The National Lacrosse League has announced three finalists for the 2014 NLL Transition Player of the Year award. The Minnesota Swarm’s Jordan MacIntosh, Philadelphia Wings’ Brodie Merrill and Edmonton Rush’s Jeremy Thompson were the top vote recipients for best transition play in the league this season.
MacIntosh, the defending 2013 Transition Player of the Year, was third on the Swarm in points in 2014 and led all NLL transition players in points (61) and goals (23) while finishing second in assists (38). The third-year pro ranked second in the league with 204 loose balls, sixth with 198 faceoffs won and tied for 10th in the NLL with 25 forced turnovers. The Oakville, Ontario native played collegiately at RIT and was Minnesota’s first-round selection (4th overall) in the 2011 NLL Entry Draft.
Merrill, who serves as captain of the Wings, posted 34 points (8+26) this season and ranked fourth in the league with 189 loose balls, the most among non-faceoff men. The nine-year NLL veteran was seventh on the team in scoring and tied for 15th in the league with 23 forced turnovers. The Orangeville, Ontario native, who played collegiately at Georgetown University and was the first overall selection in the 2005 NLL Entry Draft, won back-to-back Transition Player of the Year Awards in 2009 and 2010.
Thompson recorded 17 points (9+8) this year and finished fourth in the league in both faceoffs won (235) and faceoff percentage (.540). The third-year pro was fifth overall in the NLL with 165 loose balls, sixth in shooting percentage (.409) with nine goals on 17 shots, and tied for 15th in the league with 23 forced turnovers. Thompson, who hails from Nedrow, N.Y. as part of the Onondaga Nation, played collegiately at Syracuse University and was the ninth overall pick in the 2011 NLL Entry Draft.The 2014 NLL Season Awards are determined by a vote of the league’s Board of Governors, General Managers and Head Coaches at the end of the regular season. The winners will be announced at the first-ever NLL Season Awards Ceremony on Sunday, Sept. 21 in Oakville, Ontario.
