As the clock ticks down for the start of the 2014 NLL season, the Calgary Roughnecks are gearing up to try to get back to the Champion’s Cup, something they haven’t been able to do since 2009.
Calgary has, however, finished the regular season at the top of the West Division standings for three years in a row, so the expectation is that they will retain their status as the team to beat in the west before taking a deep run into the playoffs.
Additions
New to the Riggers this year are a handful of rookies. Four players picked from the most recent NLL draft—Tor Reinholdt, Karsen Leung, Garrett McIntosh and Peter Dubenski—made the 20-man roster. They are joined by free agent acquisition Cody Hawkins, who was drafted in 2012 by the Rochester Knighthawks but has yet to log any NLL time.
Losses
Gone are Jackson Decker and Joe Resetarits by way of trades on draft day. Long-time transition stalwart Nolan Heavenor retired during the offseason. Scott Carnegie has been moved to the Practice Roster. And Aaron Pascas was released outright.
Offense
The team offensive unit should be very similar to the group that led the NLL in goals last year (222). The core unit of defending MVP Shawn Evans (112 points), Curtis Dickson (42 goals), Jeff Shattler (74 points), Dane Dobbie (40 goals in 13 games) and Daryl Veltman (43 points in 12 games) are all back, once again making this one of the most potent offenses in the league.
Scott Ranger (53 points) is currently on the PUP list, which creates a soft spot on the right side, but Matthew Dinsdale had a good training camp and should be able to fill that role until Ranger is healthy again.
Transition
Newcomers Reinholdt and Leung bolster a solid transition squad that is led by faceoff god Geoff Snider (second all-time in faceoff wins with 1895). Reinholdt and Leung bring good size and energy to the lineup and both can push the ball up the floor quickly.
Also waiting to return from the PUP list are transition veterans Travis Cornwall and Peter McFetridge. Both were at training camp and both are valuable assets, so the sooner they can get back on the floor, the better for the team.
Defense
Aside from the additions of McIntosh and Hawkins, the defensive squad is largely the same as last year. Led by team captain Andrew McBride, the combination of Dan McRae, Curtis Manning, Mike Carnegie, Jon and Greg Harnett plays well as a unit. They are persistent, aggressive and do not generally give up easy shots.
Goaltending
Mike Poulin is a former Goaltender of the Year and the No. 1 guy for the Roughnecks. His 12.82 goals against average was a bit off last year, but some of that can be attributed to Calgary having to kill 107 penalties over the course of the season.
Backing him up is Frankie Scigliano, who had a good summer with the New Westminster Salmonbellies and rookie Dubenski who performed well for the Coquitlam Adanacs over the summer and had a good showing in training camp scrimmages. Dubenski will be pushing Scigliano hard for the back-up role this year which should elevate both of their games.
Season Outlook
There are only two players on the Roughnecks roster over the age of 30 with most of the roster right in their prime. That bodes well for a repeat of last year’s regular season. Expect similar offensive numbers and, if the team can avoid a few sloppy penalties, an improvement in their goals against. That combination should be good news for their goal of taking home their third championship.
