It was announced on Wednesday, December 3 that the Denver Outlaws have acquired faceoff specialist Geoff Snider from the Charlotte Hounds in exchange for midfielder Terry Kimener and a 2016 fifth-round Supplemental Draft pick. So what does this mean for the Outlaws having Anthony “A-Train” Kelly as their main faceoff guy?
I had the opportunity to get Outlaws GM Tony Seaman’s take on the trade. Here’s what he had to say:
“Bringing Geoff Snider, one of the three best faceoff men in the MLL to the Outlaws means that we now have two of the three! Nothing gives your offense the ball more opportunities; nothing stops the other team’s momentum better; and nothing keeps your momentum going like domination at the faceoff X in a game. Geoff Snider has been a dominant faceoff man in the NLL; the MLL; and led the Canadian World Team to it’s two World Championships, the latest one last summer in Denver.
Anthony Kelly was a big reason why the Outlaws were able to win the MLL Championship this past summer with key faceoff wins in the second half of the semi-final game vs. New York; and in the championship against Rochester. He did this despite a very serious Achilles heal injury. Anthony will be a key for us early on in the 2015 season while Geoff is playing in the NLL. Having two of the best faceoff men playing for us in the later part of the season as we make a run for the playoffs will be a luxury that no other MLL team will enjoy.
Terry Kimener was a terrific player for us over the past three years as well as a leader in the locker room. No one hustles and plays both ends of the field as well as he does, but with our depth at midfield coming into this season we felt that we had room to trade if we were able to pick up someone that made us better. Charlotte gets a terrific, proven player and we add depth to our faceoff picture that we did not have in the past.”
Here’s some interesting statistics on Geoff Snider:
1) He was originally drafted by the Outlaws in the second round (17th overall) in the 2006 MLL Collegiate Draft. He played in three regular-season games that year with a 32.1 FO%; and two post-season games where he was 35.7 percent on faceoffs. In 2007, he played 10 games with a 55.6 FO percentage (188-388); had eight goals; and six assists. During the 2008 season he played in all 12 regular-season games had a 48.2 FO percentage (175-363); with nine goals; and one assist.
2) In 2009 he was traded to the Toronto Nationals and played for the team in 2010, 2011 and midway through the 2012 season. During that time, he appeared in 30 regular season games; two post-season games; he was 435-855 on faceoffs for a 50.8 FO percentage during the regular season; 21 goals and 15 assists. Post-season he was 37-74 on faceoffs with a 50 FO percentage. In 2009 he helped the Nationals win the MLL Championship.
3) In 2012 he was sent to the Charlotte Hounds via a trade with the Nationals, but wasn’t able to join the team until the final game of the season due to coaching commitments. During that game, he went 18-28 on faceoff’s for a 64.3 FO percentage.
4) He appeared in only two regular season games during the 2013 season, but the veteran faceoff specialist made the difference in the team making it to the MLL Championship game. In those games he had a 57.8 FO percentage (26-45). But he was stellar in his performance in the two post-season games that year with an amazing 71.7 FO percentage (35-53). He was also huge in their semi-final victory over the Outlaws going 17-25 (68 percent on faceoffs).
5) Snider only played one game for the Hounds in 2014, but was 10-26 on faceoff’s; six ground balls; and one goal.
To sum up Snider’s career, in 70 MLL games, his faceoff percentage was .512 (987-1,927); 43 goals; 26 assists; and 426 ground balls. The Outlaws are getting one of the most decorated faceoff specialists in lacrosse.
After eight years in the MLL starting his career with the Denver Outlaws, Snider will again suit up in an Outlaws uniform. He will be splitting the faceoff’s with Anthony Kelly who through 2013 held the MLL career record in faceoffs 1240-2443 (.507); holds the Outlaws career faceoff percentage in his first two years on the squad 282-503 (.561). He played in 90 regular season games from 2006-2013; had 371 ground balls; 24 goals; and 12 assists. During the regular season in 2014, he appeared in 12 games; was 159-303 (.524) on faceoff’s; with 63 goals; and 2 assists.
This is going to be a great year for the Outlaws. They’ve picked up some great talent in Snider and the Supplemental Draft will allow them to add additional talented players to their already strong roster.
