NLL Insider

NLL Top 50

NLL Insider Top 50: Tyler Codron #37

Tyler Codron (Photo: Matt J. Wiater)

Although currently sidelined with a torn ACL sustained while playing football for the UBC Thunderbirds, former Portland Lumberjax and current Toronto Rock defender, Tyler Codron, slips into this year’s Top 50, his 2010 season far from ruled out completely, especially given Codron’s work ethic, determination and heart.

During the ‘07 National Lacrosse League entry draft, Derek Keenan, at the time GM and head coach of the Portland Lumberjax, was on the hunt for offensive talent after a winter that saw the Jax sit dead last in the NLL team scoring column (yes, lower than the Edmonton Rush). READ MORE »

NLL Top 50

NLL Insider Top 50: Luke Wiles #38

Luke Wiles (Photo: Graig Abel)

Although his overall numbers dipped a bit while in Toronto versus that off the charts 82-point season he had not so long ago in San Jose, Luke Wiles is still one of the most lethal snipers and most natural goal scorers in the game today.

Over his junior career with the Orillia Rama Kings and St. Catharines Athletics, Wiles left the loop with an almost unheard of 205-goals. That’s more goals than Cody Jamieson, Shawn Evans, Tom Marechek, Gavin Prout and Ryan Benesch, all junior scoring legends, accumulated over their time playing Jr. A ball. READ MORE »

NLL Top 50

NLL Insider Top 50: Steve Toll #39

Steve Toll (Photo: Dave Sanders)

Not a hellua lot went right in Rochester leading up to last year’s pro kick-off, or even 30-days into ‘09.

John Grant and Scott Evans were on the shelf for beyond extended periods. Rumours were, and later came to fruition, that Marshall Abrams and Scott Ditzell were gonna be unusable all year. And Pat O’Toole was watching almost the first month of the season from the press box nursing his own injuries.

The Hawks were losing games (to put  it mildly) at record lows (ie. 23-6L vs. Buffalo Bandits) and ‘09 looked like it was gonna be the biggest wash of a season in franchise history. READ MORE »

NLL Top 50

NLL Insider Top 50: Blaine Manning #40

Blaine Manning (Photo: Graig Abel)

There are only two unmoved Toronto Rock players still with the franchise since that epic 2005 season, when the Rock finished the season 12-4, thumped the Arizona Sting in the Champion’s Cup in front of a spilling over Air Canada Center, and stuffed the top of the scoring charts with three players topping 100-points, all sitting within the league’s Top 5 point-getters.

Since then, well, we all know what’s taken place in TO since their last Cup win. But in brief… they’ve gone 8-8, 6-10, 7-9 and 6-10 respectively, have missed the playoffs the past two seasons, have traded franchise cornerstones like Colin Doyle and Josh Sanderson (who’ve broken records, won Cups, etc.. since departing), are onto their fourth head coach & staff, and have seen their once near perfect home record slip through their fingers. READ MORE »

NLL Top 50

NLL Insider Top 50: Sean Pollock #41

Sean Pollock, Minnesota Swarm

Outside of Chad Culp, every player that outpointed Sean Pollock during his first season with the Minnesota Swarm in ‘05 has found their way outta Minny one way or another.

Gone are Craig Conn, D’Arcy Berthiaume, Jamie Taylor, Ryder Bateman, Kelly Hall, and then just this off-season, Ryan Ward, all six players topping Pollock’s pro sophomore 25-points in 13 games.

Last year, Pollock finished scaling the Swarm leaderboard, leading the team in points with 65-scratches on the score-sheet, and although Minnesota has made major changes throughout their lineup for 2010, the always improving Pollock looks like he ain’t going anywhere, the Swarm knowing exactly what they’re gonna get out of the six-year vet. READ MORE »

NLL Top 50

NLL Insider Top 50: Mike Carnegie #42

Mike Carnegie (Photo: Larry Palumbo)

That picture of Mike Carnegie just over to the right there, the one where he’s sportin’ a pretty big grin on his mug, see it? Any guess on why the kid might be so damn happy?

Might have something to do with the fact that he’s picked up the last three major indoor ball titles (’09 Champion’s Cup, ‘08 & ‘09 Mann Cup). Could be due to the two massive playoff goals he scored for both Calgary (game winner in Champ Cup vs. New York) or Brampton (OT forcing goal in Game 7 of the Mann vs. New West). Or it could be that he’s slowly becoming one of the most consistent, steady defenders in the game period. READ MORE »

NLL Top 50

NLL Insider Top 50: Scott Stewart #43

Scott Stewart (Photo: Matt J. Wiater)

It’s pretty fitting that Scott Stewart wound up in Edmonton after the collapse of the Portland Lumberjax, playing for the same coach and manager that helped him steer his playing style into a role that now has Stewart as one of the game’s best two-way players.

Derek Keenan helped Stewart find his pro niche during his second stint in Portland, the two together again after Keenan was able to get Stewart back post-dispersal draft in a deal with the Minnesota Swarm, better know as the Ryan Ward for Ryan Benesch swap. Arguably the best player in the trade is the guy barely mentioned in the move, but as Stewart told NLL Insider’s Lauren Ward at around this time last year, he’s pretty used to the lack of bells and whistles when his name is mentioned. READ MORE »

NLL Top 50

NLL Insider Top 50: Kaleb Toth #44

Kaleb Toth (Photo: Larry Palumbo)

The most improved player during the 2009 National Lacrosse League season?

Hard to argue against giving that nod to the Calgary Roughnecks’ Kaleb Toth, who tacked on an extra 30 points onto his ‘08 total, matched a personal best career high in helpers, had his best loosie digits since ‘05, came up clutch like he was on the floor at MLG again (currently taking place at MLG), and his 80 points to end the ‘09 regular season was better than anything he’d done before in Toronto or Calgary.

Although Toth was still a vital part of the Necks in ‘08, the three time Champion’s Cup winner spent most of last year reestablishing himself as a legit threat at the highest level of the game. READ MORE »

NLL Top 50

NLL Insider Top 50: Matt Disher #45

Matt Disher (Photo: Matt J. Wiater)

Matt Disher mighta been playing third fiddle behind Tyler Richards and Matt Roik at the Mann Cup this past summer, but during at least the first half of the ‘09 National Lacrosse League season, few came close to matching the show stopping performances Disher was throwing down in Portland, playing arguably the best he ever has in the pros after stints with Buffalo, Ottawa, Anaheim, Minnesota, Edmonton, Portland and soon to be Edmonton again.

Although multiple bye weeks and some time on the shelf to rest up for the playoffs had Disher slightly inactive to close out the year, it shouldn’t take away from the fact that Dish was on a whole nother level for most of ‘09, one few have even come close to over the past 365. READ MORE »

NLL Top 50

NLL Insider Top 50: Ryan Ward #46

Ryan Ward (Photo: Dave Sanders)

At his best, Ryan Ward is easily one of the top floor generals in the game today.

Based on how things played out in Minnesota over the past 365 days, ultimately resulting in the Swarm dealing the former first round draft pick to the Edmonton Rush in a blockbuster move, Ward’s ‘09 definitely wasn’t one of his strongest seasons in the bigs, especially a year after arguably his best in ‘08, at times, an MVP contender that winter.

Now in Edmonton, a team looking for someone to take over their offense and lift it to new heights, will Ward be able to do what others have never really come close to since the Rush set-up shop in “The City of Champions”? READ MORE »