On Thursday night, the PLL will hold its Entry Draft, when all eight teams will add former MLL players to their rosters.
Lyle Thompson seems to be the consensus No. 1 pick, but former Philadelphia Barrage head coach Spencer Ford said there’s a lot more talent up for grabs after the former Chesapeake Bayhawks superstar.
“You think of names like Randy Staats and Bryan Cole and Tommy Palasek and [Dan] Bucaro,” he said. “You’re thinking of top-dollar talent.”
With only three rounds of picks, a number of talented players and promising prospects won’t be drafted, making the route to a roster spot even more difficult. Here’s what the Entry Draft might look like.
Round 1
1. Cannons LC — Lyle Thompson
This is about as much of a lock as you can get. It seems like everyone not in the MLL has been begging for Thompson to come to the PLL since its inception, and fans won’t have to wait long for him to be drafted.
2. Archers LC — Zach Goodrich
“Are you going to find a better defensive middie other than Zach Goodrich?” Ford asked. The Archers offense, especially the attack, is full of talented scorers. The defense finished fifth in scores allowed average. Dominique Alexander and Mark McNeill are solid, but Goodrich provides even better coverage.
3. Atlas LC — Dan Bucaro
Atlas LC finished last in the league in goals scored. Now, they pair Bucaro, the 2020 MLL Rookie of the Year, with Bryan Costabile, the rookie who was the talk of the town in the PLL in 2020, for the foundation of an exciting future.
4. Waterdogs LC — Randy Staats
It’s a slight slide for Staats, who could have been the second player selected, but it is a better fit for him, going to a team that needs an offensive leader. “I was so thankful when he played for us,” Ford said, “that he didn’t play in every game because my assist record wouldn’t be standing.”
5. Chrome LC — Ben Randall
Chrome LC needs to improve on defense after it finished last in the league in scores against average (12.8). The Chrome will happily take Randall, a versatile cover who led the league in caused turnovers as a rookie in 2018 and again in 2020.
6. Atlas LC — Liam Byrnes
The team used one pick to give its offense more versatility and now does the same for its defense. Byrnes also has a good relationship and chemistry with Atlas star defender Tucker Durkin from their days on the Florida Launch together.
7. Whipsnakes LC — Isaiah Davis-Allen
After Ty Warner announced he would not play in 2021 due to his commitments to medical school, short-stick defensive midfielder is the one position where the team needs another player. Not only is Davis-Allen a talented player; he also fits in perfectly with the majority of former Maryland Terrapins on the roster.
8. Chaos LC — Max Adler
Chaos LC finished last in the league in faceoff winning percentage at 35 percent. Bringing in Adler will ensure the team does not finish last in that category again.
Round 2
1. Cannons LC — Bryce Wasserman
“I know [Cannons head coach Sean] Quirk likes him,” said Wasserman’s former coach, Bear Davis. The 2020 MLL MVP stays with the team he helped win a championship for during the 20th season celebration last summer.
2. Archers LC — Michael Rexrode
Archers LC continues to shore up its defense, this time taking the best long pole on the board.
3. Redwoods LC — Mikie Schlosser
A two-way midfielder, in a 2019 feature on Schlosser, Outlaws teammate Max Adler said, “He might come out of the game with no points or one assist but be our biggest offensive player because he’s drawing the slide.” Schlosser taking attention away from Myles Jones and Sergio Perkovic makes the Redwoods that much more dangerous.
4. Waterdogs LC — Sean Sconone
Waterdogs LC tied for the worst save percentage in the PLL in 2020. Picking up Sconone gives them the MLL goalie with the best save percentage in 2020.
5. Chrome LC — Nick Marrocco
This is a pick with an eye toward the future, a future in which MLL All-Star and champion Marrocco becomes the heir apparent to John Galloway. “Marrocco has been great,” Bear Davis said.
6. Atlas LC — Andrew Kew
Not only did Atlas LC have the lowest scoring average in the league. It also had the lowest shooting percentage in the league. In Chesapeake’s victory over the Philadelphia Barrage in 2020, Kew scored six goals on six shots; he won’t be perfect every game, but it’s a trait he’s known for.
7. Whipsnakes LC — Colin Heacock
Why not pair PLL star Matt Rambo with Heacock, his running mate at Maryland? Heacock is talented enough to go much higher than this, particularly if teams don’t also want him to wind up with the Whips.
8. Chaos LC — Nick Manis
Manis is a versatile short-stick defensive midfielder who will not only help the Chaos on the defensive end of the field, but also on the faceoff wing and in transition, too.
Round 3
1. Cannons LC — Mark Cockerton
The Cannons dip into their own 2020 well again, this time taking a high-scoring, accurate lefty attackman in Cockerton. His arrival in Boston in 2018 really pushed the team’s mentality from rebuilder to contender. He scored 43 goals in 2019.
2. Archers LC — Tommy Palasek
The Archers have so many talented offensive pieces, something Palasek learned to play with during his time with the star-studded New York Lizards. Playing alongside Paul Rabil, Rob Pannell and Ned Crotty, Palasek learned how to be effective without the ball and to make the most of his opportunities with it.
3. Redwoods LC — Alex Woodall
Greg Gurenlian retired after the 2019 season, and the Redwoods struggled with faceoffs in 2020. Woodall helps to solidify that position for 2021 and seasons to come after it.
4. Waterdogs LC — Ryan Lee
With Lee, the low-scoring Waterdogs add a very potent and efficient scorer to the mix. He scored a league-high 18 goals in 2020 while also sharing the ball with Bucaro, Chris Aslanian and John Grant Jr.
5. Chrome LC — Mark Evanchick
With Evanchick, the Chrome defense adds another one of MLL’s brightest young cover defenders who shined against the league’s top offensive talents. “We all watched and were surprised about how he did against Lyle,” Ford said.
6. Atlas LC — C.J. Costabile
Adding Costabile provides the Atlas defense a chance to offer many different looks to opposing offenses, allowing Kyle Hartzell to move around the field. He also would ease some of the burden on faceoff specialist Trevor Baptiste both by taking a few faceoffs himself and by playing on the wing.
7. Whipsnakes LC — Bryan Cole
The best player on the board and a player who could go earlier, Cole gives the Whipsnakes midfield some added size and downhill dodging power.
8. Chaos LC — Kyle Pless
The Chaos transition game was not as strong in 2020 as it was in 2019. Pless displayed an impressive amount of speed and passing skill in transition with Denver in 2020.