The retirement of Lewis Ratcliff last week capped a great 14-year NLL career that included 472 goals in 212 career games.
Ratcliff was going on his sixth year as part of the Stealth organization and his play with the team including time spent in both Washington and Vancouver. The 33-year-old lefty is one of the more prolific scorers the NLL has seen over the last decade (he scored 50 in 2007 with Calgary and hit 40 goals twice with Washington) but his decline in that department likely led to an early retirement.
Dating back to last season, Ratcliff was having trouble scoring and his play was that of a slower pace than the Stealth wanted to see. Possessions often ended on the stick of Ratcliff as opposition defenses compressed the space that made Ratcliff so dangerous; it was clear his veteran prowess could not overcome the athleticism of most NLL defenders.
To be fair, Ratcliff probably still had the rest of the season in him to make a fair contribution, even if it meant sitting out some games. But with devalued role in the offense and his increased role in two companies, his Seattle Starz lacrosse development program and Monarch Lacrosse. General manager Doug Locker serves as a board member for Monarch Lacrosse, and the decision seems to be mutual, allowing Ratcliff a complete opportunity to focus on building his brands.
Ratcliff’s scoring resume had been on a decline since scoring 46 goals in 2010. He saw a five-goal decrease to his totals each season until scoring just 23 last season, the lowest total in a full season since he scored his rookie season in 2003 with Calgary where he tallied 24 in 14 games for the ‘Necks.
“Lewis has accomplished so much in his great career and it has been an absolute pleasure to have him as a member of our organization over the past six seasons,” Locker said in a StealthLax.com press on Friday.
Ratcliff will also “move forward” with a continuing role in the development of the Stealth Lacrosse Academy, a box lacrosse program that plays travel tournaments against American club teams and other club’s developmental programs.
In the wake of retirement, the Stealth have become more efficient with their ball movement and have been getting more chances on the offensive end of the floor. In turn, the defense is getting more rest and the goaltending isn’t so relied upon to make critical stops. Their shot share numbers have improved and the freed-up space has been a catalyst in Johnny Powless putting together complete games and looking the most dangerous he’s looked in the black and red.
Ratcliff is undoubtedly one of the best scorers in NLL history, but seems conscious of the need to retire before his play is diminished beyond a valuable return.
