With the 2014 NLL season kicking off this week let take a look at the Toronto Rock and what to expect from the team in 2014.
Roster
Forwards (6):
Kasey Beirnes, Garrett Billings, Colin Doyle, Rob Hellyer, Stephan Leblanc, Josh Sanderson
Defencemen (12):
Kyle Belton, Sandy Chapman, Craig England, Jesse Gamble, Damon Edwards, Bill Greer, Stephen Hoar, Scott Johnston, Rob Marshall, Patrick Merrill, Ethan O’Connor, Chris White
Goaltenders (2):
Zak Boychuk, Nick Rose
There are only two new additions to the Rock Roster this season and they are rookie Ethan O’Connor and Craig England.
Forwards: The Rock arguably have one of the best forward groups in the NLL. Garrett Billings will run the offense and will be expected to perform similarly to how he did in 2013 when he posted 100 points. The most difficult thing about playing the Rock is their offensive depth as 5 of their six forwards had 20 plus goals last year. Expect the Rock to constantly move the ball around to keep opposing team’s defenses off balance.
Defense
The Rock’s defense was solid last year but the additions of O’Connor and England should help to add some depth. Patrick Merrill and O’Connor give the Rock two defensemen who excel in the transition game and can burn teams who make even a single mistake. The Rock defense really just needs to be able to keep pressure off Nick Rose as he has proven he can stop most opposing offenses.
Goaltending
Goaltending is one of the Rock’s strengths as Nick Rose is one of the best goaltenders in the NLL. Rose posted 10.61 G.A.A and 160 Goals Against. Rose will need to continue to be stellar in net if the Rock hope to have a successful season.
The Rock come into 2014 with almost the exact same team they had in 2013. While the rest of their division outside of the Rochester Knighthawks have not made any moves to drastically improve their teams. I expect the Rock to once again finish on top of the east just edging out the Knighthawks for top spot.
