Josh Gillam is projected to miss the NLL season with a knee injury sustained during the MSL playoffs. While the injury has not been disclosed, my training tells me that if he’s missing that much time, it’s more than just a sprain, strain, or dislocation. While there is an outside chance of a patellar fracture, it is sounding like ACL or MCL. This leaves the Swarm with a hole only a…
After sitting out the 2014 season because of the World Championships, Mitch Belisle will be joining the Swarm once again for 2015. It will be the third season with the Swarm for the Cornell defenseman. Will he make a difference? I don’t see how he can’t. In 2012 and 2013, Belisle was part of two very successful Swarm teams. He’s had playoff experience dating back to his rookie year in…
Like the majority of the other teams in the NLL, the Minnesota Swarm began looking for ways to improve, as soon as the offseason started, be it through the draft, trades, or free agency. Beginning in June, the Swarm and the Edmonton Rush worked out a deal that sent goaltender Brodie MacDonald and the third overall pick in the 2014 draft to Minnesota in exchange for Tyler Carlson and the…
This offseason, the Minnesota Swarm traded Tyler Hass along with Dane Stevens to the Vancouver Stealth for Mike Grimes. In his four years with the Swarm, if Hass brought anything, it was consistency. A look back at his records for the last four years show, no matter how many games played, he was good for eight goals and a couple assists. Watching him play the last four years, he’s not…
Paxton Leroux is a hockey player who played lacrosse as part of his offseason conditioning, and just so happened to have it pay off for him. He was undrafted and released by the New York Rangers after their 2014 training camp and is currently with the Minnesota Wild ECHL affiliate, the Quad City Mallards where he has played one game with 5 penalty minutes. In junior hockey, he played for…
On Tuesday, the Minnesota Swarm followed up on their draft coup from last year with six draft picks. The Swarm took 2014 Co-Tewaaraton trophy winner (shared with brother Lyle), Miles Thompson at number three for their top pick. At number five, Shane MacDonald was selected, followed by Joe Maracle at number ten to round out the forward selections. Their fourth pick (number 29) addressed needs at transition with the selection…
During the first game of the 2014 season, returning goaltender Tye Belanger was replaced in net by rookie, Dillon Ward. Belanger, following a solid sophomore season, never managed to regain his claim to the net. Following a poor start in the season opener, Belanger would go on to start in only two other games last season. He came in in relief of Ward once and on four other occasions, played…
The Swarm began their off season plans last week when they traded Tyler Carlson and the 2014 #1 pick to Edmonton for Brodie MacDonald and the 2014 #3 pick. With any luck, that will be it. The Swarm have two things they need to do this summer: draft well and nothing else. The Swarm approach the draft in September with five total picks; two of those are in the first…
Photo Credit: Vancouver Stealth Clearly the offseason is here for the Minnesota Swarm. Following a disappointing season, they’ve started making moves. This year, they’ve started with moving for players instead of for draft picks. Looking to improve in net, the Swarm gave up the coveted number one pick in the 2014 entry draft along with goaltender Tyler Carlson and a second round pick in 2015 to the Edmonton Rush for…
The Edmonton Rush had a historic 16-2 season, going undefeated until April 11, 2014. They won their first 14 games. The Colorado Mammoth handed them their first defeat which was a 10-8 loss. They would lose their second game of the season eight days later in overtime against the Calgary Roughnecks (13-14). They would go on to face Calgary in the playoffs for the Champion’s Cup. The Rush started their…