Vancouver Warriors

2018 record: 2-16 (fourth in the West)

Coach: Chris Gill (first season)

Top returners: Logan Schuss, F; Tony Malcom, F; Matt Beers, D

Key additions: Aaron Bold, G; Mitch Jones, F

Key losses: Rhys Duch, F; Corey Small, F; Casey Jackson, F

Outlook

Vancouver had a transformative offseason, kicking off with the former Vancouver Stealth being sold to the Canucks and moved to Rogers Arena. With the sale also came a cleaning of house. The team picked a new name and unveiled a new logo and uniforms, a new coach and general manager were brought in and Vancouver’s top two scorers from last season were sent packing.

New GM Dan Richardson doesn’t have much to work with. He inherits a Warriors squad that was by far the worst team in the league last season and has few assets to build it back up right away. Vancouver didn’t have a first-round pick this year and they won’t have one in the next draft, either.

With that may come some pain as the team slowly rebuilds. Luckily, Richardson is experienced after resetting the New Westminster Salmonbellies in the WLA.

Storylines to watch

1. What can we expect from the Warriors’ offense?

Vancouver saw a sharp decline in production from its three top scorers, Rhys Duch (94 points in 2017, 65 in 2018), Corey Small (111, 77) and Logan Schuss (76, 62). A big question heading into the offseason was whether a return to form from these three could help Vancouver rebound quickly, but Richardson opted to part with the first two, surprisingly cutting Duch and trading Small to Buffalo for Mitch Jones (81 points in 2018).

Beyond Schuss and Jones, the top returning scorer for the Warriors is Tony Malcom, who notched 47 points.

2. Will a move downtown increase the franchise’s popularity? 

Vancouver’s peak attendance was small to begin with at the 5,276-seat Langley Events Centre, but the team still struggled to consistently fill more than half of the arena in its five years at the facility. It didn’t help that Vancouver struggled at home, posting a 14-31 record over the five years and an 0-9 finish in 2018.

3. Will the Warriors trade everything not nailed to the floor?

There aren’t a ton of assets left to move, but if the season goes south early it may be time for Richardson to get whatever he can in future capital for the likes of Schuss, Malcom, Matt Beers, Joel McCready and Justin Salt. It becomes a bit of a tough balance because this team is also trying to convince new fans to stick around. It is notoriously more difficult to do that when you aren’t winning.

Player to watch

Aaron Bold

Vancouver used three goalies last season, Eric Penney, Brodie MacDonald and Tye Belanger, with all three finishing deep in the bottom half of the league in both goals against average and save percentage. That uninspiring three-headed monster was replaced by Bold, who took a slight step back not playing behind the Rush defense but is still a fully capable starting goalie.

MVP Watch

Logan Schuss

It would take a career year from him. His top season came in 2016, when he totaled 86 points.

Verdict

Former Stealth great Lewis Ratcliff said on Twitter this year’s Warriors roster may be the worst in NLL history. We’ll see, but the focus of the Vancouver season may come down to a fight with the expansion San Diego Seals over the fourth spot in the West.