Saturday night the National Lacrosse League held a coin toss between the New York Riptide and Rochester Knighthawks to determine which of the 2019-2020 expansion teams would pick first in the entry and expansion drafts.
The Riptide won the toss and elected to choose first in September’s entry draft, while the Knighthawks will choose first in the expansion draft next month.
Opinions differ on whether the entry or expansion draft is the way to go, but either way each team should end up with some solid pieces to build around, whether they are top-rated prospects or players with veteran experience.
“We know that there are a lot of valuable players coming up this year and as we look to build our franchise we want to have a good star,” Riptide assistant general manager Lance Basler told the NLL’s Devan Kaney.
Basler says the team has been evaluating players, including college players, and will be keeping a close eye on this weekend’s NCAA championships.
Top prospects for the entry draft include F Tyson Gibson, D Tyson Bomberry, D Ryland Rees and F Clarke Petterson, while it remains to be seen who will be left unprotected by their current teams for the expansion draft.
Brett Hickey and Turner Evans, both from the Toronto Rock, were picked first and second by Philadelphia and San Diego, respectively, in last season’s expansion draft.
