The eagerly anticipated welcome to this year’s rookie class is upon us. With the Final Four set this weekend, all but a few college players are eligible to sign Major League Lacrosse contracts.Lyle Thompson may the most talked about incoming rookie this year, but there are many others you should know before they touch the orange ball this weekend.
Let’s start with Florida’s Connor Buczek. He was the second overall selection out of Cornell. He is a big, strong middie who has a game tailor made for the MLL. With a stacked attack unit with the addition of the Thompson brothers, Buczek will often draw a shorty which should allow him to come out of the gate quickly.
Army’s John Glesener went fifth overall to Boston. He is an accurate shooter who can score from anywhere and gives the Cannons a Matt Poskay-type player who should fit nicely with Will Manny and company.
Jesse King was taken by Rochester at number six. The Ohio State product should be able to force his way into the stacked middie unit with the Rattlers. He has an outstanding long-range shot and loves to back down a defender with the ability to get by him or pass out of the double team.
Joey Sankey stays in-state going from Tobacco Road to the Hounds. He is a hard worker and plays much bigger than his size of 5-5 and 160 lbs. He became UNC’s all-time leading scorer this year passing Marcus Holman and finished his career with an NCAA best 53-game point streak. The Hounds are in desperate need of some creativity on offense. Sankey should shine on a team that will allow him to do a lot in their offense.
The most interesting rookie may be Syracuse product Kevin Rice. He shockingly lasted until the fourth round when Florida took him off the board. Florida drafted all offense so it was a head scratcher why they took Rice. Since then, Rice was traded to Rochester in the Miles Thompson-Mike Poppleton trade. Rice can be a star in the Rattlers offense as he can play all three attack positions and should be fun to watch alongside Jordan Wolf. He is my pick for Rookie of the Year.
Week 6 Game Balls
Marcus Holman, Ohio: Holman set the tone in the first half as he had as many goals at halftime as did the Hounds (four). He finished with a career-high six leading the Machine back in the win column.
Rob Pannell, New York: The Cornell alum had a game high six points (four goals and two assists) while scoring the last two Lizards goals which proved to be the deciding ones in as New York held off a late charge by Chesapeake.
Will Manny, Boston: Manny was a one-man wrecking crew with five goals and four assists in Boston’s OT win vs. Rochester. Not only did he score the game winner, but he assisted on two of the last three Cannons 4th quarter goals.
Week 6 MLL Top 8
1- New York (6-0). Lizards have been solid in tight games.
2- Denver (3-2). Still not at full strength, but looking better every week.
3- Chesapeake (3-2). A great comeback fell just short vs. New York.
4- Rochester (3-3). Missed a chance to take sole possession of 2nd place.
5- Boston (2-3). Young team looked gritty in OT win v. Rochester.
6- Ohio (2-3). Are the Machine finally ready to be a Top 4 team?
7- Charlotte (1-4). The Hounds need some offense.
8- Florida (1-4). Can the Thompson get this team out of the basement?
Brendan McDaniels is a color analyst for the MLL Television broadcasts and can be seen June 7th at 1 p.m. as the Rattlers host the Cannons on ESPN3. Follow Brendan on Twitter @BMcDTWCSports.
