NLL Insider

NLL Insider has learned from several sources that unsigned San Jose Stealth first round picks Paul Rabil and Kevin Huntley are unlikely to able to commit to the Stealth this season and will need to be traded in order to play full-time in the NLL this upcoming year.

Those same sources have said that potential deals to send Rabil and Huntley to eastern based clubs have not been reached as of yet, while both players remain two of only three first round picks from this year’s draft to not have been signed presently. The third player of that group is Curtis Manning, who’ll unlikely be able to play in the NLL this season while attending his senior year at Simon Fraser University where he serves as the school’s captain on their field lacrosse team.

It’s unclear which teams might be interested in either one or even both player’s services, but as it stands now, no deals appear to be on the horizon after NLL Insider spoke to numerous eastern based clubs this week.

Earlier this off-season Stealth brass had actually confirmed with NLL Insider’s own Brian Shanahan that both players were drafted with the sole intention of having them play in San Jose, but sources present at this year’s entry draft have confirmed with NLL Insider that at least Rabil made it known that playing on the west coast would likely be an issue and not work with his present situation.

Due to previous commitments, Huntley was unable to attend this year’s draft or combine, but was ranked seventh in NLL Insider’s Hot 30 Draft Preview. 

San Jose GM Johnny Mouradian and Assistant GM Doug Locker had made a trip to the Baltimore area earlier this off-season to meet with their eastern based picks to discuss their future with the Stealth. Shortly after that meeting, rumours started making the rounds in many lacrosse circles that neither first rounder would be able to suit up for San Jose this winter.

The Stealth have however already signed their third first round pick, Victoria, B.C. native Rhys Duch, who will reportedly be moving to the San Jose area for the 2009 season.

In order to shore up two of the Stealth’s first round selections this year, the team dealt All-Star starting keeper Anthony Cosmo and their 2007 leading scorer, Luke Wiles, while also gaining keeper Matt Roik in a flurry of moves leading up to this year’s draft.

Requests to various San Jose team management on confirmation of the status of their two American first rounders have gone unanswered over the last 24 hours.

It’s unclear whether the two John Hopkins grads are actually actively being shopped around at this point or the Stealth are simply willing to get whatever limited playing time they can from the two eastern based prospects, but one thing is fairly clear, neither can commit full-time as eastern fly-ins to San Jose this winter.

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