NLL Insider

Four of the seven Western Lacrosse Association (WLA) teams will make the 2009 WLA playoffs, but only one will represent the West as host of the 2009 Mann Cup championships. After the jump, take a quick look at the West’s Top 3 teams looking to capture the coveted Mann Cup trophy.

New Westminster Salmonbellies

2008: 17-1 regular season, 191 goals-for, WLA Champions
Stars: Jordan Hall (NLL New York), Jordan McBride (NCAA Stony Brook), Peter Morgan (NLL ‘Jax), Kyle Ross (NLL Boston), Ian Hawksbee (NLL Edmonton); G: Tyler Richards and Matt Roik (NLL Stealth)
Key Players Lost: Nenad Gajic (NLL Colorado) – ankle surgery. [Athan Iannucci (NLL Philly), Craig Conn (NLL Toronto)]
Key Players Gained: Rory Smith (NLL New York), Curtis Manning (NLL Calgary), Scott Stewart (NLL ‘Jax)
Outlook: The ‘Bellies are still considered the team to beat. Young, fast and talented, this is an exciting team to watch. They led the league in scoring last season and their defense is outstanding: big, fast and aggressive. They also have a great goalie tandem with Richards and Roik. New West has been the class of the WLA over the past two seasons, going a combined 32-3-1 during the ‘07 and ‘08 regular seasons. And they swept the WLA playoffs in ‘08. Can they do it again? “Smith, McBride, Floris and Hall are all a year older and are just starting to come in to their own,” added GM Dan Richardson of his young stars. WLA sophomores Cliff Smith and Jordan McBride played NCAA ball last season, while Jamie Floris went fourth overall in the last NLL Entry Draft, Manning sixth overall. Jordan Hall was NLL All-Pro in ‘09. Iannucci and Conn are only paper losses as neither played last season, but the absense of the Gajic brothers could hurt. New West’s sole loss to Victoria, 13-8, early this season was without a number of their star players, while the Rock also missed Ryan Ward. The two teams will meet in Victoria again this Friday, 7:45pm PST at the Bear Mountain Arena.

Victoria Shamrocks

2008: 9-8-1; 159 goals-for, swept by New West in the semis
Stars: Lewis Ratcliff and Luke Wiles (NLL Toronto), Rhys Duch (NLL Stealth), captain Buck Stobart and G: Nick Patterson (NLL Minny)
Key Players Lost: Jordan Sundher (retired/coaching), Chris McKay (NLL Edmonton), Nolan Heavenor (NLL Calgary)
Key Players Gained: Ryan Ward and Nick Inch (NLL Minnesota), Jeff Shattler (NLL Calgary)
Outlook: The Rocks’ offense was completely shut-down by the ‘Bellies last season, so Victoria has added talent up-front as they aim for another Mann Cup. Ratcliff, who played just 11 games last regular season and still finished fifth in league scoring, has dropped MLL commitments to be with Vic full-time this summer and should better gel with Wiles and NLL ROY Rhys Duch. Add home-town product Ryan Ward – the former WLA MVP, who was a true leader in Vic’s ‘03 and ‘05 Mann Cup victories. Plus add NLL All-Stars Jeff Shattler and Nick Inch, new-comer Dean Hill and it’s a formidable group. “We’re bigger, faster and more talented up front, in transition and on defense than we were last year,” added GM Chris Welch. Goaltending may be the biggest question mark. Former NLL All-Star Nick Patterson had a shaky ‘09 season with the Swarm but has looked great early in the WLA. Back-up Aaron Bold leads the league in SV% and GAA having played just one game. The Rock are a perfect 4-0 to start.

Coquitlam Adanacs

2008: 13-3-2; 180 goals-for, swept by New West in the WLA final
Stars: Dane Dobbie (NLL Calgary), Andrew McBride (NLL Calgary), Andy Secore and G: Chris Levis (NLL Edmonton)
Key Players Lost: Bruce Murray (NLL Colorado) – knee. [Curt Malawsky (NLL Calgary), Geoff Snider (NLL Philly)]
Key Players Gained: Daryl Veltman (NLL Boston), Cory Conway and Luke Forget (NLL ‘Jax)
Outlook: Coquitlam features a lot of youth up-front including Dobbie, who led the WLA in scoring last summer and finished third in goal scoring during the 2009 NLL season. Veltman, Gary Bining (Boston) and Tim Campeau (NLL ‘Jax) – all NLL rookies in ‘09 – are also being called upon to produce offensively along with Secore. Anchored by vet Jason Wulder, it’s arguably the best young offensive group in the WLA. With the Mann Cup in B.C. this summer, don’t be shocked either if Coquitlam pulls another move or two to bolster its line-up. Led by Ontario native Colin Doyle in ‘07, the Adanacs were the last team to host the Canadian national championships in B.C., losing out in six games to Peterborough. The team is still awaiting the return of injured NLL defenders Andrew McBride, Rich Catton and Ray Guze (NLL Colorado). “We are still trying to sort out the roster and, as usual, should get stronger as the season progresses,” added GM Les Wingrove.

WLA Coverage

Check back every Thursday this summer for a closer look at all of the WLA teams and its top players. Next week we’ll bring you up-to-speed on the other four WLA teams – Nanaimo, Maple Ridge, Burnaby and Langley – who hope to up-set the aforementioned Top 3.

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