Photo Credit: Garrett James
NLL exhibition games open up this week, and as they do, there are plenty of things to watch. Several players are getting their lost opportunity to make an NLL club for this season, and will be looking for their chance to shine.
Toronto
Without Their Stars- Toronto will be playing without both Colin Doyle and Garrett Billings, while the status of Josh Sanderson and Shawn Williams is unclear. One thing is for sure; Stephan LeBlanc is going to need to step up again as a scoring leader in Toronto, and Rob Hellyer is going to have a bigger role. Brett Hickey has a chance to crack the roster along with rookie Brandon Benn, while Keegan Bal could see his first time with the Rock.
Miller or Rose?: They will likely split the two games this weekend, along with Steve Fryer being involved, but it will be interesting to see who steps up and players better. Nick Rose was the starter going into last season, and he has had his moments, but the veteran Brandon Miller could easily take over.
Buffalo
Left-Heavy Offense: One of the most interesting stories for the Bandits has been how left-heavy their offense is, even with the departure of Williams. Will John Tavares have less touches? Which rookies (Tyler Ferreira, Mike Melnychenko, Jordan Dance, Brandon Goodwin) take a role immediately?
How Defense Holds Up: Buffalo has only six defenders, two of them being Adam Will and Aaron Brown with no NLL experience. Who steps up, and how important is the transition game to the D?
Rochester
Without Powless: Johnny Powless is gone, but the Knighthawks have other weapons. However, someone will need to replace his touches. Will it be someone like Brock Levick, whom they invited to camp?
Gavin Prout’s Role: Sure, Prout could replace Powless, but it seems more likely that they signed him to replace the unsigned Jeremy Noble. After missing a season of NLL action, what kind of game shape is he in?
New England
Does Crowley Step Up?: All off season long, New England head coach Blane Harrison has expressed that he wants Kevin Crowley to emerge as a leader of the team. Now with a new identity in Connecticut, can he do that?
Defense Without Merrill: New England has considerably the most inexperienced box lacrosse defense in the league. It’s even worse that Brodie Merrill is now gone. How do the young defenders step up? Is it time for Mike Manley to break out? Does Sheldon Burns emerge?
Bucktooth’s Debut: Even though the ‘Wolves might want Kevin Crowley to be their leader, Brett Bucktooth can also provide some of that. The former Bandits and Stealth member has a lofty lacrosse resume and adds balance to the right side of the offense.
Minnesota
Youth Another Year Older: Minnesota has been a young team for several years now, but their rookies from last season are another year older and now have experience. Can Logan Schuss repeat his rookie of the year like performance? They have Ethan O’Connor, a Toronto rookie from last season. Does he become an important fixture in their lineup?
Is Higgins Up to the Challenge?: As soon as the Swarm acquired Brodie MacDonald this off season, we knew that he would compete with undrafted Zach Higgins, who emerged as the Swarm starter last season. However, the question remains if Higgins can be a reliable goalie long term, and if he can’t, is MacDonald able to step in?
Vancouver
No Room Left?: One of the interesting dynamics of the Johnny Powless trade is how it affects the other Stealth forwards. Historically, the Stealth shoot a ton, and high-octane scorers like Athan Iannucci haven’t worked out there. Now Powless joins an offense that hosts Lewis Ratcliff, Rhys Duch, Cliff Smith, Dane Stevens, and a whole host of rookies and second year players. How many touches does Powless get?
Richards’ Backup: Is it Matt Roik back again, or does the traded-for Eric Penney get his chance at an NLL roster? Penney was drafted by Buffalo last season but did not play due to injury. He is highly regarded and he could get his chance as a back up if he performs well.
Defense Without Sorensen, Beers: It will be interesting to see how the Stealth defense works without captain Kyle Sorensen and now Matt Beers who will miss this season. They did add Rory Smith and Tyler Burton, and Chris O’Dougherty will be back tomorrow as the Stealth take on the Rush.
Edmonton
Goalies Behind Bold: After trading away Brodie MacDonald, the Rush did bring in rookies Mike DeGiorlomo and Adam Shute along with Tyler Carlson, whom they traded for in the MacDonald trade. Carlson has had his NLL struggles so it will be interesting to see if he holds the backup role all season.
McIntosh’s Debut: Thanks to the trade with MacDonald, the Rush held the first overall pick in which they used to select Ben McIntosh. He will be making his NLL debut against the Stealth in their pre season game.
Small Returns: Corey Small will see his first NLL game action in a year after he missed the entire 2014 season with a torn ACL. The Rush offense looks better than ever before with him, Mark Matthews, Zack Greer, and Robert Church to lead the way.
No Curtis Knight: Knight injured his knee in the CUFLA championships and will miss a good chunk of the season. Who takes his touches? It could be Riley Loewen that sees an expanded role in his second season, or it might just be Small in his return. Also, this could tie into McIntosh getting his opportunities.
Colorado
Buque or Belanger?: The Mammoth drafted arguably the top rookie goaltender available in Alexis Buque after signing Dillon Ward to a five year extension after just his first season. All signs point to they want to see Buque in a back up role, so Belanger’s play is going to have to be great for him to get a shot.
Noble on the Horizon?: The Mammoth are pretty deep on offense but the Jeremy Noble rumors continue after he announced he would not play for the Knighthawks. Colorado really wants Noble, who plays in Denver, so a forward could play themselves out of a role. Eric Law is injured so their right side could use Noble’s depth potentially.
Calgary
Who Replaces Ranger?: Calgary has been one of the deepest teams in the league for the past few seasons, but going in 2015 one of their top scorers, Scott Ranger, retired. They didn’t really add any forwards to take his role but Casey Jackson, an undrafted rookie, was signed and has made it to the second stage of training camp.
Second Year Players: Calgary had one of the more underrated rookie classes in the league last season and they might pay off even more in the second year. Karsen Leung is just about ready to break out while Garrett McIntosh will see more time on defense. Tor Reinholdt should also see more touches and a chance to shine.
