As of today, 8 of the 9 NLL teams have released their practice squads. The Minnesota Swarm has not made their public yet. With the decrease in roster size this year, there is a lot of talent on the practice squads just waiting in the wings.
On the squad for the Bandits are Colin Boucher (D), Jordan Critch (T), Hayden Smith (D), and Mitch Wilde (T). Calgary has Brett Baron (F), Scott Carnegie (D), Jake Hayes (F), and Barclay Hickey (D). In Colorado, their practice squad consists of Chet Koneczny (D), Cody McMahon (T), and Mike McNamara (D) with room for one more. The Rush have Mitch Banister (D), Mike Burke (F), Jarrett Toll (D), and Alex Turner suiting up for practice. The Wings have an empty spot along with Michael Diehl (D), Eric Hoffman (D), and Bill McGione (D). Rochester also currently has 3 players on their practice squad, and they are Chris Attwood (F), Wenster Green (D), and Mark White (T). Toronto’s practice squad is made up of Dustin Dunn (D), Eric Law (F), Mike Lum-Walker (D) and Jeff Swift (F). Finally, in Vancouver, playing on the practice squad are Josh Hawkins (T), Neil Tyacke (G), Chris Wardle (F), and Nick Weiss (T).
Here’s who I think are some of the best on the practice squads.
I’m going to start with Colin Boucher. Boucher is 25 and has spent the last two years in the Canadian Lacrosse League. Over the summer, he helped the St. Catharine’s Saints win the President’s Cup and the Six Nations Chiefs win the Mann Cup. He’s been playing box lacrosse for quite awhile in Canada. He’s young, he’s fast and he hits hard.
Next, let’s take a look at Jake Hayes. The Robert Morris standout was sixth in career goals and seventh in points, and was captain there his senior year. He has made appearances at the Minto Cup two years in a row. His commitment to working well with those around him as well as his lacrosse IQ should eventually make him successful on the Roughnecks.
Jarrett Toll has 4 years of NLL experience. Toll has 24 points in 40 games which isn’t stellar but does set him apart from much of the practice squad. Toll, like may others, was likely a casualty of the reduced roster sizes this season.
Eric Hoffman is another player with NLL experience. He played 7 games in 2012 before a knee injury derailed him. He didn’t make it back in 2013. However, he brings some game time experience to the practice squad for the Wings.
Finally we’ll look at Neil Tyacke. Tyacke is the only goaltender to make a practice squad. He has 5 games of NLL experience. Hehas played in the WLA for the Victoria Shamrocks and the New Westminster Salmonbellies. In 2013, he played all 18 games for the Salmonbellies, posting a 9.31 GAA and a .803 SV%.
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