MITCH WILDE
After their dismal last place showing during the 2013 NLL season, the Buffalo Bandits organization came to the conclusion that a fresh new direction was needed for the franchise. Incoming head coach Troy Cordingley and Bandits GM Steve Dietrich believed that the best place to start this new resurgence would be the upcoming 2013 NLL draft.
During the draft, the Calgary Roughnecks and Buffalo Bandits came together on a package deal that would have the Roughnecks trading forward Joe Resetarits and the 15th overall pick for the Bandits 10th overall pick and a second round pick in 2015. With the 15th overall pick, the Bandits selected six foot three inch 175lb transition specialist Mitch Wilde from Robert Morris University.
When the Bandits drafted Wilde with the 15th overall, he was coming off of his best season ever with the Colonials. Wilde recorded seven points (3 goals, 4 assists) in 13 games. Dietrich selected Wilde in the belief that “He is a tremendous athlete and his size, strength and speed will fit right into Troy’s coaching style.”
When Wilde made his way into Buffalo Bandits training camp for the upcoming 2014 NLL season, Cordingley and Dietrich praised Wilde for his work ethic and believed that he had the potential to be an incredible two way style of player in the league. Unfortunately due to the new CBA and its reduced roster size requirement, Wilde was placed on the practice squad and unable to crack the Bandits opening day roster.
Wilde finally got the call up he had been waiting for from GM Steve Dietrich and joined the Bandits starting roster on February 15th, 2014. This special evening would truly be a game of firsts for Wilde as he faced the Philadelphia Wings in front of the home crowd at First Niagara Center. In his first ever NLL career game, Wilde would go on to record his first NLL career goal, first career assist and first career win in the Bandits 13-7 week 8 home victory over the Philadelphia Wings.
Wilde’s first goal that evening proved to the fans in Banditland why he was selected 15th overall. Wilde used his tremendous speed to fly up the floor as the trailer, he received the pass and, as calmly as possible, buried that opportunity for all it was worth.
From that first game on, Wilde, and the dynamic play of other transition specialists like David Brock, Jay Thorimbert, Andrew Watt and Dhane Smith, helped to establish the Bandits transition game as one of the league’s best en route to assisting the team back into the playoffs. As the 2014 NLL regular season came to a close, Wilde tallied 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) and 32 loose balls in 10 regular season games (tied for 10th on the team). Wilde was only able to muster up one assist and eight loose balls in four playoff games with the Bandits and the team was eventually eliminated by the NLL defending champion Rochester Knighthawks.
Over the summer months, Wilde recorded another 15 points (10 goals and 5 assists) in 15 games during the regular season as a member of the Kitchener-Waterloo Kodiaks, helping the team advance to the playoffs. Even though Wilde recorded seven points (three goals and four assists) in four playoff games, the Kodiaks were eliminated in the playoffs by the Peterborough Lakers.
Heading into the 2015 season, Wilde will be hopefully receive a more permanent stay in the starting lineup and assist the already dangerous Bandits transition squad into becoming even more of a threat to their NLL opponents. With his speed, strength and ability to bury the goal with the pressure on, Mitch Wilde will definitely be the one to watch for the Buffalo Bandits in 2015.
