When the NLL Draft takes place on September 28, the Calgary Roughnecks will have six picks in the first three rounds, giving them a golden opportunity to load up on young talent in what should be one of the deepest draft classes in league history.
That is in stark contrast to last year’s draft, where the Roughnecks didn’t select until the second round (Tyson Roe, 16th overall) and then only took three more late-round players. Whereas none of Calgary’s selections from last year played in the 2015 season, it is probable that several will be able to make the active roster from this draft.
Calgary’s draft history has been rather hit-and-miss. In 2013 their first round pick was Tor Reinholdt, who has yet to make much of an impact in limited action, but their next pick, Karesn Leung has been outstanding and is up for Transition Player of the Year following his sophomore campaign.
In 2012 they got two game-ready players in the first round, Joe Resetarits and Matthew Dinsdale, but they’ve subsequently traded both away.
In 2011’s first round pick, Travis Cornwall, also never quite lived up to expectations and, after four seasons of infrequent appearances on the floor, he’s also now gone.
In 2010 the Roughnecks had a great draft, selecting Curtis Dickson and Dan McRae in the first round. Dickson is well on his way to being one of the most dominant scorers in the NLL; McRae is swiftly becoming the backbone of Calgary’s defense.
You’ll find a few more gems as you scan through Calgary’s draft history like Dane Dobbie and Taylor Wray, but you’ll also find some duds like Kyle Wailes and Matt Morehouse (Morehouse never made the NLL; Wailes was traded to the Philadelphia Wings where he spent three decent, but unspectacular seasons).
With their six high picks this year, the Roughnecks are virtually assured of bringing in some serious talent. Based on In Lacrosse We Trust’s Top 50 Draft Prospects, Calgary could get players like Lyle Thompson, Randy Staats, Dan Taylor, Riley Quinlan, Kyle Aquin, and Nathan Klein. Of course, depending on what other teams take, there are a bunch of other high profile players that could be available—Wesley Berg, Chad Tutton, Jacob Ruest, and Anthony Malcolm could all be unselected when Calgary’s spots come up.
The upshot of all this is that the Roughnecks could quickly fill some holes on the roster left by the departure of guys like Daryl Veltman, Geoff Snider, and Jeff Moleski. It may look like Calgary is in a rebuilding year, but they could turn some heads with a strong draft.
