NLL Insider

Kevin Buchanan is one of many Americans looking to play in the NLL

When Paul Rabil climbed on TD Banknorth Garden’s stage as the San Jose Stealth’s second overall pick in the ’09 NLL Entry Draft this September, you could feel the winds of change start blowing.

When the draft was over hours later, it was as if a hurricane had blown through the 22-year-old league. For the first time in the NLL’s history, more than two Americans were selected in the Entry Draft’s first round (five total this year, to be precise); in all, more than 40% of the draftees were American.

Somewhere in New York right now, NLL commish Jim Jennings still has a big smile on his face; he knows these guys are just what the indoor game needs if it wants to reach the next level: marketable, talented and, most importantly, American. The league has never been more saturated with U.S. influence: more than 25% of the NLL’s players were from south of the border in ’08. But as the league seeks to develop their brand through expansion (see the upcoming Jan. 3 Toronto-New York game in Ft. Lauderdale), they know they’re going to have to increase that percentage.

And in a time of need, Rabil, Kevin Huntley (drafted fifth to San Jose), Matt Danowski (seventh by Colorado) and others, whose commitment and enthusiasm for the indoor game stand in contrast to many of the previous years’ potential American draftees, have stepped up to the plate.

“It’s good for the sport [that we’re being drafted],” says Kevin Buchanan, an Ohio State grad who was picked 11th overall by Minnesota. “It’s a stride in the right direction to get some Americans and see what [we] can do.”

The American Revolution (Paul Tutka aptly calls it) has truly started, thanks to the highest profile group of American draftees in NLL history. Much of this is a testament to current American NLL stars — like Brian Langtry, Jarrett Park, Ryan Boyle and Casey and Ryan Powell — who helped pave the way for this incredible influx of talent. They braved a Canadian-dominated game, helping end the misconception that Yanks couldn’t thrive indoors.

“I think [seeing] the success of American players in the league now has certainly given the guys this year a little more confidence to get into it,” says Park, a Syracuse grad who entered the league with San Jose in ’05 and was an All-Star last year with New York. The significant stylistic evolution of gameplay over this decade — from the slow, physical defensive era to the dynamic run-and-gun game the current top dogs play — has also helped attract more Americans, who are used to the outdoor game’s speed and athleticism.

“During the late ’90s and early this decade, if you watched Toronto, it was all clutch and grab, the stuff you saw more up in [Canadian] summer ball,” says NLLInsider.com’s Tutka. “That style is going out of whack.” But the biggest factor for these young U.S. players flocking to the indoor game en masse is that it’s an essential part of getting closer to making lacrosse a full-time career.

“Guys realize that lacrosse can be a lifestyle now, if they do it the right way,” says Danowski, who’s headed out to Colorado for his first training camp in mid-November. “You can’t live just playing [on the field] yet, but you can develop relationships within lacrosse and find a way to make it work.”

The poster boy, pun intended, for this venture, Rabil has signed numerous endorsement deals with companies like Under Armour and Maverik Lacrosse while running instructional camps. Huntley is trying to start his own camps, and Danowski is in the process of exploring deals with lacrosse companies, hoping to find his niche soon.

If they’re successful this season — and all signs are positive — the future will look incredibly bright for the NLL and the evolution of pro lacrosse.

Yet there are still key obstacles to overcome for the NLL (and lacrosse as a career) to become a realistic option in the minds of many college laxers. One is the prospect of more lucrative employment outside the sport, something ’08 Tewaaraton Trophy winner and MLL rookie star Mike Leveille cites as his rationale for not playing in the NLL.

“If it was like the NHL, where it’s your only source of income, a lot more people would do [the NLL],” says Leveille, who works for an accounting firm in New York City.

Another obstacle is the continuing reluctance of Canadian teams — and some Canadian GMs with American teams — to select U.S. players in the draft. “That’s going to really be the turning point, when Canadian teams draft American guys,” says Tutka. “Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary — there’s not a single American guy on their teams right now. They say that for their style of ball they have to get guys that played in those areas. I don’t buy into that; there are American guys who can commit and play.”

This year’s crop of players is entering a crucial moment in history.

They’ve got the opportunity to be true game-changers; to turn the league on its head and show Canadian clubs, the fans and, most importantly, current NCAA players that it’s not just a few Americans who can thrive in the NLL.

If they can do that, the Revolution will have succeeded.

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