NLL Insider

Inside Lacrosse Magazine, NLL, NLL Insider

NLL Insider 2009 Team-By-Team Preview: No. 2 Colorado Mammoth

The Colorado Mammoth come into the season with a youth push we haven’t seen from a team that usually adds a proven vet or two during the off-season.

Although savvy sniper and nine year pro veteran Gary Rosyski was brought into the mix over the summer, the Mammoth have also added names to their 23-man opening day roster like Duke legend Matt Danowski, former PoCo stud and current New West Bellie Tyler Crompton, and St. Catharines Athletics clutch performer, Andrew Potter, who they scored in the Gary Gait trade. All three guys make them a lot younger and a lot more athletic.  

Will the new feel Mammoth improve on last year’s disappointing 2-3 close-out to the regular season and even more depressing opening round loss to Calgary in the playoffs? Find out after the jump. READ MORE »

Inside Lacrosse Magazine, NLL, NLL Insider

NLL Insider 2009 Team-By-Team Preview: No. 3 Minnesota Swarm

Ryan Ward is a big-time leader for Minnesota (Martin Allinson)

The Minnesota Swarm find themselves in the NLL’s Western Division after a bit of realignment by the league, but still play a pretty East heavy schedule that arguably gives them the toughest regular season road of any team in their division.

Can they makeup the 76 points lost with Andy Secore shipped off to Edmonton via the Dispersal Draft? Can Dean Hill comeback to the dominating force he was in his rookie year after an injury/illness plagued 2008? Will Craig Point fall into that dreaded sophomore slump after his phenomenal rookie season? How big an impact will rookies Andrew Watt, Kevin Buchanan and Joe Cinosky have on the team this year?

Find out the answer to those questions and more after the jump. READ MORE »

Inside Lacrosse Magazine, NLL

Lewis Ratcliff in IL’s FanZone

It’s been a busy week for Lewis Ratcliff.

The Toronto Rock star is in the final stages of getting ready for the 2009 NLL season (and a trip to Florida for the opener on January 3rd against New York), was just named No. 12 in NLL Insider’s top 50 players list and now he’s this month’s guest in the Fan Zone for Inside Lacrosse Magazine.

To submit your questions, Follow this link to read the bio and submit your query. Ratcliff certainly has a tough act to follow, after the pinnacle of silliness that was San Jose forward Frank Resetarits’ FanZone interview:

Q: I can’t thank you enough for everything you have given me. It is a real pleasure to watch you gracefully glide across the carpet in SJ. How did you get such great calf definition? Is it true that you can shave your beard into a fu manchu while doing one handed push ups? Lastly, I love you!

A: Well Paul I’m glad that I could have such an affect on someone as famous as you. My calf definition is just a blessing from great genes, I guess. My parents met while at the best calves in America contest. While neither won, it still probably plays a role in that. I used to shave my Fu Manchu while doing one handed push-ups, but now I just stare at my beard in the mirror until my facial hair just falls out in the proper shape.

Think you can top that? Send in your questions today!

Inside Lacrosse Magazine, NLL

NLL Insider 2009 Team-By-Team Preview: No. 4 New York Titans

Casey Powell returns to lead the Titans (Martin Allinson)

After a slow start to last season, kicking off the year with a rough 1-4 record, the New York Titans came together mid-season for a second half that vaulted them into that insane four way knot-up for first in the East.

Casey Powell became an MVP contender. Matt Vinc turned into one of the league’s most clutch keepers. Jordan Hall had a Rookie of the Year type year even though voters felt otherwise. And Adam Mueller did his best Tony Resch impersonation en route to a Coach of the Year nod, which sadly then turned into an unexpected retirement during the off-season.

Expectations are high in the Big Apple this year and simply just making the playoffs probably won’t be enough to put a smile on too many faces this season. READ MORE »

Inside Lacrosse Magazine, NLL

NLL Insider 2009 Team-By-Team Preview: No. 5 Toronto Rock

Bob Watson is a solid backstop for Toronto (GA)

Since the Toronto Rock traded Colin Doyle during the off-season leading up to the 2007 season, the team has also seen names like Josh Sanderson, Aaron Wilson, Jim Veltman (as a player), Matt Shearer, Pat Merrill, Phil Sanderson, Ian Rubel and a host of others pass through the doors at the ACC, all eight of those guys Cup winners with the franchise in 2005.

Instead of building through the draft like rivals Minnesota or Philadelphia have done over the last few seasons, the Rock have either signed or traded for the likes of Cam Woods, Peter Lough, Luke Wiles, Jason Crosbie, Craig Conn and Stephen Hoar, coming into the 2009 season with some serious buzz for the first time since Doyle donned a Rock sweater.

Will the massive veteran changes made over the last two years be enough to get Toronto back to the final? Find out after the jump. READ MORE »

Inside Lacrosse Magazine, NLL, NLL Insider

NLL Insider 2009 Team-By-Team Preview: No. 6 San Jose Stealth

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. READ MORE »

Inside Lacrosse Magazine, NLL, NLL Insider

NLL Insider 2009 Team-By-Team Preview: No. 7 Rochester Knighthawks

The faces in Rochester may not be new, but they’re certainly familiar (20 Toe Photo)

The Rochester Knighthawks are on the tail-end of an off-season that made even Amy Winehouse look semi-sane.

First former head coach Ed Comeau leaves the Hawks for a new gig in New York, which was followed by an array of rumours for most of the summer of who his replacement would be. Long time GM, Jody Gage, was pushed out of his role with the team to concentrate solely on the AHL’s Rochester Americans, who are currently second to last in the 29-team league. READ MORE »

Inside Lacrosse Magazine, NLL, NLL Insider

NLL Insider 2009 Team-By-Team Preview: No. 9 Calgary Roughnecks

Jeff Shattler hopes to improve on his outstanding numbers for Calgary (Martin Allinson)

2008 was a transition year for the Calgary Roughnecks. A transition year that left them a W away from meeting the Buffalo Bandits in the Champion’s Cup final.

Not too shabby for a transition year.

With a new coaching staff headed up by Troy Cordingley, the team has become more athletic and are definitely not afraid to push the pace in their own end, but was it too much change too soon for a team that was without both Tracey Kelusky and Steve Dietrich for large stretches last winter?

With a crop of young guns led by the likes of Dane Dobbie, Cayle Ratcliff and Mike Carnegie, combined with a healthy Kelusky, a consistent full-time tender in Pat Campbell and a full year with Josh Sanderson, be enough to make noise in the West and beyond?

Find out  the answer to that question and others after the jump, straight from the pages of Inside Lacrosse’s NLL Preview issue, on newstands now. READ MORE »

Inside Lacrosse Magazine, NLL, NLL Insider

NLL Insider 2009 Team-By-Team Preview: No. 10 Edmonton Rush

Jimmy Quinlan is one of a few familiar faces for Edmonton (Jarred Chandler)

There are only a small handful of players on the Edmonton Rush that were with the team at this time last year.

365 days ago new signings like Mike Accursi, Kyle Goundrey, Matt Disher and Ben Prepchuk were supposed to turn the franchise around and give them consistency in areas on the rug they were sorely lacking.

All four of those vets, plus a bunch of others, have either been traded, released or can be filed under “other”, cuz GM and Head Coach Bob Hamley is givin’ the Rush a severe makeover in order to compete in today’s NLL, but will it be enough?

Find out  the answer to that question and others after the jump, straight from the pages of Inside Lacrosse’s NLL Preview issue, on newstands now.

READ MORE »

Inside Lacrosse Magazine, NLL, NLL Insider

NLL Insider 2009 Team-By-Team Preview: No. 11 Portland Lumberjax

Can Ryan Powell and the Jax get back to the finals (Martin Allison)

Even after making it to last year’s Champion’s Cup final, the consensus in most circles is that the Portland Lumberjax are gonna be in for one helluva battle this winter to even find that last post-season spot in the West. Only thing is, everyone was saying the same thing last year too. So…

How will they replace Dan Dawson? Can Matt Disher and the team’s rookie backup keeper tandem of Joel Weber and Matt Flindell give them the same intangibles as Dallas Eliuk did in last year’s Western Final? How much of an impact will Matt Brown  and Dan Stroup have on the team?

There are a ton of questions surrounding Portland this year, and after the jump, find out answers to some of them straight outta the pages of Inside Lacrosse’s NLL Preview issue, on newsstands now. READ MORE »