As we enter year 27 of the N.L.L. for the Philadelphia Wings, fans are asking will this be the year.
After finishing 7-9 in the regular season, and suffering a first round defeat to the eventual champion Rochester Knighthawks, we ask ourselves which Philadelphia Wing will the opponents need to look out for.
After a 103 pt season (3rd overall) and breaking the all-time assist record at 78, only to be edged by Garrett Billings of the Toronto Rock with 82, Dan Dawson enters year 13 of his career with one goal, The Champions Cup. Rookie sensation Kevin Crowley and Drew Westervelt are also looking to have career years this season
OFFENSE:
The Wings offense, Dan Dawson, Kevin Crowley, Brendan Mundorf (injury wont be ready til mid-March), & Drew Westervelt accounted for 125 goals and 172 assists for 297 points. These players will obviously be on the radar. But you ask, who replaces Mundorf? Kevin Ross & Kevin Buchanan both can play the left side like Mundorf. Ross had 28 goals and 31 assists last season. Last season Kevin Buchanan only had 10 goals and 19 assists in 15 games with the Bandits. In 2011 Buchanan had a career year with 24 goals and 33 assists playing along side of Dan Dawson. The Wings are hoping Buchanan has the same year if not better as he did in 2011 With Mundorf out until at least mid-March the Wings will be looking for Ross and Buchanan to fill the void on the left side. With only averaging 11 goals a game the offense will be looking to fill the net more.
DEFENSE
The Wings came into the 2012 season with a young defense and it showed as the season progressed. Injuries in the first half of the season to Eric Hoffman (knee) and Matt Alrich took away some much needed size, veteran Taylor Wray was only available for half a season due to his Head Coaching commitment at St. Joes University….. The defense allowed 207 goals in 2012 season and average of 12.93 goals a game. So during the off-season the Wings go and sign veterans Kyle Hartzell (Stealth). Hartzell can not only play defense but he can quickly transition to the offensive side and push the ball up the floor without having that usual line change that takes 8 seconds. E draft the Wings sign All-American C.J. Costabile. The experts have said that Costabile will help this defense considerably. Veteran defender Thomas Hajek handed in his stick for coaching duties as he will be coaching the defense
GOALTENDERS
Brandon Miller is entering his 14th year and knows the years are limited for his quest for the Champions Cup. Miller had a 12.64 GAA and a 74.2% save percentage. We do know the competitor in Miller will be out this season as he looks to have a better season. Second year goalie Steve Fryer fresh off helping the WLA Langley Thunder to their second consecutive title and second appearance in as many years to the Mann Cup, looks to lock down the back-up position and hopefully gets a few starts this coming season to prove he is a goalie to be reckoned with in the N.L.L.
My players to watch this season:
OFFENSE…
Nothing to be taken away from Dawson, Westervelt, but on offense my player to watch is:
Kevin Crowley: look for this 2nd year player to have outstanding numbers this season. Another year older & wiser, along with his size and strength can only mean trouble for the opposition. Look for new comers Ross and Buchanan to play a major role as well
DEFENSE:
Few choices here….Brett Manney, Paul Dawson,, young guys like Steve Holmes, Jeff Reynolds (face-offs) etc, can all be players to watch. But I will say when healthy it will be Eric Hoffman. At 6’4 and 230 pounds this is a kid who has the potential, and every time his game is reaching its peak, he gets injured. This year will be different for Hoffman, he’s been working hard over the summer getting the knee ready and hopes to be ready by mid December. Look for new defender Kyle Hartzell to make a major impact on the floor. Rookie C.J. Costabile and Chad Weidmaier should crack the line-up as well. Watching Chad during the Free Agent Camp on November 17th reminded me of a young Shawn Nadelen.
TRANSITION
Brodie Merrill & Max Seibald. We know what Brodie can do as he has done it year in and year out, so the obvious choice here is Max Seibald. Max enters his 5th season in the N.L.L. and with the roster filling out the way it is, look for Max to get more time on the offensive end of the transition and his numbers to rise drastically.
GOALTENDING:
Its Millers job to loose. Miller will need to be that brick wall when needed to win the close games, and back-up Steve Fryer will need to be that same wall when called into duty.
Camp starts with 2 sessions this weekend 7am Saturday and Sunday.
Look for my Wings Camp Preview tomorrow, and a recap of the first weekend of camp on Sunday night.
Come back to inlacrossewetrust.com and click on the link for “The Wings Nest” as Season 2 premiers Tuesday night.
