MLL Season Preview: Charlotte Hounds

Let’s all be honest here, while the first season of the Charlotte Hounds may have not been a success in the standings; they made themselves known in the greater Charlotte area.  I consider that a success.  With an average attendance of 5,700 during the Hounds first season the Hounds have formed a nice loyal fan base.  As the fan base as grown so have the stakes of the team’s performance.

While many familiar faces of the first season have been traded or relocated, the Hounds have worked diligently to fill those voids with new talent.  Some of that new talent such as Goalie, Sean Aaron, should help the Hounds stop the bleeding from goals from the opposing team.  Goaltending was a problem last year.  Sean Aaron’s senior year at Union College he posted a .650 save percentage and 6.45 goals against average.

During the draft the Charlotte Hounds traded a 7th round pick in exchange for midfielder Chris Schiller.  Schiller’s record for goals and assists is noteworthy.  He had 21 goals and 18 assists for 39 points in 58 games and added 192 groundballs.

The core defensive group of Ryan Flanagan, Brett Schmidt, and Joe Cinosky seem to be intact. With the need to strengthen the midfield there seems to be excitement for Defensive Midfielder Peet Poillen and Kevin Drew.  They should provide coverage for the void of Boltus and struggling players.

The latest of the changes to strengthen the Hounds is the addition of Attack Ryan Young.  Young should provide the depth needed with a strong goal and assists record to prove it.

It should be very exciting to see how the new young talent will fall into place.  Also, it will be interesting to see how a team with quite a few changes to its structure can work as a unified group.

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