NLL Insider

The newest member of the Minnesota Swarm, former Whitby Warriors and Bryant attacker, Zack Greer.

Well, the National Lacrosse League Entry Draft is in the books, so it’s team draft grades season, everyone’s favourite time of year during the NLL’s off-season.

Did teams address needs either through picks or draft day trades? What players taken on Wednesday can you expect to already start producing and playing full-time ball in 2010? Who got what looks like might be some late round steals? What happened to some of those rumoured moves that many heard about just prior to the draft going live? After the jump, check out the answers to those question and more, in NLL Insider’s ‘09 Team Draft Grades.

COLORADO MAMMOTH

Grade: A+
Draft Picks: Cliff Smith, Alex Gajic, Brad Richardson, Shaun Dhaliwal, Ryan McFayden, Ben Davis, Neil Tyacke and Rocco Romero
The Skinny: Cliff Smith, Alex Gajic, Brad Richardson and maybe even Shaun Dhaliwal will be on the Mammoth’s opening day roster in some capacity, trust us. This was Colorado’s most productive draft in years as far as NLL-ready players selected goes. For a team that had issues on O last year (only the Edmonton Rush had fewer goals, the Mammoth dropping a staggering 37 regular season goals versus just two years ago), Smith and Gajic alone will likely add upwards of 35 goals combined to their end of year total, and Richardson should fit in well with the current back court. The continued rush of former Burnaby Lakers should also help improve any chemistry issues, the team now rolling with seven former Jr. Lakers. Tyacke looked good all summer for the New West Jr. Bellies, a finalist for NLL Insider’s keeper of the year, impressive at the BCJALL’s prospects game too. And even though Rochester maintains Ilija Gajic was picked to play, rumours are still heavy that Ilija will still end up in a Mammoth sweater before 2010 kicks off. Either way, draft day in ‘09 was very good to the Mammoth.

BUFFALO BANDITS

Grade: A
Draft Picks: Kyle Clancy, Chris Corbeil, Steve Priolo, Zac McIlmoyle and Matt Friedman
Other Additions: Frank Resetarits and Jon Harasym
The Skinny: Not only did Buffalo pick up quality ball players, they grabbed guys that play with the same intensity and heart Darris Kilgour has demanded from his players over the years, and guys that should fit into their O & D systems really well. Not sure any will crack an everyday game day spot in 2010 (still a tough lineup to crack), but this definitely starts filling the Bandits prospect cupboards, which have been relatively bare due to a lack of high picks over the last few years. Both Clancy and McIlmoyle are gritty O guys that play with a lot of jam, but can also score. Priolo is a future NLL fight club member and if he continues developing like he has over this past summer, he’ll give Buffalo another nasty, aggressive defender to go alongside guys like Billy Dee Smith and Chris White. Picking up Resetarits for a 24^th overall pick is a consensus steal at this point, even though he had an off year last winter, in-and-out of the Stealth’s lineup. Players like Scott Ranger and Callum Crawford have both increased O production after leaving the Stealth, Buffalo obviously thinking the same will happen with Resetarits.

TORONTO ROCK

Grade: A
Draft Picks: Garrett Billings, Joel Dalgarno, Stephen Leblanc, Damon Edwards, Anthony Lackey and John Quarrie
The Skinny: We were impressed with the Rock’s draft last year, but after not really maintaining or using any of their picks, ’08’s draft might end up being a bit of a bust for the franchise. This year however, even though Billings and Dalgarno are being strongly linked to trade rumours to Washington specifically, the Rock’s haul at the draft this year was pretty impressive. Although deals might only go off after Rock GM Terry Sanderson and head coach Troy Cordingley are back from BC, expect the two western O studs to be moved. If Leblanc stays though, and his impressive first season in the WLA is any indication of what he’s capable of at this level, then the Rock add a quality, unselfish, proven scorer, a role that is definitely needed on their current O. Like we mentioned in our Hot 50, Edwards could be a massive pickup, bringing speed, LB skills and an energy to their two-way game that has, again, been lacking in recent years. With current Rock assistant and Orangeville head coach Matt Sawyer in TO, you’d have to think he had a bit of an inside edge on Damon’s 09/10 status, which was up in the air leading into the draft. Both Lackey and Quarrie are guys Sawyer would have coached too, Lackey a former Horn Head who looked good in Barrie this year, and Quarrie, a ball player that has been a regular pure D guy for the OHL’s Oshawa Generals, an important piece of the Northmen’s ‘09 Minto win. Both are good character guys.

MINNESOTA SWARM

Grade: A
Draft Picks: Zack Greer, Kevin Colleluori, Cody Johnson and Matt Kelly
Other Additions: Richard Morgan, Alex Turner and Aaron Bold
The Skinny: A bit of a different draft for the Swarm, who’ve done well picking up early round talent in past years, making most of their noise this year via draft day trades. Greer is obviously a huge plus both on-and-off the floor (haters will be shaking their heads when they see Greer is still a legit box threat), he gives the team a natural goal scorer and could even do to their O and power-play what Andy Secore did two seasons back. Minny was lacking that consistence presence on offense in ‘09, and it showed in the standings. Turner, who fit into seven games with the Stealth last year, is also a pretty nice pickup, his 60 points during his rookie WLA season more reflective of what he’s likely capable of in the NLL. And although Turner will help bulk up Minny’s O, obviously Morgan gives them a sh** kicker in their own end, who can do some work on transition too. Between losing guys like Riley Kemp or Travis Hill to injury and someone like Ian Rubel to work commitments, the addition of Morgan (and maybe even speedy defender Cody Johnson), address some big needs on D (not even factoring in Scott Self yet). Ditto on their backup keeper spot, Croswell likely missing time due to impending meniscus surgery, the addition of Bold, who’s been chomping at the bit to show his stuff in the pros, fills in that gap. The question marks that remained in Minny look like they’ve received good answers via the draft.

ROCHESTER KNIGHTHAWKS

Grade: B+ (or A+)
Draft Picks: Sid Smith, Ilija Gajic, Holdon Vyse, Brendan Doran, Ryan Hoff, Dan Groot and Brandon Corp
The Skinny: This could be an epic draft for Rochester or a just a really good one depending on what happens with a couple of their picks. Even though Holdon Vyse is no longer playing college ball for OCC, rumours circulated shortly after the pick that he may have needed to sign-off on any remaining eligibility in order to be draft eligible this year. Ditto for the Brendan Doran pick, a 23-year old with the Sr. Brampton Excels that would likely be considered a street free agent. The NLL had a series of league-wide meetings on the morning following the draft, where those player’s status would have been discussed. It’s not known when an official decision will be made, but both picks might be lost depending on how things shake-out. With that said though, just getting Smith and Gajic alone is huge, and if they can ever convince Corp to come over to the dark side, ‘09 could be the Hawks most fertile draft in years. Although the K’Hawks maintain they are serious about having Gajic play in Rochester, everyone outside of the city NLL Insider speaks to feels a trade to the West is the only way we’ll get to see Gajic on pro courts in 2010. There was a very strong rumour just hours before the draft that the Hawks would move that second pick to Colorado, a pretty high profile name going the other way. With Rochester rolling into 2010 with what looks like will be a pretty loaded lineup, Gajic would obviously be a huge boast, but won’t dictate if 2010 is a pass or fail for the boys in teal. The Mammoth on the other hand, could definitely use Gajic as of yesterday.

WASHINGTON STEALTH

Grade: B+
Draft Picks: Matt Beers, Erik Sage, Ben Hunt, Rhys Jones, Ray Hodgkinson, Chris Taylor and Chris O’Dougherty
The Skinny: The Stealth almost always have a solid draft. They’re always making moves to be positioned well, but at the same time, when you back track on some of those picks, like say Resetarits, who was moved on Wednesday, the scales definitely shift. The Stealth moved Callum Crawford, Andrew Burckholder, their 12^th overall pick in ‘07 (who would later become Kevin Ross) and their 2^nd round pick in ‘08 (who would later become Josh Funk) in order to draft Resetarits (and Zach Heffner, who is no longer with the team). So all of that turned into yesterday’s 24^th pick, used on Ben Hunt, an American that says, “I’ve heard nothing but great things about the indoor game. I look forward to the physicality of indoor lacrosse and to get on to the floor and start improving my game.” Washington picked up three good, athletic, physical young defenders in Beers, Sage and Jones. Previous to some late season additions in ‘09, the Stealth’s D was their sore spot, and a big reason why the underachieved for stretches. Not sure if all three will land a regular spot in 2010, but it’s a really good trio of guys to bring into the fold. There is still much speculation that the Stealth are close to moving either Colin Doyle and/or Jeff Zywicki to the East, Toronto a much talked about link for Doyle since the new regime came aboard with the Rock. We give Washington a B+, which woulda been an A had that Resetarits trade not stung as much as it did in the long run.  

EDMONTON RUSH

Grade: B
Draft Picks: Corey Small, Scott Tinning, Dane Stevens, Brett Mydske, Geoff McNulty, Shane Lopatynski and Craig Zeeh
The Skinny: Outside of Small, who played his first season of MSL ball this past summer, the Rush went completely with 21 and under talent. Good talent, in some cases really good talent, but very young, and like we mentioned and looked at during our “Hello My Name Is…” series this past summer, becoming an effective everyday O guy in the NLL coming straight outta junior ball doesn’t happen much. Derek Keenan has however had some success in Portland going that route, namely with Pete Jacobs and Cory Conway, but those two are definitely the exception to the rule. Both Tinning and Stevens impressed at the Minto last month, their stock definitely going up over the past couple weeks, although both already holding down solid reps. One big area in need of improvement in Edmonton is an effective, strong inside game on O, lots of times last year getting isolated to the outside for a bulk of 60 minutes with low quality shots not finding the back of the net. Has that need been addressed yet? Although a number of their picks filled that role in junior, is their game at the level where it will be just as affective in the NLL? Maybe, probably down the road, but that’s a tough gig on O in the NLL for a just outta junior prospect to fill from start-to-finish. Brett Mydske should fit into Edmonton’s D pretty nicely, a guy that plays good defense but is also capable of running the floor, an asset a lot of current Rush defenders have. With a pretty big overhaul going on in Edmonton, it’s tough to see how this week’s picks will fit into the team, but a good group of prospects to have for sure.

ORLANDO TITANS

Grade: B
Draft Picks: Dan Hardy, Michael Evans, Kenny Nims, Ryan Learn and Ryan McCafferty
Other Additions: Buffalo’s 1^st rounder in 2011
The Skinny: Last year the Titans had no real early picks, but cashed in huge when Stephen Peyser dropped in their laps at 23^rd overall. It mighta happened again this year via Dan Hardy, a guy with a bit of box experience already under his belt and an eagerness to sink his teeth into the NLL not always seen from high profile Americans. Last year, after Peyser, even immediately following the draft, it was pretty unlikely their other picks were gonna have much of an impact on the team in the short or even long term future. This year however, their later picks are a helluva lot more promising. American defender Michael Evans was a name NLL Insider heard teams talking about as a possibility, some felt someone the Philadelphia Wings had their sights set on. His physical style of play is perfect for box and obviously the Titans have seen a number of US defenders and two-way guys thrive in their current systems. And Learn was another guy some teams had pretty high on their wish list, a huge prospect to be able to get at the 50^th pick. If you’re looking for a potential late round pick to point to years from now as a steal, Learn could very well be that guy. No guarantees any picks this year will impact their 2010, but a very good draft by Orlando at the end of the day.

PHILADELPHIA WINGS

Grade: B-
Draft Picks: Bobby Snider, John Glynn, Peet Poillon, Mike Timms and PT Ricci
Other Additions: Mike Ward
The Skinny: Very surprised to see Bobby Snider drop as far as he did, and the Wings probably were too. He’ll definitely start for Philly in 2010, and now Philly has someone else to take draws while big bro Geoff is in the box (kidding). Bottom line, it’s a great, unexpected pick that pays off for Philadelphia as early as this winter. The rest we’ll obviously really have to wait and see, since past Snider, there is zero indoor experience picked up. Glynn has huge potential and also landed a spot in our Hot 50. His versatility is obviously gonna be his greatest strength, while his size (5′8″) might hurt him. Poillon, another smallish guy (5′9″), has a stacked resume from UMBC, impressed the hell outta onlookers scoring seven goals in two starts for the MLL’s Washington Bayhawks, and is also from PA. When NLL Insider was constructing our Hot 50, Poillon was a guy IL staffers Geoffrey Shannon and Terry Foy thought would translate indoors. And although Ricci was a favorite of ours, the more intriguing pick might end up being Mike Timms. The buzz was that Toronto Nationals’ middie Brad Ross would be the guy Dave Huntley might want in the mix after coaching him in the MLL, but it was Timms, who played huge for the Nats in the playoffs, that landed a spot. If Timms picks thing up indoors, this could be a huge pick for Philly. We’ll have to wait and see who sticks and who doesn’t, kinda the norm with Americans in Philly.   

CALGARY ROUGHNECKS

Grade: B-
Draft Picks: Carlton Schuss, Garrett Werschke and Casey MacIntyre
The Skinny: With a good crop of prospects already waiting to get the call to the big show, the Roughnecks definitely didn’t need to do a lot of movin’ and shakin’ on Wednesday, but did still manage to pick up a really good ball player in Carlton Schuss, who at 27^th overall, could end up being a bit of a steal for Calgary down the road. With the inclusion of Craig Conn after the trade with Toronto, and then picking up Schuss, Calgary’s O definitely has some sandpaper up front that isn’t afraid to take on any and all oncoming traffic. And even with Werschke, they get a good sized, athletic defender, who could potentially fit into their aggressive approach on D. With the way the Roughnecks play defense, you don’t have to be a high profile name brand guy from Ontario or BC to play in that system. Can Werschke adapt to the Necks’ D game? He had a pretty good teacher this summer, NLL Insider junior coach of the year and Calgary defender, Bruce Codd. For only owning three picks on the day, not too shabby a draft for the defending champs.

BOSTON BLAZERS

Grade: C+
Draft Picks: Max Seibald, Matt Abbott, Scott Kahoe, Matt Messina and Mike Stone
The Skinny: Definitely a nice pickup in Seibald, a guy the Blazers really wanted in the mix. Will his skill set transfer over? Between all the relevant tools he brings indoors and his attitude and interest in the NLL, you’d have to think so. Will there be a Greg Downing type player in the Blazers’ draft class (yes, I know they never drafted Downing, but last year was his rookie year)? If he commits, Matt Abbott might be that guy. Even if Abbott plays half as well as Downing did last year, that’s still huge plus for the Blazers. Downing was easily the least appreciated of last year’s rookie class and probably even had a bigger impact than Paul Rabil did in his rookie year in the indoor bigs. Like we said with the Wings, so hard to grade unproven US talent until you actually see them compete between the boards. Last year none of the Blazers’ mid to late round Americans drafted made any notable impact, although Paul Manesis snuck into the mix, just never saw any game day ball.

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