The Boston Cannons ended their 2012 campaign in disappointment as they came up short against the Chesapeake Bayhawks in the first round of the playoffs. Boston lost Jack Reid, JJ Morrissey and John Ortolani this off season, but picked up what may be the steal of the draft. We spoke to general manager Kevin Barney and head coach Steve Duffy on their thoughts on the off season.
Moves Made
Duffy: “Preparation is the key to the off-season; setting your roster and preparing for the drafts. This off-season was much different than last year’s; I feel our organization had a better handle on preparation this off season.”
Barney: “We haven’t made many trades this off-season, but I am very happy with the approach my coaching staff has taken. We have a very talented team, and have been working to add the depth needed to be competitive all season. We were very happy with the Supplemental Draft in adding depth at some key areas.”
Draft Moves
Duff: “We were very happy with our draft and the players we selected. We feel as though many of our picks can contribute right away following their college seasons”
Barney: “Overall, I am very pleased with our draft picks. Again, my coaching staff did a great job of being prepared through scouting trips, film watching and talking to college coaches around the country. We needed to be prepared with 3 of the top 14 picks, but not picking till #6 we knew there were a lot of scenarios of who would be available at #6 and #9. We added one of the top offensive middies, one of the top LSM’s and one of the top attackmen in draft to our team, so its hard not to be happy. We also felt some of our later round picks are players that can come in and compete to play right away. ”
Season Expectations
Duffy: “No doubt, we have reflected on our playoff loss and have spent the off season focusing on areas of need and improvement.”
Barney: “Hard work from the GM to the 31st man on the roster. Hard work on and off the field. While no one wants to lose, it is a great motivator. We had an opportunity to do something special, repeating as Champs in front of our home crowd, and we failed. The coaches and I are working hard to make sure we make the necessary tweaks to our roster, and the necessary preparation and game plans to compete week in and week out this season.”
Potential Break Outs
Duffy: “It’s our hope that all of our players play well and improve their game. There are so many good players playing professional lacrosse; the talent in the league is deep, making the league tougher.”
Barney: “I expect all 40 guys we bring in for training camp to step up. Everyone need to be ready to help this team be better every game. We saw the unexpected play last year from Kit Smith who we found in our open try-out to Jake Beebe who played when Matt Poskay’s flight got delayed. We are looking for last year’s rookies to compete for playing time, and veterans to continue to earn their spots on the field.”
