Entering his ninth season in the NLL Kyle Sorenson will not even step foot on the field, at least not competitively. It was announced by Vancouver’s front office that the team Captain would miss the entire 2015 season due to rehabilitation from knee surgery. Sorenson, who has spent his entire career with the Stealth since being drafted in 2006, is no stranger to spending time on the injury list.
Where does this leave Vancouver? Who do they look towards for leadership, with Mike Grimes out of the picture, and Sorenson out for the season? The answers to these questions may be a bit tough to find, as there have been substantial moves on the defensive side of the ball this offseason.
As far as where this leaves the Stealth for the season, it is really unclear. They lost quite a bit veteran leadership this offseason on the defensive end. The loss of key players such as Grimes, Jeff Moleski, and now Sorenson could prove to be costly. GM Doug Locker and head coach Dan Perreault have done a fantastic job drafting a few young defenseman with some summer ball experience to try and fill the void. That along with the pickup of both Tyler Burton, Rory Smith, and the return of Tim Henderson should leave the Stealth with a solid foundation to work with.
With Sorenson missing out on quite a bit of playing time throughout his career, his stats do speak for themselves. Kyle has been a proven leader and his production on the floor is what makes him an asset to any team, despite the constant nagging injuries he has had to endure. In 112 career games he’s scored 71 points (28 goals, 41 assists), collected 492 loose balls and forced 51 turnovers. So how do you replace a player like that, even for one season? The answer is, you don’t. You simply need to motivate and find a new leader to take on his role for the season.
The likely guy in my opinion comes from one of the few American players in the NLL and on the roster in Chris O’Dougherty. The 6’1” 205 lb. defenseman has proven to be a solid player, with a great work ethic. He was a part of the Stealth practice squad in 2010 appearing in two games that year. Since then Chris has shown that he is one of the few players in the league that made the transition from field to box, through hard work and dedication to his craft. This quality alone, outside of his stats, shows leadership, and the qualities you want to lead help lead your team back to the top. Not to mention that he has the Championship pedigree in both the NLL and MLL where he won a title with the Denver Outlaws this past summer.
Fans, coaches, and players will all have to wait and see how this all pans out as the season has yet to begin. Vancouver needs to focus on limiting the injuries to the players they have left on the active roster for the 2015 season, and hope that some of the new guys shine in training camp. Maybe signing an extra defenseman or two on the practice squad, giving them some reserves. It only makes sense, as the offense is stacked with talent.
The Stealth open up their season at home against the Toronto Rock on Saturday, January 10th at 7:00 pm at the Langley Events Center. You can purchase tickets at www.StealthLAX.com or by calling (604) 882-8800
