NLL Insider

Derek Keenan has been through this before in the National Lacrosse League, so when he again found the challenge staring him in the face, he went back to what worked the first time. After building the now-defunct Portland LumberJax into a perennial contender, Keenan finds himself behind the bench for the Edmonton Rush as coach and he wasted little time in getting Brodie Merrill in a Rush uniform. Why Merrill? Well, Keenan dropped names like Gretzky and Jordan when telling the Edmonton media about Merrill’s impact on the game.

“He’ll do whatever it takes to have success,” Keenan told the Edmonton Sun. ” He’ll show up in camp in November in better shape than anybody else, he’ll work harder than anybody else on the floor, which just raises the level of everybody else on the floor.”

Brodie Merrill works a summer lacrosse camp in Edmonton. Photo by: Edmonton Journal

Merrill quickly put the brakes on that superstar comparison, but there is no denying his approach to the game. He’s a transition guy that makes a difference not in the points he produces, but in the points he makes. He’s a Hoover on loose balls, a deer in the transition and a monster on defense. He gets it started in the back end and opens the floor for the shooters up top.

“I would probably compare myself to an offensive defenceman,” Merrill told the Edmonton Journal.

Edmonton acquired Merrill via the dispersal draft after Portland closed shop, and initially there’d been some question as to whether Merrill would push for free agent status so he could sign with any team. But he appears to have put those doubts to rest, telling the media in Edmonton he’s looking forward to helping the Rush achieve their potential on the floor. He understands it’s a hockey town, but he likes what he sees in the fan support in Edmonton.

Lacrosse fans in Edmonton have every reason to be excited for the upcoming season, knowing Merrill’s on the squad. But the guidance of Keenan, who recently named his coaching staff, is even more reason for optimism. Especially after the coach pulled the trigger on a deal to bring veteran scorer Derek Malawsky to the team. Edmonton fans are slowly but surely finding themselves with a team that looks a lot like the teams Keenan built in Portland. And with three playoff appearances in the four seasons the LumberJax were around, the Rush fans know that’s not a bad thing. Not at all.

Loose balls: Former Philadelphia Wing, Columbus Landshark and Colorado Mammoth Jon Torpey joins the coaching staff at Dartmouth University … The Colorado Mammoth have announced details for the upcoming Cassidy Memorial Tournament … Hey Swarm fan, check out the photo gallery of Sean Pollock tossing out the first pitch at a recent Saints baseball game … The Toronto Rock name John Lovell and Matt Sawyer as assistant coaches … Are you a fan of Deadliest Catch? Check out captain Phil Harris getting his Colorado Mammoth jersey, which he says he’ll wear on the show.

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