As soon as they traded for Shawn Evans before last season, it was clear the New England Black Wolves were going to be able to score. With the Buchanans, a vastly improved Pat Saunders, and newcomers Chad Culp and Reilly O’Connor, there’s no doubt New England is going to be able to find the back of the net early and often in 2017.
Evan Kirk was a rock between the pipes last season, but even though, at times the defense lacked the depth of its other NLL counterparts.
That’s why Mike McNamara being cut was a bit surprising, but the rest of the defense looks as solid as it has the entire time the franchise has been in Connecticut.
Led by veterans like Derek Suddons and Brett Manney, the Black Wolves made a couple of subtle moves to make the entire d-corps better. Zac Reid and Derek Searle were added in the past year, and both have had strong pre seasons and training camps.
“I spent a year on the PUP list, I had injured my ankle so I missed my entire rookie season,” Reid said on the Black Wolves website. “The following year I was on the practice roster in Rochester and I played in two games. I became a free agent in the offseason. New England had reached out to me and offered me an opportunity and I jumped on it.”
“The depth in this camp is pretty impressive,” head coach Glenn Clark said to the media before camp opened up . “Everybody is going to be challenged. It’s a very competitive camp and I think the guys recognize that.”
The addition of Scott Self was another solid one, and Sheldon Burns seems ready to take that next step.
“The confidence that I was able to develop and the chemistry with the other defensive players will be the biggest thing this year,” said Reid. “We essentially return the entire lineup on the defensive end with the exception of one or two players, so that chemistry that we were able to develop and the systems that we were able to build on is what I think we will need to bring with us moving forward into this year.”
This is an offense that could lead the league in goals this coming season. The likes of Evans, Kevin Crowley and co know how to get it past the goalie. But what might make the difference in an eastern conference where a window is opening for the Black Wolves might be how many goals they give up.
