NLL Insider

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.

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Depth

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It’s hard to get a handle on how effective the bottom part of the Stealth’s lineup will be, since it changes dramatically every season.

Balance

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The Stealth have a great veteran core that lost a few, again, but will hopefully have Rabil and Huntley in the mix soon too.

Chemistry

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Colin Doyle and Jeff Zywicki have turned into one of the nastiest offensive duos around. Defensively, their top five feed off one another really well, but may suffer with their former D leader, Shaydon Santos, taking the season off.

Transition

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Steve Holmes, who’s started 31 of a possible 32 games in the NLL, is one of the most underrated and savvy transition players around. Whether or not the Stealth keep him, their run first mentality always makes them tough to handle on the press.

SHANNY’S TAKE

NLLInsider.com’s experts differ on the Stealth, but they will contend for the title. Goaltender Anthony Cosmo didn’t carry them last year; San Jose was solid from top to bottom, just unable to get clutch goals. They’ll miss Luke Wiles’ big outside shot but they got three first-round draft picks who should step right in (if they all sign with the Stealth).

SCOUTING REPORT

“Anthony Cosmo was the Achilles’ heel of most teams out West, but the tandem of Roik and Richards just led New Westminster to the Mann Cup final… Roik is a faucet, hot or cold, while Bold and Richards are two very capable young tenders. Still, they’ll have to give up fewer quality shots… Zywicki is a superstar. Doyle and Sedgwick are big supporting casts… Duch is an adequate player, but not as dynamic as his predecessor, Luke Wiles… The coaching change may prove to be a big shift. Walt Christensen was well liked and there could be dissension or a boost with Jeff Dowling.”

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