MLL Supplemental Draft: Analyzing the Selections

On December 17, the MLL held their Supplemental Draft, which gave teams a chance to build up their rosters ahead of the collegiate draft and training camp.  Below is a quick look at how the teams fared.

 

Trades:

There were two trades on the day that are worth noting:

1. Denver: G Charlie Cipriano and A Curtis Dickson to Florida for G Dillon Ward and 2 Supplemental Draft Picks (G Johnny Rodriguez and LSM Matt Harris).
2. After the Draft: Ryan Young from Charlotte to Boston for a 2nd round pick in the Collegiate Draft.

 

 

Charlotte

Charlotte was tasked with finding ways to improve their lowest scoring offense while also carrying a defense that was right in the middle of the league statistics-wise.  If he’s able to play (due to US Army commitments), Garrett Thul is an excellent addition.  They already have a talented, balanced attack, but Thul adds another world class offensive threat who can also run some midfield if needed.  I also really like the addition of Billy Ward who was a classic example of someone with a fantastic senior year of NCAA that was overlooked due to the January collegiate draft.  Charlotte also never committed strongly towards any one Goalie, so Runkel should have a realistic shot at competing for a starting position.  Much of their draft was defense, which is likely to offset the fact they only protected 5 longpoles on their roster.

 

New York

Last year on paper, New York looked nearly unbeatable and they did wind up only losing by one goal to Denver in the playoffs.  Their protected roster kept the core team together across all positions and they  have few NCAA or NLL conflicts for the early season games.  This means they were able to focus on depth.  Getting the rights to Cody Jamieson could pay huge dividends late in the season as he will without a doubt see the NLL season through to the end.  They’re set at the Goalie and FOGO spots, so the stable of midfielders they picked up provides them with several players with tremendous upside going into camp.

 

Florida

Florida protected five goalies, which left them with prime trade bait.  Denver wound up biting and sent Curtis Dickson over for Dillon Ward (full details at the top of the article).  How this turns out is yet to be seen since Dickson’s MLL history is spotty, as he focuses his energy indoors, but is spectacular when he plays.  Combining him with Casey Powell and Kieran McArdle is going to be a nightmare for opposing defenders.  Ward will be playing for the Colorado Mammoth, so he’s in a similar spot with limited availability at best.  For the most part, Florida just added many players they left off their protected list who were on the team last season.  Their main focus has to be improving on their league worst 193 goals allowed, but that wasn’t addressed much in this draft.

 

Rochester

Rochester had the best record last year, best defense, and second best offense.  Their problem is getting ready for the early part of the season where they are severely impacted by NCAA coaching and NLL playing commitments.  Adding Jeremy Boltus is a great way to build up the attack unit early, assuming he’s also not hampered by military commitments at that point. Beau Wood is another interesting add.  A Division III product out of Tufts, the last time he played in the Rochester area was a seven goal performance, leading Tufts past undefeated RIT on their way to an NCAA Championship.

 

Denver

Denver’s main goal in this draft was to rebuild their defense a bit after losing Lee Zink and then to help prepare for the handful of players with NLL commitments.  Tim Henderson is another Army grad who will make an immediate impact if he’s able to play.  Matt Harris saw some time last year in the league as a rookie and should also be able to contribute right away.  Picking up a few goalies was a good plan as their starter is well established, but a reliable backup is lacking.

 

Boston

Losing Ryan Boyle and Stephen Berger in the off-season meant that Boston needed to add some firepower to their offense, but their defense did struggle in 2014.  Amidon should be able to find regular playing time in Berger’s position at midfield.  While replacing Boyle is no easy task, Will Manny is likely going to be leading the unit and they need more role players than anything.  They picked up a few pieces here that should be able to fit in well, but will need to do well in the collegiate draft to fully build out a championship caliber offense.

 

Chesapeake

Chesapeake took a major step back in 2014, and I’m still not entirely sure why.  They’re loaded with talent, so I don’t think you need to say a rebuilding phase is needed.  They do however feature several prominent NLL players on their roster, so offsetting those will be key.  Unfortunately, two of their new midfielders are likely to be in this same position as they picked up the NLL’s 2014 number one overall pick Ben McIntosh, and Sam Bradman, who may be with the Swarm in early spring.

 

Ohio

Ohio’s problem last year was their defense gave up just too many goals while their offense led the league with 200 points in the regular season.  This formula still got them into the playoffs, so this team is not far from where they need to be.  They picked up a few MLL regulars who will be solid contributors, but no major game changers.  They also drafted someone whose name is actually LaCrosse, so they get an A+ for that move alone.

 

 

This leaves us looking forward to the collegiate draft in January.  Once that is wrapped up and whatever trades teams have in mind are completed, we’ll be able to really take a look at each team and see how the 2015 MLL season may shape up.