The Calgary Roughnecks finished the 2013 regular season in first place in the NLL West Division for the third straight year. And for the third straight year, they did not win the Champion’s Cup.
Going into this year’s draft, Roughnecks’ management will be seeking to find the piece or two that will finally put them over the hump and bring home another title.
Calgary has the sixth pick in every round but the last, where they have Minnesota’s second pick of the round and Edmonton owns Calgary’s sixth pick.
With a league-best offense that runs at least six shooters deep (arguably seven, with Joe Resetarits entering his sophomore season after a solid rookie campaign), the Roughnecks will likely not be focussed on adding more forwards. They might, however, be looking to bulk up the back end of the roster.
Mike Poulin had a lacklustre year in net for Calgary and backup Frankie Scigliano wasn’t providing much help in limited relief action. As a result, the Riggers might be taking a close look at Dillon Ward as their first round pick, assuming the highly touted young goalie lasts to the sixth pick.
Size on defense might also be a priority. The Roughnecks have oodles of talent and speed on defense and transition, but their tallest defenseman is 6’1″, making defending the bigger forwards, like John Grant Jr. and Mark Matthews, a challenge. Finding some big bodies to fill passing lanes could yield dividends.
There is also the possibility that Calgary will broker a trade to exchange a draft pick or two for some blue-chip talent that might get them to the Promised Land without the potential growing pains that stocking up on rookies might bring.
