Major League Lacrosse holds the 2018 collegiate draft tonight at US Lacrosse in Sparks, Md., at 6:30 p.m. The 2017 rookie class was extremely successful. Dylan Molloy, Nick Mariano, Sergio Salcido, Jarrod Neumann, Alec Tullet and Ryan Drenner helped lift the Florida Launch to the playoffs for the first time. Chesapeake Bayhawks attackman Josh Byrne set the rookie scoring record. Connor Cannizzaro scored four goals to help Ohio win the MLL Championship while Zach Currier had a goal and three assists for Denver in defeat.
Will the 2018 draft class have a similar impact? There are certainly several impact players available at the top of the draft.
Trevor Baptiste, FO, Denver: Baptiste might be the most anticipated faceoff specialist to enter the draft ever. He’s won over 71 percent of his faceoffs in his career, which would set the NCAA Division I record should it hold through the end of the season. He’s a three-time Big East Midfielder of the Year and a three-time Tewaaraton Award nominee. He was also the only collegiate player named to the 2018 U.S. national team roster that will compete in the FIL World Championship.
Connor Kelly, M, Maryland: Kelly went from scoring eight points in 19 games as a freshman to 57 points as a junior. His 46 goals in 2017 were the most by a midfielder in Maryland history, and helped him earn first-team All-Big Ten and first-teamAll-American accolades in addition to being named the 2017 Big Ten Tournament Most Valuable Player.
Connor Fields, A, Albany: The high-scoring attackman enjoyed an incredible junior year, scoring 55 goals and adding 62 assists, earning America East Offensive Player of the Year and USILA first=team All-American honors in the process. He also set career-highs in points in a game, goals in a game and assists in a game. In nine games as a senior, he is averaging more than six points per game.
Justin Guterding, A, Duke: A lot of fuss was made when Guterding was left off the USILA Preseason Player of the Year watch list, and for good reason. He has never scored fewer than 70 points in a season, coming off a junior year in which he scored 51 goals and tallied 46 assists for 97 points. He responded by totaling 77 points through the first 13 games of the 2018 season. In his final game before the draft, Guterding scored four goals and added five assists in an 18-13 victory over Virginia.
How does all this talent fit in the league, however? Each team has its own unique needs. The Boston Cannons own the first pick in the draft and could use help all over the field, but the most pressing needs are attack and defense. The Atlanta Blaze pick second and they’ll be looking for more firepower on the offensive side of the ball but could add depth to the defense as well.
The Charlotte Hounds and Chesapeake Bayhawks pick third and fourth, respectively, and both have a big need at the faceoff X. Baptiste is the prize, but several MLL coaches said the other faceoff specialists in the draft – particularly Bryant’s Kenny Massa – are underrated. The Bayhawks will also miss most of its offense early in the season due to NLL commitments (Lyle Thompson, Josh Byrne, Jake Froccaro), so adding some depth at attack is another possibility.
The New York Lizards pick fifth. They typically carry a veteran roster, but could use depth at defense and attack, which lost both Matt Gibson and Tommy Palasek this off-season.
The Dallas Rattlers follow with the sixth pick and even after adding Dave Lawson from the player pool, the team could add depth to the midfield. Florida added a ton of talent in the draft in 2017, but they don’t have as many picks in 2018. The Launch have a hole to fill at the faceoff X with Will Gural not returning. The team would benefit from adding more talent to the midfield as well.
The Outlaws always seem to have question marks prior to the start of the season, only to find hidden gems to fill in those spots. The defense is the biggest question mark, again, for Denver. The Ohio Machine are the defending champions and have talent all over the field, but they will be looking to add some midfielders.
According to league coaches, the draft is deep at attack and a lot of teams could use depth on offense. With seemingly fewer options on the defensive end, however, teams could go on a run of defender early to ensure they get one of the drafts best.
How could the first round shake out?
1. Boston
Trevor Baptiste, FO, Denver
Of all of Boston’s needs, faceoff is last on the list thanks to the presence of All-Star Joe Nardella. Baptiste is the gem of this draft, however, with a lot of teams clamoring for him. Boston needs star power after trading away Paul Rabil, Scott Ratliff, and Will Manny over the past couple of seasons. They would be smart to pick Baptiste and figure out what to do with him (or Nardella) afterwards.
2. Atlanta
Connor Kelly, M, Maryland
He scores in bunches and can play both the midfield and attack positions well. His presence would not only add firepower to the Atlanta offense, but his versatility – along with the versatility of Palasek and Gibbons – could allow the Blaze to get creative with its lineup and offer different looks to the defense.
3. Charlotte
Connor Fields, A, Charlotte
Baptiste, Kelly and Fields are the best players in the draft, so despite having the third pick, the Hounds won’t lose with any of these players as the team’s pick. An offense with Fields, Joey Sankey, Ryan Brown, Mike Chanenchuk, John Haus and Matt Rambo would be extremely entertaining and take a lot of pressure off an inexperienced defense.
4. Chesapeake
Justin Guterding, A, Duke
The Bayhawks need depth at the attack position, especially with several members of the unit having overlapping responsibilities at the beginning of the season. Not only can Guterding score, he also is coached by one of the current Chesapeake attackmen, Matt Danowski.
5. New York
Ben Reeves, A, Yale
With a cast of veterans, the Lizards are in a win-now mode. One thing about Reeves (35 points and 32 assists through 12 games as a senior) that might scare teams away is the looming possibility of med school. Reeves recently told US Lacrosse Magazine his immediate future plans were to apply to jobs in New York City and Rochester and then apply to medical school in a year or two. That doesn’t leave a large window to play in Major League Lacrosse, but if he can make an impact for the Lizards in that time frame, they would welcome the short-term usage.
6. Dallas
Foster Huggins, D, Loyola
Huggins may not be considered the top defensive prospect available, but through April 15, Huggins led the nation in caused turnovers per game (3.33), so he’s no slouch. Why the Rattlers will jump on the opportunity to take him is that Huggins is a Dallas native, and the Rattlers have been keen on building connections with their new home community. As the draft moves on and gets more unpredictable, Dallas won’t want to wait on Huggins.
7. Florida
Kyle McClancy, M, Albany
Florida scored the fewest goals in the league last season, and the Launch could especially use depth at midfield to take pressure off Connor Buczek. McClancy has been a 20-goal scorer as both a junior and senior, and he increased his assist totals each year from freshman through his junior season. His ability to pick up a ground ball will also help Florida in another area it finished last in during the 2017 season.
8. Denver
Ben Randall, D, Ohio State
It would be tempting for the Outlaws to select University of Denver long-stick midfielder Sean Mayle, and he would be a good pole to add to the mix, but they aren’t restricted to taking Pioneers (they currently only have three on the roster). Randall earned a spot as a USILA first-team All-American as a junior, the first in Buckeye lacrosse history.
9. Ohio
Joel Tinney, M, Johns Hopkins
When you type Joel Tinney into the search bar on Google, the first autofill option is “Joel Tinney highlights.” He’s an explosive player with a great ability to dodge, which would give the Machine a different type of option on a loaded offense.