The MLL All-Star game always comes at a strange time in the lacrosse calendar. Several NLL stars have yet to log significant minutes, and most rookies have done the same assuming they have even seen the field. But, the great thing about the MLL is there is so much talent on the field that it is hard to argue that the All-Star selections do not represent the best in the league. Here’s a quick breakdown of who will be filling the attack lines for the game:
Jeremy Boltus (Rochester Rattlers)
2015 Stats: Goals: 16 (7th among Attackmen), Assists: 3 (11th), Points: 19 (7th) Shot Percentage: 42.1% (11th)
2014 Stats: N/A
Previous All-Star Selections: None
Why does he belong? The 2011 Rookie of the Year when he came out of West Point, he has come back after his 1 year break from the league and is playing like he never left. He was a huge part of keeping the Rattlers afloat while they were waiting for the large amount of NLL players on their roster to become eligible.
Marcus Holman (Ohio Machine)
2015 Stats: Goals: 22 (3rd), Assists: 4 (10th), Points: 26 (3rd) Shot Percentage: 44.9% (6th)
2014 Stats: 37G, 10A
Previous All-Star Selections: None
Why does he belong? Holman is one of the major keys to Ohio’s explosive offense. When considering that he has 22 of the team’s 108 goals while playing with Steele Stanwick and an entire all-star middie line, his production is just that much more impressive.
Will Manny (Boston Cannons)
2015 Stats: Goals: 18 (5th), Assists: 7 (8th), Points: 25 (4th) Shot Percentage: 35.3% (18th)
2014 Stats: 32G, 20A
Previous All-Star Selections: None
Why does he belong? With Ryan Boyle retiring and trading Paul Rabil for Max Seibald, the Cannons basically told Manny: “Look, we know we can’t ask you to replace Ryan Boyle in just your third year in the league, but yeah, you need to do just that”. After being given the keys to the offense and reshaping it with Seibald, Manny has turned Boston around. While he did miss a few games to injury, he has come back right where he left off.
Kieran McArdle (Florida Launch)
2015 Stats: Goals: 24 (2nd), Assists: 11 (4th), Points: 35 (2nd) Shot Percentage: 30.4% (21st)
2014 Stats: 34G, 15A
Previous All-Star Selections: None
Why does he belong? The defending Rookie of the Year is having another highly productive season as Florida’s primary finisher. The team’s results aren’t what they want right now, but McArdle definitely belongs on this field.
Rob Pannell (New York)
2015 Stats: Goals: 24 (2nd), Assists: 18 (1st), Points: 42 (1st) Shot Percentage: 25.3% (25th)
2014 Stats: 33G, 23A
Previous All-Star Selections: ’13
Why does he belong? Pannell is tied with McArdle for the 2nd most goals in the league despite taking 16 more shots. Fortunately, he also happens to lead in assists. Pannell has lived up to expectations since entering the league and is a no-brainer when talking about all-stars.
Casey Powell (Florida Launch)
2015 Stats: Goals: 9 (13th), Assists: 8 (7th), Points: 17 (9th) Shot Percentage: 25.0% (26th)
2014 Stats: 30G, 33A
Previous All-Star Selections: ’12, ’07, ’03, ’02, ’01
Why does he belong? The defending MVP is having a down year compared to his 2014 campaign, but he’s Casey Powell. It’s like the Masters in golf where he can just come back every year if he wants to. That’s not actually a rule, but it should be.
Joey Sankey (Charlotte Hounds)
2015 Stats: Goals: 10 (12th), Assists: 7 (8th), Points: 18 (8th) Shot Percentage: 35.7% (17th)
2014 Stats: N/A
Previous All-Star Selections: N/A
Why does he belong? The only rookie on the list, Sankey was a late replacement for Eric Law, but he absolutely belongs. His stats only reflect 3 games of activity (most have 8 games, Powell and Manny have 6) and he is the only attackmen present who has scored a two point goal. He’s playing with the same pace and style that worked well for him in North Carolina, which has been great to watch.
Jordan Wolf (Rochester Rattlers)
2015 Stats: Goals: 26 (1st), Assists: 16 (2nd), Points: 42 (1st) Shot Percentage: 44.1% (7th)
2014 Stats: 21G, 12A
Previous All-Star Selections: None
Why does he belong? Wolf made a huge push for Rookie of the Year last year despite missing several games due to winning his second straight NCAA championship at Duke. He is having no sophomore slump and has emerged as one of the best attackman in the league.
