Recent Signings and Free Agent Acquisitions:
July 15th:
(T) Kevin Brownell – 2 yr deal
(T) Brandon Goodwin – 2 yr deal
(D) Jamie Batson – 2 yr deal
(T) Mitch Jones – 1 yr deal
August 3rd:
(T) David Brock – 2 yr deal
(T) Alex Kedoh Hill – 2 yr deal
August 4th:
(T) Matthew Bennett – 1 yr deal
(F) Tyler Ferreira – 1 yr deal
(D) Matt Spanger – 1 yr deal (free agent)
(G) Davide DiRuscio – 2 yr deal
August 5th:
(G) Anthony Cosmo – 3 yr deal
August 8th:
(F) Daryl Veltman – 2 yr deal (Calgary Roughnecks)
(T) Mitch Wilde – 2 yr deal
(G) Rance Vigneux – 1 yr deal (free agent)
Offense: The 2015 NLL season was definitely a banner year for the Buffalo Bandits offense. Ryan Benesch (led all Bandits in scoring with 113 points/good for third overall in the league), Dhane Smith (second on the team with 107 points/good for fourth overall) and Mark Steenhuis (third on the team with 95 points/good for seventh overall) proved to be scoring trinity that the team has been searching for the past five years. Unfortunately for the Bandits, the rest of the offensive unit during the regular season struggled to keep up with them. The next highest scorer proved to be the Bandits veteran Chad Culp with 36 points (fifth on the team). The combined scoring abilities of John Tavares and rookie Jerome Thompson drew solid offensive stats during the regular season but just weren’t enough to help the team enough into the postseason as they were bounced in the opening round of the playoffs despite being ranked second in goals scored during the regular season.
Still there are some lingering questions that need to be answered during the rest of the free agency period including the status of Mark Steenhuis, John Tavares and Jamie Rooney. The late addition of former Calgary Roughnecks forward Daryl Veltman with his veteran presence and scoring touch will definitely help give this offensive squad a much needed shot in the arm in terms of production. Hopefully former second round draft selection Tyler Ferreira will be able to prove himself worthy of leaving the practice squad and making a permanent stay in the starting roster.
Transition: With the signings so far of Alex Kedoh Hill, Kevin Brownell, Brandon Goowdin, Mitch Jones, David Brock, Matthew Bennett and Mitch Wilde, the Bandits organization has proved so far that they are thrilled with the performance from last year’s squad and hoping for more next year.
Bandits faceoff specialist Jay Thorimbert had an incredible season last year as he broke the NLL record in faceoff wins during the regular season with 338. Bandits fans were also thrilled to see the standout play of Bandits comeback player of the year Alex Kedoh Hill with his fourth place scoring finish on the team with 49 points. Hill’s speed and ability to hit the open shot helped steal some of the limelight away from Thorimbert. Kevin Brownell and Mitch Wilde will be able to contribute their breakaway speed and light scoring touch while Brock and Nick Weiss will be able to help use their strength and physicality to help put some heat on the opposing scorers and get that loose ball.
One of the big bright spots for the transition next year will be the added experience and recovery from injury to former first round draft pick Brandon Goodwin. Goodwin’s new two-year deal will help him get the time to develop and finally able to see his game hit full stride as a permanent fixture to the transition squad.
Only question mark the team has in transition during the rest of free agency will be the status of veteran Andrew Watt.
Defense: The Buffalo signing of Jamie Batson to a new two-year deal proves that the organization holds a strong belief in the play of Batson and what he can contribute to the dwindling numbers of pure defensemen on the team. So far, only three players in the starting lineup were considered pure defensemen (Billy Dee Smith, Derek Suddons and Steve Priolo) and while the rest of the squad was filled with transition players to fill in the holes. While those transition players added speed and ability to quickly move the ball up, their lack of height and pure physicality on defensive shifts gave opposing players more room to muscle in and take some quality high percentage shots. With the addition of Batson and Spanger to contracts, hopefully the organization will take the following steps to assure goaltender Anthony Cosmo that all the shots he will face will be kept to the outside.
Only question for defense during free agency will be the contract status of Derek Suddons and the possible loss of brutal force and physicality he brings to the Bandits defense.
Goaltending: The last line of defense for the Bandits was solidified for the next three years with the signing of starting goaltender Anthony Cosmo. Also announced this past week was the signing of a two-year deal for backup Davide DiRuscio and a one-year deal for Rance Vigneux.
Cosmo’s self confidence and swagger from the 2014 season melted away into an unsure status during the 2015 season as Cosmo ranked sixth in the league in goals allowed with 11.31 GAA and ranked first in the league in saves with 681. While the lead in saves with 681 is nice to have, it also proves the poor play of the transition and defense in keeping the ball away from the net.
Regarding backup goaltender Davide DiRuscio, the sky is the limit regarding his playing ability for the team. During the 2015 season in 14 games played, DiRuscio recorded one win with no losses and a GAA of 11.88.
