Entrants abound hoping to get picked in MLL's supplemental draft
And here we thought the NFL draft was a long, tedious and arduous endeavor. Don't tell that to the MLL coaches and general managers who have to weed through well over 1,000 entrants to fill 70 spots in next week's MLL Supplemental draft. Aspirin anyone?
One thousand, four hundred names.
On a sheet that reads more like a phone book than a list of draft eligibles. And that's not including those that register between now and Dec. 3 at 5 p.m. ET, the deadline for all entrants to send in their paperwork. Unfortunately, only 70 will be selected in Wednesday's MLL supplemental draft.
Granted, some of the names on that list are blasts from the past that have absolutely no intention of strapping on the pads again; but when trying to evaluate who will wind up where when the dust settles Wednesday, it's enough to leave you reaching for the aspirin.
Adding to the conundrum this year is the league's allowance of teams to increase their individual protected player lists from 20 to 23 players, which as Boston Cannons head coach Bill Daye points out, could have a significant impact on the talent pool compared to years past.
"With protected rosters increasing from last season, you usually get more guys who have had [MLL] experience with other teams floating around in that draft," said Daye. "With three [additional protected] players, and ten teams, that's 30 more names not in the player pool."
But wait, the headache has only just begun. When evaluating those in the pool, due to the nature of the league compared to other professional leagues, talent and on-field potential aren't the only criteria by which those at the top of MLL organizations need to base their decisions. When it comes to travel and availability during the season, things can get just a little tricky, particularly for those teams out on the West Coast.
"It's hard to get a sense of who can play, and who's there for what reasons," said San Francisco Dragons GM Doug Locker. "Guys that we might see out West as higher guys on our list because they're willing to travel or they have a lot of flexibility in their job might not be in the same position on an Eastern team's list."
With all of those factors coming into play, just as it makes it increasingly difficult to offer up some semblance of a mock draft, it also makes the task of landing an impact player a formidable one for MLL general managers and coaches.
Occasionally, as we saw last season with Rochester's Brandon Spillett, a fifth-round selection that went on to put up 28 points for the Rattlers, teams will capture lightning in a bottle with a guy that slips through the cracks and lands in the perfect situation. Daye will be looking to make a similar find when the Cannons put together their draft board for next Wednesday
"We're trying to find a diamond in the rough, a guy that kind of slides under the radar screen that can come in and fill a nice role. That's basically our mentality going into the supplemental draft," explained Daye.
Below is a list of the top draft entrants, broken up into division, from the 2007 graduating class. Could one of these players find themselves sparkling next summer?
Division I
Attack
Adam Zuder-Havens, Delaware
2007 stats: 35 goals, 11 assists
Michael Phipps, Maryland
2007 stats: 28 goals, 22 assists
Greg Cohen, Harvard
2007 stats: 21 goals, 5 assists
Dan Bauers, Loyola
2007 stats: 29 goals, 5 assists
Brian Boyle, Penn State
2007 stats: 11 goals, 17 assists
Andy Gallagher, UMBC
2007 stats: 35 goals, 16 assists
Bobby Griebe, Towson
2007 stats: 24 goals, 23 assists
Mike Bocklet, Fairfield
2007 stats: 26 goals, 13 assists
Ryan Zordani, Denver
2007 stats: 13 goals, 8 assists
Kevin Ross, Canisius
2007 stats: 36 goals, 18 assists
Midfield
Lucius Polk, Notre Dame
2007 stats: 18 goals, 9 assists
Brian Jacovina, UMass
2007 stats: 6 goals, 18 assists
Andrew Recchione, UMass
2007 stats: 12 goals, 5 assists
Trevor Casey, Georgetown
2007 stats: 8 goals, 10 assists
Matt Eckerl, Towson
2007 stats: 105-220, .477 faceoffs
Adam Fassnacht, Virginia
2007 stats: 144-265, .543 on faceoffs
Defense
Ryan Clarke, Maryland
2007 stats: 38 ground balls, 26 caused turnovers
John Dunn, Colgate
2007 stats: 34 ground balls
Michael Graham, Loyola
2007 stats: 16 ground balls, 14 caused turnovers
Steven Hess, Loyola
2007 stats: 43 ground balls, 17 caused turnovers
Matt Mehrer, Towson
2007 stats: 32 ground balls, 14 caused turnovers
Ryan O'Connor, Dartmouth
2007 stats: 53 ground balls, 14 caused turnovers
Rob Smith, Delaware
2007 stats: 52 ground balls, 21 caused turnovers
Rory Shepard, Denver
2007 stats: 41 ground balls
Tom Trapani, Albany
2007 stats: 21 ground balls
Goalie
Harry Alford, Maryland*
2007 stats (college): 8.37 GAA, .530 Svs.
Brendan Callahan, Stony Brook
2007 stats: 9.82 GAA, .583 Svs.
Peter Littell, Providence
2007 stats: 8.25 GAA, .564 Svs.
*appeared in five games for the Chicago Machine last season
Division II
Jared Corcoran, Goalie, Le Moyne
Matt Cassalia, Midfield, Le Moyne
C.J. Leary, Midfield, Dowling
B.J. Lindner, Attack, Mercyhurst
Chase Safarowic, Defense, CW Post
Division III
Phil Gardner, Defense, SUNY Geneseo
Luis Gonzalez, Midfield, Salisbury
Ryan Hotaling, Attack, Nazareth
Jon Mason, Attack, Roanoke
Pat Vaughan, Goalie, Gettysburg
Craig Johnson is the online editor for Inside Lacrosse
