The Colorado Mammoth signed veteran forward, Athan Iannucci to a one-year deal on Wednesday January 15, 2014 and released forward Jordan McBride. Was this a smart move on the part of the Mammoth?
Iannucci’s record speaks for itself. In the 2007 NLL Entry Draft, he was a First Round Draft pick (8th Overall) by the Philadelphia Wings. In that same year, he was awarded Rookie of the Week Honors in both Week 5 and Week 15, and named to the 2007 All-Rookie team. As a rookie, he led the Wings in goals scored. His second season in the league was record-setting, when on April 12, 2008; he scored three goals and broke Gary Gait’s NLL record of 61 goals in a season. He was also awarded Player of the Month honors in both January and February, the first time since 1996 that a player has been Player of the Month in back-to-back months. In April he was named player of the month, giving him three of the four player of the month awards in the 2008 season. He led the league in goals, points and shots on goal, and was named Offensive and Overall Player of the Week in Week 16. His amazing season was capped off when he was named the 2008 NLL Most Valuable Player, the first Wings player to do so since Gary Gait in 1997.
In June 2008, Iannucci suffered two meniscal tears in his knee, and underwent successful knee surgery in July, but did not play again until Philadelphia’s third game in 2009, where he left that game after only playing a few minutes. He sat out the entire 2010 NLL season to undergo a right leg ligament reconstruction. After scoring 61 points with the Wings in 2011, Philadelphia traded Iannucci to the Edmonton Rush. During his career, Iannucci has played 79 games, has 196 goals, 156 assists, 362 points, 450 loose balls and an average of 4.36 points per game. But in 2013, in 14 games, Iannucci had his lowest year in PPG with only 2.86, only 22 G, 25 A, and 40 LB.
Iannucci played his first game in a Mammoth jersey on Friday January 17, 2014 when the Colorado Mammoth had a heart-breaking OT loss against the Vancouver Stealth by a score of 14-13. In the two games played with the Mammoth, Iannucci has 7 SOG, 1 A, 2 G, 1 LB, 1 TO and 5 SOT.
He certainly has the career stats, but can one player bring the momentum needed to jump start the Mammoth offense? With the Mammoth in a real rut right now with a record of 1-5 in the NLL Western Division, they need to see more production from their veteran players and this means that they’ve got to get the ball to the strong shooters. It is imperative that they use the talent they have on the team. Iannucci can get the loose balls, knows how to score goals and can teach the younger players what it truly means to be a success in the NLL and if they take advantage of that, he will be a real asset to the team.
