The MLL Supplemental Draft has come and gone, and teams now have a lot more players to add to their 40 man rosters. We take a look at what some of the teams did, and who came out on top.
Rochester Rattlers- B
The Rattlers get a solid B here, and if there was more certainty, maybe an A. The Mark Millon pick first overall is rather confusing, even though the former superstar says he will play. How much production can he bring?
Meanwhile, Rochester brought in a solid defender with Dan Cocchi and hometown favorites Jordan Levine and Pat Dutton. However, Dutton has not played in a while, so his production could also be questionable.
Sleeper Pick: Kyle Buchanan could be a big surprise for Rochester fans. The Robert Morris alum is a terrific passer and can get the ball to players like Ned Crotty, Steven Boyle and Brad Ross. Solid pickup that will go overlooked.
Questionable Pick: We could go with Mark Millon here, but the Dutton pick surprises me more. He has been out of pro lacrosse for a while, so what type of shape he is in remains to be seen.
Stud Pick: Dan Cocchi is a very good defender in this league and really helps that backend in Rochester who needs a veteran presence. He hasn’t played as much the past two seasons, but is still a very good pick.
Charlotte Hounds- A
Charlotte needed to make a move on their attack unit and they got two young studs in Shayne Jackson and Tim Desko, a very smart approach for this draft.
The Hounds also needed to work on their faceoff unit, even with Geoff Snider in the fold due to his uncertainty, and Timmy Fallon was a fantastic pickup for that. Carter Bender should see some time at midfield for the Hounds and could end up a steal as well.
Sleeper Pick: Kyle Moeller isn’t the biggest name in the world, but Charlotte gave up goals last year and need a solid defender, which is just what Moeller is. The physical defender is out of Stony Brook and
Questionable Pick: Not many questionable picks with this team, all of their picks fill needs and are depth players at worst.
Stud Pick: Tim Desko is going to dominate on attack with Eric Lusby there. Those two will be the top two on that unit, and will get tons of touches.
Denver Outlaws- C
Adam Jones was taken way too late in this draft, and Denver is thrilled. Other than maybe a few players, he could be the steal of this draft. Even putting his indoor accomplishments aside, he could be a stud.
Other pick ups of note late are Mikey Thompson and Dan Deckelbaum. Ken Clausen could be an interesting pick, but that all depends on how he has healed from injury.
Sleeper Pick: Steve Schoeffel was a stud scorer at Duke and can do a lot of things at the midfielder position, so he could find himself in a good role with Denver. Deep sleeper here.
Questionable Pick: Has to be Clausen here coming off of ACL surgery. The guy was a great defender at Virginia and had a promising MLL career ahead of him, and he could still be a good player, but this is a risk.
Stud Pick: Tom Gaudagnolo is a very good defender that had no room in Rochester. Could be a really under rated pick up for Denver. Shayne Jackson could also fall into this category, he could be great in Charlotte.
Long Island Lizards- B-
Long Island went into this draft needing defense, and they got it in their first pick with Kevin Ridgway. They had a solid midfield pickup in veteran Justin Smith, but other than that, not a lot of top quality players going to Long Island.
Andrew Hennessey is interesting as a faceoff man after he struggled badly in Charlotte last year. Parker McKee and Chris Langton were also solid depth pickups.
Sleeper Pick: Joey Kemp might not be the guy right away with Drew Adams there, but Kemp could end up being one of those guys other teams wish they didn’t miss out on. Good college goalie who deserves a chance at the pro level.
Questionable Pick: Hennessey played in just two games last year and was very bad. Probably not a huge deal however, as Greg Guernlian will get all the battles for the ball.
Stud Pick: Smith isn’t the best player in the world but he is a veteran that has a scoring touch. He has been around the league and Long Island should be happy to have him back.
Hamilton Nationals- B
Hamilton is a young, young team and they struggled pretty badly last season. Kevin Cunningham and Alex Demopolous were two good pickups from right out of college.
The Nats also kept Rhys Duch around as they were expected to do, and picked up Brian Caufield who could do some things for the Nats.
Sleeper Pick: Hamilton is making an effort to replace Geoff Snider, so Peter Vlahakis could be a nice veteran faceoff guy who sees his shares of faceoffs won.
Questionable Pick: Rhys Duch is an amazing player so never saying that Hamilton should not have drafted him, but they just need to be wary due to his commitments in Canadian boxla.
Stud Pick: Alex Demopolous looked really good with the Mammoth the other day of the NLL, and he could really be a steal in this draft for the Nationals.
Ohio Machine- C-
Art Kell and Jeff Ledwick are both marginal players at the MLL level, which was a theme for the entire draft for Ohio. Machine fans probably hoped for a few more impact players, but that’s hard to do in a draft like this.
Sleeper Pick: Will Harrington is a very good midfielder that has been overlooked the past few years. This might be his time to shine.
Questionable Pick: The entire draft was kind of safe picks and nothing too risky or crazy. Can’t really see a big risk for Ohio anywhere.
Stud Pick: Tim Kaiser didn’t see a lot of time last season, but Ohio needs defense and he could see an extended role.
Boston Cannons- B+
Boston certainly had some improvements to make after losing in the playoffs last season, and over all they did a pretty good job. They needed a backup goalie and some extra faceoff men, so they got players that they need.
Sleeper Pick: You might not think they will use Mike Gabel much this season, but Jordan Burke saw his struggles at the end of 2012. Watch out cause Gabel could see some time.
Questionable Pick: This is not because this is a bad pick, but you have to wonder why Boston took two faceoff men in Craig Bunker and Chris Mattes. How healed is Chris Eck?
Stud Pick: JJ Gilbane might see his time to shine this year after a very successful college career. They will be looking for him to step up.
Chesapeake Bayhawks-A
The Hawks do not have a ton of holes to fill, so they could take risks, and in the end they actually had one of the most solid drafts. Casey Powell was a bit surprising, but no team other than Chesapeake would be able to make that move.
Sleeper Pick: Jamie Lincoln played very well with Colorado in the NLL, and the young midfielder could crack the Bayhawks roster.
Questionable Pick: Has to be Powell here after he said he was retiring and basically came out and said he didn’t like the league anymore. Dave Cottle must have something up his sleeve.
Stud Pick: Josh Sims and Brett Manney at midfield are both great additions. Both will make the roster and make an impact if they sign.
