Casey Powell is a lacrosse ambassador and World Champion. His lacrosse career started at Carthage High School where he set the all-time national record for career points (553), and then he went off to play for Syracuse University. He was named two-time Division I National Player of the Year and a National Champion. He wore the famed #22 jersey, and graduated as the school’s all-time leading scorer. He started playing Major League Lacrosse in 2001, first with the Long Island Lizards until 2003 when he was traded to the Rochester Rattlers. In 2005 he won the MLL Offensive Player of the Year Award. During his career in the pros he became the all-time points leader in MLL history, and was the first and only American ever to be named the NLL’s Most Valuable Player. He was named captain of the US national team in the 2006 World Lacrosse Championship and also played on the 1998 US national team.
He was acquired by the Colorado Mammoth via trade with the Rochester Knighthawks on March 12, 2013 in exchange for Jon Sullivan and a third-round draft pick. During the 2013 season, Powell averaged more than five points per game, and on November 22, 2013 signed a one-year agreement to play for the Mammoth.
However, in early December, shortly before the preseason games in Toronto, Powell informed the Mammoth that he was unable to play. In a statement released by the Colorado Mammoth, Powell said “Due to recent circumstances in my personal affairs, I am unable to play for the Colorado Mammoth at this time. It is my sincerest hope that I will be able to return to the team in the future and help the organization win the Champion’s Cup. I appreciate the support of the franchise, my coaches and teammates, as well as the great fans of Colorado, and can’t wait until I’m able to get back to play again at Pepsi Center.”
In an article by Stephen Stamp from IL Indoor.com he was quoted as saying “The Colorado Mammoth will be without star forward Casey Powell….It doesn’t say why or for how long, but from the tone of the message it sounds like he will miss the season. While there is no direct statement that there is a connection, Powell joins a wave of American NLL players who are not playing this year, in which the world field lacrosse championships are being held in Denver”.
When Steve Govett, GM of the Colorado Mammoth was asked how he thought not having Casey Powell playing this season is going to affect the Mammoth, and with the recent cuts on the team to bring it down to the 20 man active roster, which players did he think will step up and fill the void on the field, or if he thought it was going to have an impact on the field, Govett had the following statement.
“The need to put Casey on the inactive roster for the beginning of the season was something that we were informed of early in December prior to our weekend in Toronto. Up to that point, Casey had been in constant contact with us and was excited to be with the Mammoth for the upcoming season. Casey and I had a number of discussions about his commitment to the North Broward Prep program, we chatted about efforts to partner with our NDP lacrosse program, and we spent a great deal of time working on the future of the Mammoth camp that he executed for us last summer. All of these things were very positive and would not affect his ability to play this upcoming winter.
“We had very positive interaction with his agent Rich Furlong and Casey was engaged in the process of negotiating his contract for the upcoming season. All things were pointing to him being in camp and focused on helping us win another championship.
“Casey did reach out prior to our Toronto camp and informed us that something unforeseen had come up and he would not be able to play at this time. The issue is of a personal nature, and is confidential, we are supportive of Casey and are doing everything we can to assist him in any way that we can, in an effort to see him back on the field. Casey remains committed to the team but needs to address these very important affairs in order to allow him be able to play in Colorado sometime in the future. I can’t comment any further and am not able to answer any other questions about his reasons.
“With that said, in the NLL you must be prepared for all the contingencies, especially in a more “remote” franchise from the “hotbeds” for indoor lacrosse. Acquiring and retaining players that can make the commitment to fly in every week has its challenges, remaining competitive and a contender through those challenges can be tricky.
“The “new” NLL has made some things easier and some things more difficult, it’s not as simple as painting the wall with a single brush stroke, every move now affects something else, reducing the roster size is only one element of the approach, we have to consider the type of player that can play in a league where only 16 runners can contribute now for an additional 2 games.
“Our 20 man roster consists of 6 offensive players, 3 transition players, 8 defensive players, 1 face off man and 2 goalies. We are thrilled with Drew Westervelt, Jordan McBride and Sean Pollock, each had a great camps and each provides something different, everything they provide is necessary. If Casey was here, we would have to have released one of them.
“Most important to note is that with only 16 runners and 2 goalies, versatility is vitally important, in games; penalties, injuries, ejections, etc. can reduce your effective lineup with significant impact. Players have to have multiple roles depending on the given situation; players like Colton Clark (who had a great camp in a new role as a defender) can fill in as offensive players, Jackson Decker, Matt MacCleod, Joey Cupido, and Cam Mann (another player that had a great camp) can all play very solid defense, but contribute offensively if called upon when necessary. The openings for specialized players have become limited; we are seeing a future where players can contribute in multiple ways. And when we decided to dedicate ourselves to one face-off specialist it limited the ability to carry other specialists.
“We have been preparing for the roster changes all summer. Was Casey’s situation unexpected? Certainly, would we like to have a dynamic player of Casey’s caliber with us? Absolutely, but given the nature of the League and the need to adapt quickly to any situation prior to, or during the season, we think we are very prepared.
“Will it have an impact on the floor? It could, but our job as management, coaches and players is to make certain that it doesn’t. We have a very dedicated group that are eager to once again prove our naysayers wrong, just as we did with the 2012 regular season. The goal is to move deeper in the playoff mix and play all 24 games this season.”
With Powell being placed on the Mammoth holdout list, it’s uncertain of his return to the Mammoth or the NLL, but with veterans like John Grant Jr., Drew Westervelt, Sean Pollock & Jordan McBride, the Mammoth still have outstanding talent on the floor and the outlook for a great season ahead is promising.
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