The recent addition of “the Kitten” Corey Small may not completely correlate with the offensive explosion the Stealth have experienced upon his arrival. The trade for Small has however signalled a change in offensive philosophy after Lewis Ratcliff retired earlier this week.
With a home-and-home series with the floundering 0-5 Calgary Roughnecks on the horizon and a chance to really stake a claim in the Western Division’s playoff picture, Small means something much larger to the Stealth.
On the heels of a career-high 28 goals last season, the Rush found Small surplus to requirements in their offense and got top dollar in exchange for giving up his services in the form of a first-round pick in 2016 and in 2019. Yet the way Small has integrated into the Stealth line-up and his quickly-formed chemistry with the other high profile acquisition, Johnny Powless, lends optimism. To add to those bright prospects, the lefties aren’t the only side to see a big improvement.
Rhys Duch and Tyler Digby have specifically had more room to operate, both driving to the net and decreased amounts of traffic as the left-handers control most of the on-ball play. Add in grinders like Joel McCready and Cliff Smith who love to get down and dirty in search for goals in and around the crease, Vancouver’s offense may finally be operating to the standards of head coach Dan Perreault.
Shooting on an Angle
One of the more noticeables traits about Small is that despite his aptly-described lack of size (his size ranges from 5’9”, 180 pounds on Wikipedia to 5’10”, 195 pounds on his NLL.com profile) he creates both great velocity and tough angles on his shots. The ability to change up the angle the ball comes out of your stick is what allows players like Small to be successful offensively.
Sub shots, side-arm rips and over the shoulder shots are all in Small’s wheelhouse and the bevy of fakes he’s been able to incorporate into his game have been impressive in watching him in a small-sample size. As a more than a goal-per-game player with the Edmonton Rush (87 goals in 62 games) Small can be counted on to fill the net, move the ball efficiently and form a reliable duo with Powless.
The release angles of a shot may not seem like a particularly big deal, but ask Russell Wilson how he’s been able to overcome his size deficiencies to come within a play of winning back-to-back Super Bowls.
A Marked Man or a Lucky One?
Small has absolutely filled up the net in the past two summers with back-to-back Mann Cup finalists Victoria Shamrocks with two straight 40-plus-goal seasons.
But the desire of the Stealth to make Powless the centrepiece of the offense shouldn’t mean much to Small—it almost seems like he’s more dangerous without the extra man ready to double and pressure packages designed to get the ball out of his hands. In ILIndoor’s top 50 breakdown of Small, in which he ranked No. 32, Marty O’Neill called Small, “the guy you can never leave alone for too long or he’ll burn you.”
“Quietly consistent, Small is no stranger to a five-point net and can’t be left unmarked,” O’Neill said.
