The Colorado Mammoth are set to play their second pre-season game against the Toronto Rock on Saturday December 7, 2013 at the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre.
The Mammoth have made some outstanding acquisitions during the off season. They signed Dillon Ward who is the first goaltender to be selected in the top three picks in the NLL Entry Draft in 14 years. Steve Govett, President & GM of the Mammoth said that although they drafted a goaltender in the first round, Tye Belanger is their guy and earned the starting position halfway through last season. Tye was included in the decision about the draft and welcomed Ward to the team with open arms.
The Mammoth have addressed their defensive end with the acquisition of Jackson Decker who has great speed and a strong offensive upside. Also signed 6’5” free agent Patrick O’Meara and Cameron Mann. Joey Cupido who became the first player in a decade to be named to the NLL All-Rookie Team after being selected in the Entry Draft in the 5th round or later was recently signed.
Did the Mammoth make a smart move trading a first round pick for Drew Westervelt? Steve Govett said that Westervelt is a marquee player in the NLL with a 30 goal season in 2013 and has been a consistent 30 goal scorer throughout his NLL career. Drew is 6th in shooting percentage, a top 15 goal scorer, is well worth a first round draft pick and shoots more efficiently than Evans, Ratcliff, Billlings, Crowley, Matthews and is equaled by Dickson.
Hall-of-Famer Dallas Elluk was recently added to the goaltender coaching staff. He was a four-time NLL champion with the Philadelphia Wings and a 2009 Hall of Fame inductee. Steve Govett said “Dallas is the best to ever play his position and was one of the greatest lacrosse players of all times. He will mentor our young netminders, and will help our offense understanding opposing goalies.”
With the departure of veteran defender Cam Woods in November the Toronto Rock’s Coach Lovell sees this as a great opportunity for one of the other players to step up whether it’s a veteran player or one of the new faces on the team.
Rock GM Terry Sanderson announced the signing of forward Garrett Billings who led the Rock in scoring for each of the past two seasons and finished runner up for the league MVP in 2012 & 2013. They also signed team Captain Colin Doyle to a three year deal through 2016. Doyle won 6 NLL Champion’s Cups all with the Rock during his 16 year career, is the franchise’s all-time leader in goals (397), assists (588) and points (982) and is approaching 1,000 points and 400 goals as a member of the Rock. Eric Law was signed on November 24, 2013, yet another great acquisition. He set a record with the Outlaws with 9 goals in the MLL semi-finals in August 2013. The Rock have high expectations for their (2013) first round pick Ethan O’Connor who can handle his stick and goes up and down the floor really well. Not only will Colorado have to keep Billings, Doyle, Law & O’Connor in check, but will also need to keep Langley at bay. The BC native recorded first ever back to back 100 point seasons in Rock history, 100 in 2013 and 114 in 2012.
The Mammoth have signed an impressive roster with returning veterans John Gallant & Gavin Prout. Adding John Grant Jr. and Drew Westervelt as well as bringing back many of the players from last season and their new young and upcoming acquisitions, the Mammoth have an impressive squad.
With the amazing talent on both teams, including veteran players and new acquisitions, fans could be in store for a high-scoring fast paced game. Strong face-off guys, transition players, speed on the field and great goalies will make this an exciting pre-season game as well as making the necessary cuts to bring each team down to their 24 man roster (20 Active and 4 Practice Squad) by December 16th a difficult one.
