It sure has been a busy couple weeks in the MLL. There have been blockbuster trades and we’re still over a month away from the Collegiate Draft, with the Supplemental Draft just about two weeks out.
Rochester was in the mix of humongous barters with the New York Lizards. Most recently, the Rattlers acquired the big man on attack, Mark Matthews, which sent Steve DeNapoli and a fourth round supplemental pick to the Lizards.
Earlier in the week, the Rochester front office made a deal, with New York, that sent offensive firepowers Ned Crotty and Matt Striebel to dawn the black and green. In trade, the black and gold were reunited with Grant “Big Cat” Catalino.
These were made into two separate transactions. Crotty was exchanged for Catalino, the third overall selection in this years first round collegiate draft and New York’s 2015 first round draft slot. A 2014 fourth round collegiate draft pick and sixth round supplemental draft were in the deal for Striebel, who has played in the league since 2001.
It looks as though the Rattlers are trying to restart the system, picking up multiple draft picks. Sending out two of their best offensive weapons and one of the hardest working d-kids in the game gives off a feeling of reestablishment. The Rats have been in the playoff hunt for a while no, missing the post season over the last two years by the skin of their teeth. The last time Rochester saw the MLL playoffs was back in 2008 when they won the title.
These trades may work in favor of the Rattlers, giving them fresh faces and new blood. Charlotte made it to the MLL championship game in only their second year in the league. Rochester may be following in their footsteps with bringing in fresh out of college guys that will be in great shape and ready to go.
Last years rookie class was a work of art. Mason Poli, Josh Hawkins, Rob Pannell, John Ranagan, Tucker Durkin, Jesse Bernhardt, Mike Sawyer, Logan Schuss, Will Manny, Eric Law and others, made a huge impact for their teams. The senior class heading into this season will have great talent as well. Miles and Ty Thompson (Albany), Jordan Wolf (Duke), Josh Dionne (Duke), Mark Cockerton (Virginia), Alex Love (Hobart), Thomas DeNapoli (Towson), Brandon Mangan (Yale), Kieran Mcardle (Saint John’s), Justin Ward (Loyola), and Tom Schreiber (Princeton) are just a few offensive weapons that Rochester could pick up.
Overall, Rochester looks to be in a good position to get some major picks come January. What they do in the Supplemental draft will give a bit of a better picture of where the organization wants to go heading into the 2014 season.
