playing this Saturday, however, as the Bandits’ are going with an experienced line-up.

“Neither one will be playing this weekend, but they did a great job for us,” added Buffalo GM and head coach Darris Kilgour. “We were banged up a little bit early in the season. Kyle Schmelzle stepped-up and did a great job for us earlier in the season, and then sort of towards the middle of the season, Brandon Swamp got the majority of the playing time and he did a great job for us. He scored some big goals for us. I think both will be very, very good defensive players that can also play offense, so they’ll be transition players. I expect them to step forward next year and fight for a starting position.”

Daniel Sams (3gp, 0.88 SV%) also stepped up when called upon. He started when Buffalo’s regular starter and back-up went down to injury, and was credited with a 60 save win. Kilgour later noted that the 60 save performance was actually a little bit of a myth – it was 60 shots, not all on goal. Still, they won that game which was obviously key. The Bandits now hold home-court throughout the playoffs and will host the Champion’s Cup in front of their home fans, should they win Saturday night.

Brandon Francis (3gp, 9gbs, 31-83) was thought to be key on draws, but ended up not playing many games. Defender Joe Smith (2gp, 1a) saw action in just two games this season.

Portland

I’ve hyped up Codron a lot this year, and Portland GM and head coach Derek Keenan agrees. “He is my choice for rookie of the year,” said Keenan of Codron. “When our number came up at the draft I had the opportunity to take an O guy but this kid was just too good to pass on.” Portland still did pick up two great offensive talents, and young players in Cory Conway (11gp, 11g, 21points, 28gbs) and Peter Jacobs (11gp, 11g, 23points, 40gbs). They combined for three points last weekend.

“Conway quickly climbed to our number three righty O behind Dawson and Powell,” said Keenan. “He’s still got another year of Junior ‘A’ lacrosse left and he is scary good already. He has top of the league type stick skills but I think his athleticism is even more impressive. I think he has top 10 in the league speed and is pretty strong for a young kid. He can also shoot it from the perimeter. A lot of the time he will set up our PP which is evidence of the poise he has for a young guy. His NLL future is very bright.”

“Jacobs – If you had seen him zing four that night in Buffalo you would understand why I’m so high on this kid… and he still has three years of Junior ‘A’ lacrosse left. He has tremendous skill and he’s just one of those kids that knows how to play the game. He has the innate ability to find space to create scoring opportunities without the ball… As he gets older and matures physically, he’ll quickly develop the ability to create his own shot and then look out!”

The ‘Jax also have rookie goaltender Joel Weber, who signed a two-year deal earlier this year, but he played just three minutes of NLL action this season and isn’t yet ready for the Bigs. When I spoke with Joel earlier this year, he said: “My goal is to eventually be the starter, but I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself yet.”

Calgary

The knock on Dane Dobbie (5gp, 2g, 7points, 17gbs), the No. 4 overall selection in the 2007 NLL Entry Draft, was always his size at only 5′9. He impressed early, played on the power and was named the league’s first Rookie of the Week – and I’ve heard he’s currently having a great camp in Coquitlam, WLA. But Calgary is already strong on the left-side and Dobbie only got into five games this year. “We anticipate he will be a solid contributor on offense as early as next season,” said Calgary GM Kurt Silcott. Fellow Burnaby Jr. A graduate Peter McFetridge (2gp, 8gbs), another Top 10 pick for Calgary, has not gotten minutes either.

A bright spot for the Roughnecks, however, has been the play of Mike Carnegie (15gp, 3g, 9points, 52 gbs) who is being considered for the All-Rookie Team. “Carnegie should be all-rookie!” responded Silcott. “He played 15 games this year at the “D” door and was solid all season long. Carnegie was a key cog in our pressure defense… He will be a solid defender in Calgary for years to come.”

Mike had two of Calgary’s three penalties last weekend, both of which resulted in goals against. But he also picked up seven loose balls and a goal in Calgary’s first-round playoff win. He’ll be out there again this Saturday with Portland’s Codron, Conway and Jacobs. New York’s Hall, Belisle and Smith will also be battling out there, looking to get to the Champion’s Cup Final in their first NLL year.

Schedule of Divisional Finals (All Times Eastern)

Saturday, May 10
East Division Final: New York at Buffalo – 7:30 PM
West Division Final: Portland at Calgary – 9:30 PM

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