Minnesota Swarm: Logan Schuss, Jason Noble, Cam Flint, Scott Jones, Reid Acton, Zach Palmer, Jordan Houtby, Dominique Alexander, JJ Laforet, Nick Jonas
2013 Draft Grade: A
Reality: A-
Justin adding a minus to the A for no reason other than the face Acton, Palmer, Jonas and Alexander never played. Scott Jones wasn’t everything they hoped for but he was still a good player. Logan Schuss was the rookie of the year as well, so it’s hard to complain about this draft class.
Colorado Mammoth: Dillon Ward, Cameron Mann, Cody McMahon, Dom Sebastiani, Jake Weidner
Draft Grade: C+
Reality: B+
Even the people who thought Dillon Ward was a great pick could never have projected his 2014 season. He practically led the Colorado Mammoth into the playoffs and they just signed him to a five year deal after just one season. Yes, one player alone can elevate a draft grade THAT much. Cameron Mann also has another shot at the roster this season.
Calgary Roughnecks: Tor Reinholdt, Karsen Leung, Garrett McIntosh, Peter Dubenski, Jake Hayes, Brendan Randofrd
Draft Grade: B+
Reality: B+
Calgary was projected pretty much right on. If anything, Karsen Leung might be better than people thought, since he was considered a reach pick last season. The top three picks all became full time NLL level players while the Roughnecks really do like Peter Dubenski, who they will give a shot to contend as the backup goalie this season.
Vancouver Stealth: Cody Bremner, Nick Weiss, Tyler Digby, Brett Dobray, Blair Gloss, Brendan Rouse, Chris Wardle, Kevin Neufield
Draft Grade: B+
Reality: B+
Vancouver was also pretty much right on. Cody Bremner became a disappointment late in the season but Tyler Digby played better than pretty much everyone expected him to. Nick Weiss also helped them land Rory Smith and Eric Penney after having a solid season on defense in Vancouver.
Toronto Rock: Ethan O’Connor, Mike Woods, Keegan Bal, Eric Law, Emerson Clark, Alex Lubczuk
Draft Grade: B-
Reality: C-
The only player here who might be a roster player for the Rock is Emerson Clark. Ethan O’Connor was traded for Brock Sorensen, and that’s a good trade, but they also lost Eric Law to free agency. Keegan Bal never developed like they wanted him to. Not everything here is their fault, such as Law leaving, but it wasn’t their best work.
Philadelphia Wings: AJ Masson, James Delaney, Tucker Durkin, Don Alton, Rob Pannell
Draft Grade: B
Reality: D
Maybe it’s just because of the draft New England just had, but Philadelphia really did struggle at the draft. None of these players were on their team last year very long nor will be this season most likely. Don Alton struggled in net and had to be replaced by Kevin Croswll and Angus Dinley. Masson was released and went to Toronto. James Delaney never made the team and Rob Pannell didn’t even show up.
Rochester Knighthawks: Mark White, Taylor Northway, Zac Reid, Brandon Styres
Draft Grade: D+
Reality: D+
They won the championship, so who really cares? Rochester hasn’t needed the draft much after the 2012 draft because their roster has been stacked and they’ve barely changed things up. None of these players made the team except for Zac Reid who saw little action.
Buffalo Bandits: Nick Diachenko, Mitch Wilde, Eric Penney, Kevin Pym, Dylan Goddard
Draft Grade: B-
Reality: B
This wasn’t a bad draft for the Bandits. Nick Diachenko turned out to be pretty good and Mitch Wilde had about three straight weeks of terrific production last season. Eric Penney never played but trading them netted the 12th overall pick in 2014, which ended up becoming Brandon Goodwin.
