It was only days ago that the lacrosse world heard the news of John Grant Jr being traded to the Denver Outlaws of Major League Lacrosse, where he already resides as a member of the National Lacrosse League’s Colorado Mammoth. Grant helped the Chesapeake Bayhawks to their second in a row, fifth overall, MLL championship.
The story does’t end their though. His Chesapeake teammate, Drew Westervelt, will be joining him in a Mammoth uniform this winter. The Philadelphia Wings traded Drew, along with a fourth round pick in this years NLL Draft, to Colorado for transition player Ryan Hotaling, along with two second round picks in the 2013 NLL draft and a 2015 first round draft pick.
At 6’5″, the big forward out of UMBC has spent all six NLL seasons in a Wings uniform, recording 164 goals, 138 assists with 38 power-play goals. With him joining Grant on offense, the Mammoth have made a huge impact for the 2013 season. The duo worked well together for Coach Cottle in the outdoor game, and will do a lot more damage on the indoor turf at the Pepsi Center. Drew’s size and quick hands will put defenses and goalies to the test, making the Mammoth’s offense that much more difficult to play against.
The Wings come away with a good deal as they get to slots in the second round for the upcoming draft tonight. Philadelphia will be looking to capitalize on their playoff runs over the past two season, that Westervelt was a big part of. Replacing the big man will be difficult. Their picks in tonights draft will be crucial to making it back to the NLL post-season. We will see what the gypsy, Wings GM Johnny Mouradian, has up his sleeves.
