As fall ball ends, teams across the nation got their first look at their respective players. They saw how returning players improved upon their games from previous years and how their incoming freshmen can make an impact on the squad. Most teams also look for players who will replace departed seniors who filled big roles on the team. None of those shoes will be bigger to fill than those left by defenseman Tucker Durkin at Johns Hopkins.
While the team will be looking to replace midfielders John Ranagan and Mike Poppleton as well, Durkin left a huge hole on the defensive end. His last season as a Blue Jay saw him lead the team in caused turnovers with 16 and garner USILA First Team All American accolades. When he graduated, he went on to play for the Hamilton Nationals in the MLL where he was the only rookie to be named to the All-Pro team. Did I forget to mention the guy was a first team all-american selection his junior season, a second team all-american his sophomore year and the first freshman to start a game at close defense since 2005?
With such a huge hole, Hopkins will have a hard time replacing Durkin. Even Coach Dave Pietramala said as much when I talked to him after their fall ball tournament this past Sunday (audio can be found here).
So how will Hopkins look to fill the hole? Well it will have to be a team effort, of course. What Hopkins may lack in a shutdown guy like Durkin, they will make up for as a collective defensive unit. The team brings back Jack Reilly who had 13 caused turnovers himself. They also bring back LSM Michael Pellegrino who had 15 caused turnovers as a sophomore and was named a captain for this year’s team as a junior. Robert Enright will also be a key returner at close defense. Together all three will form a formidable group that will give goalie Eric Schneider some easy shots to see.
One thing I would watch out for as a Hopkins fan, is the play of the No. 14 overall ranked recruit in freshman Nick Fields. I came away really impressed by him after seeing him play at the scrimmage. He started at close defense during both scrimmages. He certainly has the potential to become the next freshman to start at close defense on opening day and eventually become a Tucker Durkin-like player soon. He is the complete package defensively and he made some jaw-dropping plays such as when he picked off a pass from the man he was guarding almost instantaneously as the ball came out of his stick.
Without Durkin, you know that Coach Pietramala will have his defense ready. He takes great pride in working with his entire defense seeing as he was an all-american defenseman at Johns Hopkins and will have them ready to compete as a group. If they don’t, he certainly will not be shy about telling them as much.
