The Premier Lacrosse League’s entry draft could be even more important for the league’s seven teams than we thought entering the offseason, or even just a week ago.

With the coronavirus (COVID-19) causing the cancellation of the spring season, and perhaps leading to some of the top college seniors being granted another year of eligibility, hitting on proven pros to fill needs could prove vital.

Did the PLL’s head coaches do that? Time will tell, but the league certainly added some big names to the fold for Year 2.

First, a look at how the draft played out:

2020 PLL
Entry Draft

And now, some of the major storylines coming out of the league’s first-ever entry draft:

Pannell Falls to No. 3

Rob Pannell was clearly the biggest name in this year’s draft as an all-world attackman who has been one of the most recognizable stars of the sport since he graduated from Cornell. There’s a reason why the league put together a week-long media blitz when he made the move earlier this month.

Passing on a player of his caliber, even in a league with offensive firepower like the PLL, seems unimaginable. Incredibly, two teams did just that, allowing Pannell to reunite with former teammate Paul Rabil and join a roster already filled with powerhouses of the sport.

He should fit in well, serving his usual quarterback position from X while working with a pair of impressive shooters in Ryan Brown and Eric Law.

Waterdogs Add Versatility

Waterdogs head coach Andy Copelan leaned into the PLL’s affinity for two-way players in the expansion draft and did so again Monday by selecting Zach Currier with the No. 1 selection.

He’s the ultimate lacrosse Swiss army knife both indoors and outdoors and should be able to make a difference in nearly every situation for the newest team in the league.

Adding Ryland Rees in the second round should help round out the defense, as he showed plenty of promise as a rookie with the MLL’s Boston Cannons last summer. Perhaps one of the better value adds of the night, he’ll get to line up alongside and learn from a player many compare him to, Brodie Merrill.

Chaos in the Crease

Could the league’s reigning goalie of the year be in danger of losing his starting job?

Chaos coach Andy Towers snagged the only goalie available in the draft, adding Canadian standout Dillon Ward to a squad already featuring Blaze Riorden. Together, they make up the best one-two goalie punch in the PLL.

Defense Wins Championships

Chrome’s offense wasn’t the issue in the team’s disappointing debut season, so new head coach Tim Soudan opted to pass on Pannell in favor of Jesse Bernhardt. He helps the team recover from the retirement of Joe Fletcher and the expansion draft loss of Chris Sabia, and he brings a proven track record of winning to a team that needed a culture reset.

Finding Replacements

Chrome LC wasn’t alone when it came to offseason departures. A handful of retirements and Copelan’s pillaging of the original six’s rosters left some holes for coaches to fill around the league before the season opens at Gillette. The bench bosses were able to find positional fits to help alleviate losses.

• Archers LC filled injured defenseman Jackson Place’s spot by adding Eli Gobrecht. Archers also made up for the midfield departures of Ben McIntosh and Dan Eipp by selecting Christian Mazzone.

• Redwoods LC replaced retired Greg Gurenlian at the faceoff X with Greg Puskuldjian and replaced defenseman Matt Landis, likely to miss time due to military service, with Finn Sullivan.

• Whipsnakes LC, which lost plenty of offensive firepower in the expansion draft in Connor Kelly, Ben Reeves, Drew Snider and Ryan Drenner, regain some moxie with Zed Williams.

• Chaos LC filled in Brodie Merrill’s position on the close defense with Jason Noble.

• Craig Chick steps right into the Atlas LSM role after Jake Richard was picked up by the Waterdogs.

The Two Remaining

As we knew entering the draft, two of the 16 players eligible finished the evening in the PLL player pool.

Midfielder Josh Hawkins and attackman Brendan Kavanagh did not hear their names called Monday, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t get a look in the PLL.

Hawkins seemed likely to go undrafted simply because he was the only player on this list that wasn’t playing pro lacrosse last season. As for Kavanagh, he plays a position that’s a surplus in the PLL right now, before even factoring in the potential entries to the College Draft.

Short Tidbits

New Chrome coach Tim Soudan reunited with one of his former Rattler players when he selected Donny Moss in the second round … Chaos took two Canadian players, continuing the northern flair for the squad … Christian Mazzone and TJ Comizio both made impressive impacts with the Atlanta Blaze last year as rookies and should help two likely contenders, Archers and Whipsnakes, respectively.