The US Lacrosse convention was last weekend and along with it came the MLL Collegiate Draft. With mock drafts completed and everyones predictions set, Friday night at 8:30 pm was upon us.
Lots of ideas were running around the room as to who the Ohio Machine were going to pick first. There were GMs and head coaches galore and readily available to pop on to the live pre-draft show. Defense was highly sought after in this year’s draft, midfielders went in this draft like when Hostess’ Twinkies were recalled and Charlotte should change their name to the ACC Hounds.
Boston
Round 1, 8 Overall—Boston had the final pick of the first round and with the eighth overall selection, the Cannons chose UVa defender Scott McWilliams. Not a surprise to anyone that Boston went defensively with their first pick. Their offense is run by Ryan Boyle and Paul Rabil. Will Manny is up and coming and Matt Poskay can still finish strong. With the addition of Brodie Merrill, McWilliams shipping off to Boston will help the Cannons tremendously.
Round 3, 17 Overall—Starting off the third round was Boston. This was their first pick since McWilliams in the first round and it hit the hard after missing out on some key players they should have grabbed. The Cannons selected Rob Emery our of Virginia. He’s been a consistent 20 point player every year so far. His stock dropped after UVa underperformed as well as him. At 6’3″ he adds a big body to a midfield led by Rabil and will bring it from the outside. He has a job out in California so it will be interesting to see if he stays or possibly goes to LXM.
Round 3, 19 Overall—Jordan Burke has some eager candidacy coming in from Happy Valley as the Cannons selected Penn State Goalie Austin Kaut 19th overall. Boston needed a back up and Kaut is more than worthy of that. I wanted to see him follow the footsteps of Southeast PA goaltenders Brian Dougherty and Drew Adams and head to the Lizards, but maybe one day. Not shocked to see him go to Boston either as Defensive Coordinator, Tom Slate, is himself a Springfield-Delco product. Question is, will we see another Burke-Turner ordeal?
Round 5, 33 Overall—The Cannons add defensive depth to their squad with the selection of Johns Hopkins’ Jack Reilly. The 6’3″ 215 lb defender took on his opponents second top attackman and will more than likely be the top close D guy going into this season with the graduation of Tucker Durkin. Is not afraid to slide and hit and will use his size to his advantage, including his long reach. Not exactly what the doctor ordered in a draft so highly involving defenders, but only having one pick in two rounds hurts.
Round 5, 37 Overall—Air Force has their first ever player selected into the MLL in Erik Smith. 78 career points and has started every game in his career for the Falcons. Military duty may keep him away, but Boston needed a midfielder.
Round 6, 42 Overall—Phil Castranova will join fellow Blue Jays Jack Reilly and Paul Rabil up in Boston this coming season. The midfielder out of Johns Hopkins will be seen on the wing and at SSDM. He’s a workhorse with limited offensive skill but has no problem transitioning the ball. Quint said he will be staying at JHU for an extra year (2015) so we will see what happens.
Round 7, 51 Overall—Battling for the face-off position with Chris Eck will be UMBC Retriever FOGO Phil Poe. Won 58.8 percent of his draws, 218 total, finishing ninth in the nation. He heads into the 2014 seasons with 447 career total face-off wins. ILWT’s Brian Davies (UMBC Alum) thinks he’s a solid guy that could help a team out in a year or so.
Round 8, 59 Overall—As the fourth goalie taken in the draft, Jack Murphy will be going up against stiff competition. The Fairfield keeper will have to get through Cannons goalie Jordan Burke and fellow draftee Austin kaput (Penn State) if he wants to see time between the pipes. ILWT writer, Andrew Goldberg, likes him a lot, saying he could be in the top 5 in goalie statistics this season for NCAA. Finished with a .532 save percentage (33rd Overall) and with 165 saves on 310 shots. Has the ability to be a great back-up. Unfortunately, he probably won’t see much time with kaput and Burke in front of him.
Charlotte
Round 1, 7 Overall—It was hard to say where Charlotte was going to go with their pick. They needed help at the midfield position after trading Peet Poillon to Chesapeake. However, they went to the defensive side of the ball and snagged a tough defender in Maryland’s Michael Ehrhardt. He joins an already dominant close defense with Ryan Flanagan and fellow former Terp Brett Schmidt. This all ACC defense will be hard to crack.
Round 2, 9 Overall—Round two started off with Charlotte going after Pat Laconi. The Hounds went for the midfield addition with this pick, but on the defensive side. He rejoins fellow Greyhound alum Josh Hawkins, Kevin Drew and Casey Cittadino already on the field, Laconi joins a special group of SSDM’s. Guess the Hounds were following the old saying, “Defense wins championships.”
Round 2, 11 Overall—Another Maryland guy went off the board at number eleven overall in Mike Chanenchuk. The Terrapin midfielder has battled injuries but has no where to go but up. may be a pre-mature pick here, but nonetheless, he adds offense at the midfield position.
Round 2, 12 Overall—Fellow ILWT staff writer Kyle Fletcher couldn’t have been happier with Charlotte’s next pick. Duke’s FOGO Brendan Fowler will stay in Carolina to continue his lacrosse career. Was waiting for this selection to happen. Geoff Snider is NLL right now and may not see the outdoor field until late in the season. Fowler struggled some at USA tryouts but will get better.
Round 2, 15 Overall—Charlotte went to the hybrid position and picked up Towson’s Thomas DeNapoli. He will mix well with the likes of Mike Sawyer as Tom will more than likely see time at the midfield for the Hounds.
Round 3, 18 Overall—Wolf’s fellow Blue Devil attacker Josh Dionne was picked up by Charlotte. Nothing bad about this pick as he was second on Duke’s attack in goals with 45. Will produce for the Hounds after an dingy season by Eric Lusby.
Round 3, 23 Overall—Loyola’s Justin Ward went to Charlotte in the next pick. ACC guys are flowing in to Carolina. Joins Lusby and Sawyer on the offensive side o the ball. 62 points and 35 assists speaks for itself. Good vision, can go to the net and reconnects with the attack line of Sawyer and Lusby from when Loyola won the NCAA Championship, very sneaky move by Charlotte. Gives the Hounds another well rounded offensive weapon.
Round 4, 31 Overall—A strong take with this pick in Duke’s defender Henry Lobb. He understands what the coaches want to do and will adjust to game plans easily. Another defender that does a lot of the basics right – yea don a swivel, staying with his man but doesn’t stray too far in order to help, great angle play, knows when he’s hot and will help in transition any way possible. Adds even more depth to this already stocked Charlotte defense.
Round 6, 47 Overall—Penn Quakers put one into the MLL this coming season with midfielder Zach Losco. Second on the team in points with 29. Sneaky guy at 5’9″ who can also play defense. Nice thought process going with Losco who can contribute as a two way midfielder.
Round 7, 55 Overall—Chris Hipps joins his fellow Blue Devil teammates Dionne and Lobb with the Charlotte Hounds. Hipps is a defender at Duke and is one of the biggest guys coming out of the draft at 6’4″ 211. Lobb and Hipps will enter their third year together in 2014 for Duke/Charlotte, Hipps alone can create havoc for his opponent using his size as intimidation.
Round 8, 63 Overall—Villanova gets into the mix down south in Carolina, as the Hounds pick up midfielder Kevin O’Neil. He’s 6’3″ with a long reach, good for going up against big defenders. Has a nice lefty shot and great vision for dumping the ball to the finisher. Will be an asset to a needy Hound midfield.
Chesapeake
Round 3, 21 Overall – Chesapeake finally got to make their first choice of the night. When talking to Coach Dave Cottle, he seemed a little upset about sitting so long and missing out on some key players they wanted to grab. Luckily, they went and scooped up LSM Matt Harris from Syracuse. Harris reconnects with his Syracuse teammate Brian Megill when he heads to Annapolis.
Round 3, 24 Overall – Finishing out the third round was Chesapeake. After last years domination, there was one area everyone agrees on that needed to be fixed, face-offs. Alex Smith was injured and not protected with Adam Rand still the number one guy. After getting dominated by Geoff Snider in the MLL Championship game, it was no surprise Cottle and company went with face-off man Dylan Levings out of Yale. Fowler and Hiken were gone early and it was surprising to see him sitting there this late but if you’re patient, good things will come and Chesapeake picked up a steal.
Round 5, 35 Overall – Talked with Coach Cottle after the draft and he was excited about this pick. Navy pole Pat Kiernan, Cottle said he was executed about the physical toughness he can bring to the table. If Cottle’s happy then you know the kid is doing something right. Plus, he’s local, a big plus in the eyes of the Bayhawks.
Round 5, 36 Overall – With back to back picks, the Bayhawks snuck in Alex Love, attackman out of Hobart. Cottle said he was too good to pass up and right he is. 98 career goals heading into his senior season, including a six goal performance against Syracuse and finished eighth overall in goals with 45. Good job by Chesapeake to get a guy who has a smooth release.
Round 5, 40 Overall – When we interviewed Coach Cottle for our lie pre-draft show, he mentioned that they were going for a crease guy/finisher. Well, they got one in Johns Hopkins’ Brandon Benn. He’s the canadian style finisher that will fit well with the Bayhawks system. He can snag a lot of uncatchable passes and finish well.
Round 6, 48 Overall – St. John’s sends their second attackman down to Chesapeake as the Bayhawks acquired Kevin Cernuto. Second on team behind McArdle, finished 2013 with 32 goals and 16 assists and averaging over three points a game. Good dodger from behind, gets lo when turning the corner to get under his defender and uses his body wisely. Chesapeake gets a good selection in Cernuto who may be a sleeper.
Round 7, 50 Overall – Talk about a big kid, UNC’s Mark McNeill is 6’4″ 215 pounds. He’s a two-sport athlete at North Carolina, also playing wide receiver for the Tar Heels football squad. This SSDM has the build for the MLL without question and is local which is good for both him and Coach Cottle.
Round 8, 64 Overall – With the final pick of the 2014 MLL Collegiate Draft, Mr. Irrelevant, Stephen Berger, called out the last name in Maryland defender Brian Cooper. Another SSDM and is a local guy, which Cottle was looking for. Plays angles well but ball watches a little too much. Will have to work on that if he wants to crack the Bayhawks roster.
Denver
Round 1, 6 Overall – Jeremy Noble was next up on the board at number six overall and is staying local. Wasn’t a big surprise the Denver outlaws went with Noble. He was one of the best picks available at this point and having him at Denver university is a big plus for the Outlaws.
Round 2, 16 Overall – Denver’s next pick was interesting, but not surprising that they went face-off. Whether they should have taken this next guy, I’m not sure but can’t hurt to try, right? They went with Division 3 Stevenson face-off guy Brent Hiken. Hiken hit about 70 percent at the x this past season, leading the Mustangs to the NCAA D3 Championship. Anthony Kelly and Stephen Robarge will have some competition coming in.
Round 3, 22 Overall – Denver went defensive with the 22nd overall choice and selected Ty Sauders, a defender out of Lehigh. Was the Mountainhawks’ top defender as a Sophomore. Goes for the big hit a lot and throws himself out of position, but is physical. Will learn a lot from Lee Zink.
Round 4, 30 Overall – Denver went to the Northeast for this pick. Bryant middie Colin Dunster will put on an Outlaws uniform after his final season with the Bulldogs. Finished first for Coach Pressler with 48 points last season. Thick kid that can shoot far and away with good vision. Has no problem going to the cage and taking the hit.
Round 5, 38 Overall – Once again, the Outlaws went local over to Denver University and selected goaltender Jamie Faus. He split time with Ryan LaPlante this past season and will probably do it again heading into this season before Ryan takes over full time in 2015. He can start or he can finish, more of a local and backup pick here.
Round 6, 43 Overall – Delaware sends a lone ranger into the MLL in defender James Connelly. Physical defender and can go one-on-one. Has the opportunity to learn from Lee Zink which will be great for him and the Outlaws moving forward.
Round 6, 46 Overall – Another guy out of Princeton, Nick Fernandez, heads West to join the Outlaws. He was a SSDM in 2012, but was changed to a close defender jus this past season. Not a bad pick, different view of the game last season putting a pole in his hands. Is quick and physical. Has the toughness of a SSDM and will become even more dangerous with the pole in his hands heading into 2014.
Round 7, 54 Overall – With their second to last pick, the Outlaws stayed local again and picked up DU midfielder, Terry Ellis. Good sized kid at 6’1″ and 205 pounds. Saw him on the defensive side of the ball a lot in films, can push transition and use his size to his advantage. Another safe pick for the Outlaws.
Round 8, 62 Overall – I’m really excited about this pick. In my eyes, Denver got a steal in Drexel midfielder Ben McIntosh. He’s a big physical guy with canadian flare that has the build for the MLL. He finished 2013 with 56 points for the Dragons and will make himself known even more heading into 2014.
Florida
Round 1, 5 Overall – Florida had the number five pick and elected St. John’s attackman Kieran McArdle. Just what the doctor ordered. With the possibility of travel problems and the layover of the NLL, McArdle has a chance to show the Launch what he can do. He will have the availability of learning from the great Casey Powell, which is something anyone who is anyone would want to have.
Round 2, 10 Overall – Joe Meuer out of Ohio State will travel down to Florida as the Launch selected him tenth overall. Defenders were flying off the list and Stan Ross is building a strong group down in Florida… somewhere.
Round 2, 11 Overall – UNC midfielder Ryan Creighton was chosen number twelve overall by Florida. Midfielders league here in the MLL. Creighton adds help at the SSDM position and will help in transition along with UVa’s Chris LaPierre.
Round 4, 29 Overall – Niko Amato heads south to the Launch to back up goaltender Brett Queener. With his stout stature, Amato is very good low and effectively controls the defense. Had his best season in cage for the terms last year save percentage wise. Is a smart pick to backup Queener, especially since he will be facing a lot of shots from ACC guys that he already understands the way they play.
Round 6, 45 Overall – Colgate possesses a key shutdown defender in Bobby Lawrence. Stan Ross will however hold that key once Colgate finishes their 2014 campaign. Lawrence shutdown Owen Blye and Will Manny to just one point each. With Tucker Durkin by his side, they will be that much more of a physical defense, no doubt. Will make an impact for the Launch when he joins them.
Round 7, 53 Overall – Providence send their top midfielder to Florida in Andrew Barton, who scored 27 goals and 18 assists during his junior year. The righty out of Maryland stands at 6’4″, one of the taller midfielders selected in the draft. His size and toughness will definitely be held in account with the coaching staff as he tries to make the roster.
Round 8, 61 Overall – Duncan Clancy, attack, was Jacksonville’s only player taken. He’s a local guy, living in Florida, spent his first four years at Rutgers, but spent most of 2013 with an injury, giving him an extra year of eligibility. He’s a pretty big guy at 6’2″ and 215 pounds, which can play a factor in the MLL. Will be interesting to see if he can become that midfielder Stan Ross hopes he can.
New York
Round 1, 3 & 4 Overall – The New York Lizards were up with number three and four choices. They tied up some loose ends on defense selecting Loyola and Team USA hopeful Joe Fletcher, along with Duke’s Luke Duprey. Both are very well structured defenders. Fletcher has great speed and a keen eye in the air, knocking down passes left and right. Duprey’s physicality and toughness is a great addition for Coach Spallina and staff. Greg Gurenlian threatened to flip a table had Spallina selected a midfielder and was happy his threat worked with their first two picks.
Round 5, 34 Overall – With just their third pick of the draft, the lizards selected Yale’s Brandon Mangan. Led the Bulldogs with 64 points in 2013. Tall and lanky, has a future if he can crack a roster spot but will have to sit and watch Tommy Palasek, Rob Pannell and Steve Mock control the tempo of the offense for now.
Round 8, 58 Overall – WIth their last and only fourth pick of the draft, the Lizards went and drafted Alex Zomerfeld out of Bryant. Second best midfielder on the Bulldogs roster, finished 2013 with 44 points. Is a leader for the Bulldogs and is very aware of what is breaking down on the field, and adds a decent shot and some defense into the mix.
Ohio
Round 1, 1 Overall – When we interviewed Bear Davis, he smiled when we asked him who he was going to take at the number one spot and just beat around the bush. Of course, Princeton midfielder Tom Schreiber took the crown and will be dawning Machine gear after his senior season.
Round 2, 13 Overall – Johns Hopkins had a decent showing in the draft with Rob Guida being selected thirteenth overall. After the Supplemental Draft, Ohio had about 18 midfielders and now stand at 20 with the addition of Guida and Schreiber. I’m liking this pick more and more. Watching Guida in the Hopkins’ fall ball matchup with UMass, he’s ready and eager to play after battling injuries. Will be a threat despite his small size.
Round 4, 25 Overall – Bucknell defender Jackson Place’s name was called by the commissioner and will dawn the Machine jersey. Good field awareness and does a lot of the small things right. Good communicator and ground ball animal. 63 caused turnovers his junior season which is a good sign for Ohio in that he will press out and challenge guys. Younger on defense helps out as well.
Round 4, 27 Overall – Syracuse’s Scott Loy heads home to Ohio and joins a very heavily midfield filled team. Has a quick burst out of his dodges and has god vision both with the ball and off-ball.
Round 5, 39 Overall – Hold the phone! Ohio went on the offensive and it wasn’t a midfielder. Syracuse attackman, Derek Maltz, is gong to play for Coach Bear Davis and the Machine. Fifth overall on the team last year with 39 points and was seen on the crease a lot during the championship game while Rice and another teammate played 2-man game which could play a factor in his siting up as it’s not bad to have someone that knows the crease besides a goalie. He joins a young attack group in Logan Schuss, Marcus Holman, Steele Stanwick, Jim Connolly, James Delaney and Connor English. Will be a hard lineup to make on game day.
Round 6, 41 Overall – Notre Dame sent only one player to the draft in defender Steve O’Hara. A student of the game and physical. Understands his job, as well as everyone else’s and is physical. Helps Ohio get younger on defense.
Round 7, 49 Overall – Ohio had their sights on North Carolina FOGO, RG Keenan. He finished 2013 with a .529 percentage, going 198-374. RG has quick hands and is a stout guy. Ohio needed a face-off man and I think they should have picked one up with one of their earlier draft slots, but RG could have an impact on the Machine with his work ethic.
Round 8, 57 Overall – Local product Spencer Schnell out of Ohio Wesleyan has a chance to make a mark for himself and Division 3 lacrosse as he went 57th overall. Finished 2013 with 42 points (28G, 14A). At 6’2″ 205 lbs, he’s a decently large midfielder that can fire the ball. For a local pick up, the Machine made a safe and pretty good move here for their last pick of the draft.
Rochester
Round 1, 2 Overall – Going at the number two spot to Rochester was Duke’s offensive weapon Jordan Wolf. With Ned Crotty gone to new York, Wolf is capable to take over his spot and gets to learn a lot from Steven Boyle.
Round 3, 20 Overall – Rochester went to Albany to grab their next pick as Miles Thompson joins the Rattlers organization. I was waiting to see which Thompson would go first. He will fit nicely with Mark Matthews, Jordan Wolf and learn from Steven Boyle.
Round 4, 26 Overall – Villanova’s John Locascio went a little low in a lot of people’s eyes, including mine. However, the job market seems to be a factor in the decision for teams to take him. Rochester went with the risky gain.
Round 4, 28 Overall – The second of the Thompson’s names was called as Ty joins his cousin Miles in Rochester. The Thompson’s will hopefully bring more fans to Sahlen’s Stadium as they are two of the most electrifying players in college lacrosse. How these two know where each other are on the field at all times and the plays they make is mind blowing. The Flower City just became more beautiful.
Round 4, 32 Overall – Rochester is adding some knowledge to their squad as they add Harvard’s Danny Eipp. The Crimson midfielder was part of the U-19 USA Team and was the second leading scorer for the squad. Started at attack for the Crimson but was switched to midfield in his junior campaign. Could be a hidden gem as a hybrid.
Round 6, 44 Overall – Cornell defender Tom Freshour will sport the black and gold in 2014. A team defender, quick, forces his man o a bad angle and helpful in the middle. Will play a supporting role with the Rattlers defense.
Round 7, 52 Overall – Always a top contender, Mercyhurst has defender Andrew Wagner going pro. Rochester stayed in-state with Wagner, who played at Iroquois in high school. One of the taller defenders to come out of the draft at 6’3″ and named a USILA First_team All-American. Another safe pick with Wagner for Rochester, whose size and decent speed could give him a boost to making this roster.
Round 7, 56 Overall – The Rattlers went all out on offense this draft and robbed someones offense with drafting Mark Cockerton. The Virginia attackman dropped much lower than everyone expected. He was the cavaliers offense last season during their under-perfomance. He joins Wolf and the Thompson’s on what should be an electrifying offense this season.
Round 8, 60 Overall – He may not replace Matt Striebel, but he adds hard work and offense to a struggling midfield as the Rattlers selected Penn State midfielder, Tom LaCrosse. Only picked up 27 points this past season but it was in the shadow of a very talented Nittany lion attack group. He’s quick, will not only take a hit, but will shoot at any cost and somehow put the ball in the back of the net.
Surprises/Steals By Round
Round 1 – The only real surprise out of the first round may have been Ehrhardt going to Charlotte. With the need of two-way midfielders rising in the game of lacrosse and the Hounds in need of some midfield help, Ehrhardt didn’t seem like the right pick at the time. However, as explained, Michael adds to their strong defense which never hurts.
Round 2 – Face-off man Brent Hiken out of Stevenson. Denver has both Robarge and Kelly, but we can’t forge the domination of Geoff Snider over them in the semi-final game during 2013 Championship Weekend. Hiken may have gone high here, but it’s always fun to see Division 3 guys get taken anywhere.
Round 3 – Another face-off guy in Dylan Levings. I’m not surprised he was picked up by Chesapeake, that’s a great win for them. I’m surprised he dropped to the third round. Cottle got a great steal.
Round 4 – LSM John Locascio went way too low here. This kid is lights out, physical and a hustler. Word has it that his job may be a factor heading into the 2014 season which may explain the drop. Either way, Rochester is took a chance and it will hopefully pay off.
Round 5 – Chesapeake sneaks in again here with the pick-up of Alex Love and Brandon Benn. Both are great attackmen with a lot to offer. With his Canadian style of play, Benn will be the Bayhawks’ crease guy no doubt. Strong finisher and a big body. Cottle commented on Love that he was too good not to take. He may not get a start right away, but he will make an impact in some way.
Round 6 – Head Coach for the Florida Launch, Stan Ross, knows defense and did what he could to increase the physicality and shut down capability of his squad. He went ahead and scooped up Bobby Lawrence out of Colgate, who kept Owen Blye and Will Manny to just one goal in their match-ups. Lawrence was a great late pickup by Ross.
Round 7 – Mark Cockerton out of UVa fell low to round 7. Rochester gets a big steal here. With UVa underperforming, some of the Cavaliers stock fell, but don’t be surprised if Cockerton comes out swinging.
Round 8 – Ben McIntosh out of Drexel going to Denver. Talking with his former teammate and my former high school teammate, Chris Walsh, I think Ben was a sleeper in this draft and a great draftee for the Outlaws.
