We are less than a week away from this year’s NLL draft, but the questions still loom. How will the night unfold, and what uniforms will we see the players of the future don by the end of the evening. Steve Deitrich and the Buffalo Bandits hope that the player they select is the one that can push this team to a fifth NLL Championship.
The Bandits currently hold the fifth selection in the draft since trading down in the trade that brought the team Shawn Williams. Many players have been thought of as candidates for the pick, although a few stand out. The Bandits lacked the offensive kick to put away games last year but have also lost key parts to their defense as well. They have needs all across the floor that could be addressed.
Offensively the team has been tied to two players that have a family connection to the Bandits. Joe Resetarits seems like a very likely choice for the team after a successful year with the Brampton Excelsiors. Joe’s brother Frank was a member of the Bandits last year before being cut by the team midway through the season. However Joe’s stock appears to be dropping slightly and could put him in the second round.
Dhane Smith is another player that has been tied to Buffalo. Smith has a lot of upside and is projected to go around the middle of the first round. Smith played this summer with the Kitchener Kodiaks of the MSL, whom Deitrich is the GM of. THe Bandits new GM has already brought in other players from Kitchener, could he be bringing in another?
Carter Bender is another player that is in the Bandits range when it comes to the draft. Bender, who plays for the Excelsiors, won the Mann Cup with the team with summer. At 6’4” he is a big man who should be able to adjust to the NLL quite nicely. In an interview, Bender said that he likes to pattern his game after Dan Dawson. Could be be the next Dangerous Dan?
The Bandits also have issues on defense which they will most likely address in later rounds. The offensive talent at the top of the draft may be too much for them to pass on. I guess all we can do now is wait and see.
