Leading up to MLL draft day, we will be counting down the top prospects heading into the draft.
31. Richie Hurley, Siena Saints
Attack—Hurley was the MAAC offensive of the year and the leader for the Saints offense. He averaged more than two assists per game and put up 34 goals overall in the 2014 season. The 82 points in 2-14 were by far his most, after 49 being his career high the season before.
32. Jack Near, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Midfielder—The defensive midfielder out of Notre Dame is one of the best pure d-mids in the draft. He’s not a project and he could step in right away for a team. He’s a machine when it comes to causing turnovers as well.
33. Nick Saputo, Drexel Dragons
Faceoff—The third ranked faceoff man in the draft. Saputo had a monster playoff game for the Dragons against the Penn Quakers with six goals, which put his name on the map. He had a 65 FO percent in 2014 and 166 ground balls. Could be a steal for a team who misses out on Raffa and Massa.
34. Carson Cannon, Denver Pioneers
Defense—The Denver defender has made his mark in the NCAA, and could be a good fit for a team who needs defense (ie Boston, Florida). He plays against the top players on the team teams on offense, so that should say a lot about him. Also, if he gets drafted by the Cannons it would be perfect.
35. Casey Ikada, Maryland Terrapins
Defense—This isn’t want one would call a defense-heavy draft. Maryland had a good defense and Ikada worked well with Goran Murray, who will be drafted earlier. Ikada is a decent defender and should be able to crack a roster of a team who needs defense.
36. Henry Schoonmaker, Syracuse Orange
Midfield—Syracuse has quite a bit of draft prospects heading into this draft, and Schoonmaker might be overshadowed by guys like Kevin Rice and Randy Staats. He has the potential be a real solid player on a pro roster even though his stats aren’t too explosive.
37. Sam Somers, Army Black Knights
Goalie—The third ranked ‘tender for the draft but a team could still take a shot with him. The problem with goalies nowadays is there are so many talented ones, it makes more sense for teams to pick someone up from the player pool. Still, Somers had a goals against average of 5.4, which is downright nasty.
38. Will Farrell, St Joes Hawks
LSM—Being in a smaller program has historically has hurt prospects, and it might be the same case for Farrell. However, the 6’3″ long stick has the size and ability to become a force in the league. He’s another sleeper pick, but couldn’t hurt a team to take a chance.
39. Hakeem Lecky, Syracuse Orange
Midfield—Lecky could be quite the talent for an MLL team that decides to take him. He might even be undervalued right now, and it’s hard to see him going before the fifth round. Lecky picked up 15 goals last season with the Orange and had exploded for some huge games as the season went on. Potential best sleeper of the draft.
40. Jimmy Marlatt, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Midfield—You may remember that Marlatt almost went last season, and he was a highly touted prospect. Not so much this season but he would still be an asset for a pro team. His injury history is concerning but teams might want to capture the 20 goal output from 2013.
