After the dismal performance of the 2013 NLL season (that saw the Bandits the only team outside looking in regarding the playoffs, tied for the moast goals allowed and the second lowest scoring output in the league), I believe that Buffalo Bandits General Manager Steve Dietrich, Head Coach Troy Cordingley and the Bandits scouting staff have done an incredible job in the offseason to assess the problems that the organization had in terms of their roster and effectively plugged in the players that are the most effective to fill those vacancies.
Team Acquisitions:
(F) Joe Resetarits – Calgary Roughnecks
(F) Ryan Benesch – Minnesota Swarm
(T) Andrew Watt – Minnesota Swarm
(D) Rory Smith – Colorado Mammoth
Team Losses:
(T) John Harasym
(D) Mike McNamara
(F) Luke Wiles
(F) Derek Hopcroft
(F) Mike Hominuck
Offsense: With the additional scoring firepower of Ryan Benesch and the offensive potential of the sixth overall draft pick from 2013 Joe Resetarits, these new additions along with John Tavares, Mark Steenhuis, Shawn Williams, Jamie Rooney, Aaron Wilson and Chad Culp, will definitely add much more depth to the forward position and can do nothing but help the Bandits recover from the scoring drought of the 2013 season.
Transition: Jay Thorimbert, David Brock and Dhane Smith will return from last year’s squad along with Kevin Brownell and Andrew Watt. Thorimbert had an incredible season last year as he was third in the league in the loose ball category with 180. Dhane Smith led the Bandits in goals last year with 24 while also being named to the 2013 NLL All-Rookie team. With the stellar play of Thorimbert and Smith from last year combined with the addition of Watt and Brownell, the Bandits have will have an incredible combination of youth and experience at transition.
Defense: The Buffalo Bandits defense that allowed a league tying 211 goals allowed from 2013 returns. Hopefully, the off-season acquisition of 2012 NLL West Division All-Star Rory Smith from the Colorado Mammoth can help solve the defensive woes the team suffered last year. Joining Smith on defense will be Steve Priolo, Derek Suddons, Glen Bryan and Billy Dee Smith.
Goaltending: The last line of defense for the 2014 Buffalo Bandits will be the return of netminders Anthony Cosmo and Kurtis Wagar. With the addition of a bigger, stronger and tougher defense for the Bandits this year, hopefully they will be able to keep shooters to the outside and away from those coveted high percentage shots that burned the Bandits last season.
Practice Roster: Rounding out the Buffalo Bandits 2014 practice roster will be defenders Colin Boucher, Hayden Smith and transition players Mitch Wilde and Jordan Critch. With the expansion of a 16 game to a 18 game season, these players will be crucial to the Bandits success. “I would believe that the practice squad players are going to be very crucial to this league,” head coach Troy Cordingley said. “Injuries are going to happen. Even though the practice squad is dubbed the practice squad, it really is not. They will be suiting up sooner or later”.
Season Outlook: The additions of Benesch and Resetarits will help bring additional firepower to a lagging offense. The additions of Rory Smith and Colin Boucher on defense will help bring about a return to a tougher, stronger, brutal and punishing defense that will help keep the shooters to the outside. I believe the Bandits will definitely improve this coming season but the only question marks I have regarding the Bandits is less to do with the team and more with the NLL as a whole. How will the Minnesota Swarm’s addition to the East affect the rest of the teams in the conference and how well the other teams in the NLL have upgraded their rosters to compete.
