Miles Thompson—Albany/Rochester/Minnesota
How does one have the best year in lacrosse? Win a Tewaaraton, get drafted in the first round of the NLL, and make it to a championship game in the MLL. All of the Thompsons owned lacrosse this year, but Miles had the opportunity to play at three levels and be an impact player in two. It remains to be seen what he can do in the NLL, but if preseason is any indication, he should do just fine.
Dave DiRuscio—Niagara/Peterborough/Buffalo
Before 2014, we just knew Dave DiRuscio as the goalie who was injured and therefore undrafted in the NLL. However, he burst onto the indoor lacrosse scene pretty quickly this past year. He won a championship as a rookie with the Niagara Lock Monsters, joined the Peterborough Lakers and saw playing time, and made the Buffalo Bandits roster after his first training camp.
Kieran McArdle—St. Johns/Florida
The third overall pick to go in the Major League Lacrosse draft made the most noise of any pick. The Florida Launch rookie won the league’s rookie of the year as he was an impact player in the franchise’s first season. The surprisingly competent Launch should even contend this season behind McArdle.
Kyle Buchanan—Philadelphia Wings
The Wings did not have a good 2014—they actually even left Philadelphia. On the floor was no better, as they missed the playoffs again. However, one player did stand out, and that was Kyle Buchanan. Buchanan made a marginal impact when he played for the Washington Stealth, but joining Philadelphia, he became a goal scorer.
Curtis Dickson—Denver/Calgary
Dickson has been a star in the NLL for years with the Calgary Roughnecks. Yet since he graduated from Delaware, he hasn’t seen an MLL field. That changed this year when he joined the Denver Outlaws and became an impact player right away and helped carry them to a championship. Yet, Denver traded him away to Florida this offseason.
Dillon Ward—Colorado/Canada
Ward was the only goalie selected in the first round of the NLL draft, and he took the starting job with the Colorado Mammoth right away. He even signed a five year extension with the team. But more than that, the rookie goalie helped lead Team Canada to a field lacrosse championship as he won the tournament MVP and helped defeat USA in the championship game.
