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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 »

NLL Top 50

NLL Insider Top 50: Kyle Ross #47

Kyle Ross, Boston Blazers

Based on his ‘09 National Lacrosse League season with the expansion Boston Blazers, Kyle Ross definitely put NLL Insider on notice that he deserved serious consideration for this year’s Top 50.

After the Mann Cup, we had no choice but to add his name to ’09’s list, without thinking twice.

He’s tenacious, hard working, physical and goes for broke almost every shift out. The Blazers’ Kyle Ross has taken his game to new heights over the past couple years and, in our books at least, was one of the best players on the floor during the entire Mann Cup series this summer. READ MORE »

NLL Top 50

NLL Insider Top 50: Matt King #48

Matt King (Photo: Matt J. Wiater)

A year ago, Matt King would likely have been slotted into the “flash in the pans” thread being discussed on the forums right now. Actually, forget likely, he definitely would have been included by many in that rundown.

At just 27-years of age heading into the ‘09 National Lacrosse League season, many within the league were throwing terms around like burnt-out, career backup and not good enough, when talking about King and his future endeavours in the bigs.

Come May though, the only thing burnt about King’s game was the heat radiating off his gear from all the rubber he was turning aside en route to the Calgary Roughnecks’ Champion’s Cup triumph.  READ MORE »

NLL Top 50

NLL Insider Top 50: Mac Allen #49

Mac Allen, Rochester Knighthawks

Labelled as the “future considerations” part of an ‘08 off-season move between the Edmonton Rush and Rochester Knighthawks, Mac Allen had one helluva ‘09 during both the National Lacrosse League and Major Series Lacrosse loop’s seasons, upping his pro stock like few did this past year and building a rep as one of the sport’s top pure D guys.

With that said though, his ‘09 started off pretty rough. With the Knighthawks reeling and taking some history making beatings at the start of last winter, Allen was first inserted into Rochester’s lineup during an embarrassing 16-6 loss at the hands of the San Jose Stealth, two nights after allowing 23 against the Buffalo Bandits. READ MORE »