When Steve Dietrich joined the Buffalo Bandits as general manager he said he was prepared to bring change to the organization. With the completed 23 man roster that came out earlier this week he stuck to his word. There are eleven players on the roster that weren’t on the team last year, nearly half the squad. Three of these new players are rookies playing for a team that is usually very hard to make right out of the draft. The Bandits appear to be moving the way that the entire NLL is moving, younger and faster.
After a year that many would say Buffalo underachieved, it’s not surprising the team decided to make some moves.
The Bandits let some players go that fans weren’t exactly running out of town like former captain Chris White, Tommy Montour, and Ian Llord. Brandon Francis, a controversial player in Buffalo, was cut as well. However the Bandits wanted to change the tone of the locker room, a theme that has been discussed for a while in Buffalo. Dietrich has brought in players he believes are winners and once again made making the Bandits roster a challenge.
Dhane Smith, Hayden Smith, and Carter Bender represent one of the strongest draft classes the Bandits have had in years due to numerous trades that led to the stockpiling of second round picks. Sports have always been about copying success, and it appears that many teams in the NLL are trying to emulate what the Minnesota Swarm have been doing. Keep in mind that in recent history the Bandits usually carry about one to two rookies. Normally only one gets playing time, normally limited. The fact that all three of these picks have already shown excellent promise (especially Dhane Smith, who looked very good in the open practice and had an excellent scrimmage) is a very good sign for the Bandits.
Although the roster does have a younger feel to it, the team also brought in some veterans to help balance things out.
The name that jumps out the most is Shawn Williams, the fifteen year NLL veteran. He adds a nice presence and likely will find a spot on the Bandits starting offensive unit. Although he is getting up there in age, he did score 68 points last season. Williams is far from washed up.
The team also brought in many secondary scorers and role players that should help solve the scoring issues that the team suffered from last season. Aaron Wilson, Nick Cotter, and Mike Hominuck were all welcome additions. Not to mention the team still brings back most of its top offensive players from last year, including their two leading scorers John Tavares and Luke Wiles.
The defense is probably one of the biggest question marks for the Bandits. It’s not that they are not a solid group, but that many of the defensemen are young and slightly unproven. The unit will be led by Billy Dee Smith (who signed a contract to join the team last week), Scott Self, and Derek Suddons. Suddons is the new face of the three, coming over in a trade from Edmonton. Suddons played in all sixteen games for the Rush last season, adding a defensive scoring touch with six goals and six assists. He has ten years in the NLL under his belt, so the team should know what to expect from him.
The rest of the defense is relatively unproven. This includes second year man Mike McNamara, newly acquired Glen Bryan, and draft pick Hayden Smith. Steve Priolo is another familiar name who’s back for another year. For the Bandits to be successful this season these players will need to hold their own.
Between the pipes for his first full season in Buffalo is Anthony Cosmo. Although Cosmo had a slow start in Buffalo, he seemed to get better as the season went along and the rust went away. The Bandits hope that now that Cosmo is not coming right of the couch he shows that brilliance that he displayed at the end of last season and in his time in Boston. The team surprised some with the cutting of Angus Goodleaf in favor of Kurtis Wagar. Wagar spent last season as Brandon Miller’s backup in Philadelphia. He made 17 saves in the seven games that he saw action.
With so many new faces on the Bandits it should be interesting to see how quickly the team molds together. As always with the NLL, it’s all about chemistry. In a nine team league, ever roster looks good. Every team has its stars. On January 11th when the team heads to Philadelphia we will get our first taste of what exactly this year’s Bandits team is made of.
