NLL Insider

It was just one day before his season started that he signed his contract, hopping a flight to Florida to face the Toronto Rock. Everybody all together now: typical. What better target for the draconian justice of NLL goons and jeers from salty Canadian fans?

This article appears in the May issue of Inside Lacrosse. To purchase a copy, click here

Before a freak allergic reaction shelved the 33-year-old for three games before the All-Star Break, Powell was lighting up the league for 6.5 points a night — on pace to top the career highs in points (86) and goals (31) he set last year with New York (he finished the regular season with 85 points and 40 goals.)

Powell’s spent seven seasons racking up 35% more assists than goals, becoming what New York coach Ed Comeau calls one of the league’s most complete offensive players, a name that belongs in the same breath as John Grant Jr. or Dan Dawson. So what accounts for the dominant offensive force we’ve seen in ’09?

“Well, we asked him to take more shots,” says Comeau. “In the past I think Casey was a pass-first player; he always looked to create a shot for someone else. One of the things we talked to Casey about was being more cognizant of the fact that he’s a gifted goal-scorer.”

Powell’s increased his shot frequency and pulled his shot percentage up from 15.7% in ’08 to 22.3% in ’09, a number bested by only Buffalo’s John Tavares among the Top 10 scorers at press time. But the score-at-will Powell of ’09 hasn’t strayed from being the team player of seasons past: his goal total matched his assists in late March.

“When your best player is also the hardest worker, that’s a good message for the entire club,” says Comeau. “It’s a real indication of his leadership.”

Whether he gets any credit for it or not.

Rate This Story:

(+21 rating, 5 votes)

 Loading ...