NLL Insider

NLL Top 50

NLL Insider Top 50: Gavin Prout #8

With the Colorado Mammoth not exactly having a banner year last season, dropping three W’s from 2007’s impressive regular season and then getting dumped in the opening round of the playoffs, captain Gavin Prout’s 2008 seemed to go slightly unnoticed likely due to that fact.

Prout finished with 92 points, knotting him up with Lewis Ratcliff and John Grant for second behind Athan Iannucci in the scoring race.

His 67 helpers easily ranked him first in the NLL last winter and was the sixth highest single season total in league history. READ MORE »

NLL Insider

Tutka’s 2009 NLL Eastern Division Rankings and Preview

With the NLL season about to drop, in addition to some of the bits and pieces we’ve pulled outta Inside Lacrosse’s NLL Preivew issue and made available online, NLL Insider Managing Editor, Paul Tutka, is also breaking down both the Eastern and Western Divisions over the next couple days, with the East available right after the jump below.

Over the last few weeks, NLL Insider has also checked in with about 100 NLL players, asking them who they felt the four teams from both the East and West would be to make it to this year’s post-season. Teams are ranked based on the player’s votes, with the percentage of how many players voted for each individual team also included.

So after the jump, check-out how the East might play out this year and who to keep your eye on heading into 2009. The West will go live on Friday. READ MORE »

NLL, The Beat

Titans confident Powell will play

New York Titans coach Ed Comeau says his boys are tired of beating up on each other in practice, so they’re eager to get down to business in Saturday night’s season opener against the Toronto Rock in Florida.

But will the Titans being taking care of business without Casey Powell? No. 22 has yet to sign with the team for this season, but Comeau says he’s confident a deal will get done. “It’s all part of a process,” Comeau said on Wednesday. “I don’t think either party wanted it to come down to being this late, but we’re working on having him in our lineup on opening night.” Powell’s already in Florida, working his Holiday Lacrosse Experience camp in West Palm Beach. Powell led the Titans with 86 points (32 goals, 54 assists) last season and was a vital cog in the fast-paced transition game that helped carry New York to the East Division final, where it lost to eventual champion Buffalo.

“It’s just a matter of dotting the Is and crossing the Ts,” Comeau said. “But we’re pretty confident that both sides will come to an agreement.”

NLL Top 50

NLL Insider Top 50: Bob Watson #9

Some had him as their MVP last year and pretty much everyone had him as the best tender in 08.

That of course being Toronto Rock starting keep, Bob Watson, who at the age of 38, had maybe his best ever season in the NLL.

Watson’s performance last winter was also a great example of why you can’t always just judge keepers in this sport based on their stats alone.

They’re nice to have, but what stat registered the amount of momentum shifting (or stalling) saves Watson routinely made last year when he was hung out to dry? READ MORE »

NLL, Podcasts

NLLInsider Weekly Podcast: 2009 Season Preview Edition

Just before New Year’s Day — and the upcoming opening weekend of NLL action (including the big game in Florida), we want to introduce our new podcast, NLLInsider Weekly, where, as the name suggests, we’ll bring you the latest from around the league every week.

This week: Paul Tutka gives his take on how the 2009 season will go down. Plus, he and I take a stab at predicting this weekend’s set of games.

Click Below for the Audio (a new window will open):

NLLInsider Weekly: 2009 Season Preview Podcast

If you want all InsideLacrosse.com’s interviews and podcasts, subscribe on iTunes: Inside Lacrosse’s iTunes page

If you already have iTunes, click here to subscribe directly.

The Beat

Last call for Savilla’s Hope Foundation bids

With a Happy New Year coming up quick, just a quick note that you may want to add one more item onto your to-do list for today underneath drink too much, act too stupid, and pretend you can still focus on the TV when the ball drops: email in your last minute bids for the first round of the Savilla’s Hope Foundation silent auction. The deadline is 12:00 tonight, EST.

Send an email to info@savillashopefoundation.org with the word auction somewhere in the subject line. In the email, let them know what item you’re bidding on and what your bid is. Winners will be notified with payment options. Proceeds will go towards reimbursing Savilla’s kidney donor Stephen for the wages he will lose during his difficult recovery period. Best wishes to Savilla Eliuk and donor Stephen on their January 5th surgery.

• Corey Small named MVP of ‘08 Ontario Jr. A St. Catharines Athletics: St. Catharines Standard
• You will never guess what pun is in this headline about the Rock preparing to make their way to a playoff berth: Toronto Sun
• An overview of the league: Toronto Sun
• Cayle Ratcliff, Matt Flindell and the Victoria Jr. Shamrocks highlight the city’s summer in sports: BC Local News

Inside Lacrosse Magazine, NLL, NLL Insider

NLL Insider 2009 Team-By-Team Preview: No. 3 Minnesota Swarm

Ryan Ward is a big-time leader for Minnesota (Martin Allinson)

The Minnesota Swarm find themselves in the NLL’s Western Division after a bit of realignment by the league, but still play a pretty East heavy schedule that arguably gives them the toughest regular season road of any team in their division.

Can they makeup the 76 points lost with Andy Secore shipped off to Edmonton via the Dispersal Draft? Can Dean Hill comeback to the dominating force he was in his rookie year after an injury/illness plagued 2008? Will Craig Point fall into that dreaded sophomore slump after his phenomenal rookie season? How big an impact will rookies Andrew Watt, Kevin Buchanan and Joe Cinosky have on the team this year?

Find out the answer to those questions and more after the jump. READ MORE »

NLL Top 50

NLL Insider Top 50: Brodie Merrill #10

The Brodie Merrill headshot to the left was lifted off of Inside Lacrosse’s January 2007 cover, when the mag anointed the Portland Lumberjax’s cornerstone as the best player on the planet.

Is Merrill the best in the game now two years after IL first made the claim?

It depends what your definition of “the best” is.

In a league that usually names the best offensive player their MVP (outside of Jim Veltman finally snapping that trend in 2004, Steve Dietrich in 2006), players that play the kinda game that Merrill does very rarely get the public recognition they deserve. READ MORE »

Inside Lacrosse Magazine, NLL

Lewis Ratcliff in IL’s FanZone

It’s been a busy week for Lewis Ratcliff.

The Toronto Rock star is in the final stages of getting ready for the 2009 NLL season (and a trip to Florida for the opener on January 3rd against New York), was just named No. 12 in NLL Insider’s top 50 players list and now he’s this month’s guest in the Fan Zone for Inside Lacrosse Magazine.

To submit your questions, Follow this link to read the bio and submit your query. Ratcliff certainly has a tough act to follow, after the pinnacle of silliness that was San Jose forward Frank Resetarits’ FanZone interview:

Q: I can’t thank you enough for everything you have given me. It is a real pleasure to watch you gracefully glide across the carpet in SJ. How did you get such great calf definition? Is it true that you can shave your beard into a fu manchu while doing one handed push ups? Lastly, I love you!

A: Well Paul I’m glad that I could have such an affect on someone as famous as you. My calf definition is just a blessing from great genes, I guess. My parents met while at the best calves in America contest. While neither won, it still probably plays a role in that. I used to shave my Fu Manchu while doing one handed push-ups, but now I just stare at my beard in the mirror until my facial hair just falls out in the proper shape.

Think you can top that? Send in your questions today!

NLL Top 50

NLL Insider Top 50: Ryan Cousins #11

We were laughed at by readers last year when we continuously included Minnesota Swarm captain Ryan Cousins in our Top 20 Player Ranking, but after being named the NLL’s first back-to-back Defender of the Year last season, who’s laughing now?

Cousins might not be the most technically perfect pure D guy out there (although he’s up there and recovers better than most), but he brings more intangibles to his game than maybe any other defender available today and is one of the NLL’s most important non-offensive players in a league that often fails to recognize past its O Gods. READ MORE »

Inside Lacrosse Magazine, NLL

NLL Insider 2009 Team-By-Team Preview: No. 4 New York Titans

Casey Powell returns to lead the Titans (Martin Allinson)

After a slow start to last season, kicking off the year with a rough 1-4 record, the New York Titans came together mid-season for a second half that vaulted them into that insane four way knot-up for first in the East.

Casey Powell became an MVP contender. Matt Vinc turned into one of the league’s most clutch keepers. Jordan Hall had a Rookie of the Year type year even though voters felt otherwise. And Adam Mueller did his best Tony Resch impersonation en route to a Coach of the Year nod, which sadly then turned into an unexpected retirement during the off-season.

Expectations are high in the Big Apple this year and simply just making the playoffs probably won’t be enough to put a smile on too many faces this season. READ MORE »

NLL Top 50

NLL Insider Top 50: Lewis Ratcliff #12

Previous to 2008, Lewis Ratcliff had beefed up his stats every year since entering the bigs in 2003 (45-71-86-91-104-92).

It was a steady progression until last season, when Ratcliff fell short of the ridiculous 104 points he posted in 2007. In his defense however, not only is 104 a tough nut to crack every winter, he wasn’t exactly finding himself in the healthiest of O situations either. 

Ratcliff played 12 games in 2008 for a Calgary team that was hampered by the loss of captain Tracey Kelusky and keeper Steve Dietrich, both sidelined with concussions, and an offense that struggled to find its groove with high profile healthy scratches sending fans into a rage mid-season. READ MORE »

NLL Top 50

NLL Insider Top 50: Geoff Snider #13

Yeah Geoff Snider is the unofficial pro fight champ right now, but if that’s the only aspect of his game you see on the court, you’re missing out large on one of the NLL’s most high impact guys in the game right now.

He’s also by far the league’s most entertaining non-offensive guy too, getting fans outta their seats as many times during a game as John Grant or Dan Dawson do.

Snider is also probably the lone non-O player that team’s totally change the way they play in order to counter his presence. READ MORE »

Inside Lacrosse Magazine, NLL

NLL Insider 2009 Team-By-Team Preview: No. 5 Toronto Rock

Bob Watson is a solid backstop for Toronto (GA)

Since the Toronto Rock traded Colin Doyle during the off-season leading up to the 2007 season, the team has also seen names like Josh Sanderson, Aaron Wilson, Jim Veltman (as a player), Matt Shearer, Pat Merrill, Phil Sanderson, Ian Rubel and a host of others pass through the doors at the ACC, all eight of those guys Cup winners with the franchise in 2005.

Instead of building through the draft like rivals Minnesota or Philadelphia have done over the last few seasons, the Rock have either signed or traded for the likes of Cam Woods, Peter Lough, Luke Wiles, Jason Crosbie, Craig Conn and Stephen Hoar, coming into the 2009 season with some serious buzz for the first time since Doyle donned a Rock sweater.

Will the massive veteran changes made over the last two years be enough to get Toronto back to the final? Find out after the jump. READ MORE »

Inside Lacrosse Magazine, NLL, NLL Insider

NLL Insider 2009 Team-By-Team Preview: No. 6 San Jose Stealth

Colin Doyle looks to lead the way for the Stealth in ‘09 (Jarred Chandler)

The San Jose Stealth went through some pretty wholesale changes again this off-season, most notably shipping out high profile names like Luke Wiles and Anthony Cosmo and in return gaining Matt Roik and a trio of first rounders headlined by Paul Rabil.

With a new coaching staff led by Jeff Dowling and Chris Hall and a host of new bodies all over the rug, will the Stealth find the chemistry and depth needed to take a serious run at the Cup? Find out after the jump. READ MORE »

NLL Top 50

NLL Insider Top 50: Anthony Cosmo #14

At ‘his best’, Anthony Cosmo is ‘the best’ tender on the planet.

He has the size, athleticism, angles and vision to be the absolute best keeper in today’s NLL.

We saw that from Cosmo during the summer, when he not only won a Mann Cup with the Brampton Excelsiors, he was named the Mike Kelly winner too (aka Mann MVP), but he was a bit behind the pace from what we saw from him in the NLL in 2007, when he was named the pro game’s top keep. READ MORE »

Inside Lacrosse Magazine, NLL, NLL Insider

NLL Insider 2009 Team-By-Team Preview: No. 7 Rochester Knighthawks

The faces in Rochester may not be new, but they’re certainly familiar (20 Toe Photo)

The Rochester Knighthawks are on the tail-end of an off-season that made even Amy Winehouse look semi-sane.

First former head coach Ed Comeau leaves the Hawks for a new gig in New York, which was followed by an array of rumours for most of the summer of who his replacement would be. Long time GM, Jody Gage, was pushed out of his role with the team to concentrate solely on the AHL’s Rochester Americans, who are currently second to last in the 29-team league. READ MORE »

NLL, The Beat

Knighthawks name Paul Gait coach

Gary’s back in the National Lacrosse League and now Paul is too.

The Rochester Knighthawks on Friday named Paul Gait their new head coach, reports Rochester’s Democrat and Chronicle. He replaces Paul Suggate, who resigned on Wednesday before ever coaching even a single game for the Knighthawks. Paul Gait was part of the inaugural 1995 Rochester Knighthawks team and helped the Knighthawks win the 1997 title as the league’s MVP that season. “I’m looking forward to a great season and to have a great start to my coaching career,” Paul said in an interview posted on the team’s Web site. “To be back involved with players again is a great situation for me. I’ve missed it a lot.” Paul will be coaching is brother Gary, the forward who was lured out of retirement to play for the Knighthawks and help offset the loss of star scorer John Grant Jr., who will miss the 2009 season due to injury.

READ MORE »

NLL Top 50

NLL Insider Top 50: Scott Self #15

There’s few pure defenders in the NLL today that are as consistent as Scott Self.

No knock on Anthony Cosmo, but from speaking to some teams leading up to the Chicago Dispersal Draft, they claimed they woulda taken the defensive leader first overall if they had the chance, and pass over the guy that everyone was apparently drooling over.

That first overall grab was not the no-brainer some “experts” had you believe it was, and the reason for that was Scott Self. READ MORE »

NLL, NLL Insider

NLL Insider 2009 Team-By-Team Preview: No. 8 Philadelphia Wings

Athan Iannucci is always a scoring threat for the Wings (Martin Allinson)

With 50 goals looking to be replaced via the losses of Jake Bergey, Jamie Rooney and Jason Crosbie, coupled with league scoring champ Athan Iannucci likely on the shelf for the first bit of ‘09, the Wings will definitely have some growing pains to start the year, a vastly different scenario after starting last winter 6-0.

Can the Wings regroup quickly enough before they get buried in a stacked Eastern Division? Who will step-up on O to keep the previously high scoring Wings at the top of the league’s charts?

Find out  the answer to those question and others after the jump, straight from the pages of Inside Lacrosse’s NLL Preview issue, on newstands now. READ MORE »