When the NLL regular season starts on Saturday, Dec. 28, the Calgary Roughnecks will still be at home enjoying their Christmas holidays.
There has been very little news around the Calgary camp since the announcement of the 20-man roster on Dec. 16. Word that TSN2 will be carrying three Roughnecks games this season has been the big story.
Happily, the quiet time also means the Roughnecks have time to rest and recover. With three important members of the team currently on the Physically Unable to Play list, the extra week off will get them a few precious days closer to recovery.
Scott Ranger finished the 2013 season with the fifth-most points on the team. His 53-point season marked the sixth year in a row that he eclipsed the 50-point plateau. Every week the Roughnecks get where they don’t have to worry about missing that consistent production is good news for the team.
The transition unit is also thin with both Travis Cornwall and Peter McFetridge on the PUP list.
Cornwall’s sophomore numbers were down slightly compared to his rookie season, getting six points to go with 16 loose balls, but he is capable of contributing quality minutes on both ends of the floor making him a valuable piece of the equation.
McFetridge had a 13-point, 45 loose ball season in 2013 and continues to establish himself as one of the fastest runners on the team. He is capable of pushing the ball up the floor on transition like few others, putting pressure on the opposition defense.
The rest of the roster, meanwhile, has the opportunity to rest up and be ready for the journey to Toronto to take on the Rock on Jan. 3. Toronto beat Calgary in both of their matchups last year, so the Roughnecks will be keen to turn those fortunes around.
The Roughnecks won all three of their pre-season scrimmages and got good performances out of newcomers Tor Reinholdt, Karsen Leung and Garrett McIntosh, so hopes are high in the Roughnecks camp that they’ll be able to carry that momentum into the regular season, with or without their injured teammates.
