The Charlotte Hounds were in a similar position in 2013, as they defeated the previously unbeaten Denver Outlaws in the MLL semifinals and lost to the Chesapeake Bayhawks in the final with seven rookies — Jake Tripucka, Matt White, Josh Hawkins, Mike Sawyer, John Haus, Michael McCormack and Mason Poli.
“It’s exciting for the fans,” said Charlotte general manager Mike Cerino, who was the head coach of the team in 2013. “It’s a reshuffling of the deck and an infusion of talent. It can help ticket sales. It can help notoriety as guys are coming off big seasons. It’s exciting in a lot of levels. It’s a big change.”
The draft moving to the end of the season might have a big effect on who gets picked at the top of the draft.
When the draft occurred in January, the No. 1 pick was a foregone conclusion. There wasn’t much debate about Rob Pannell, Peter Baum, Tom Schreiber, Lyle Thompson or Myles Jones.
After the 2016 college season, it seemed one of either Notre Dame midfielder Sergio Perkovic or Brown attackman Dylan Molloy would be the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, with the other following immediately behind him at No. 2.
Allowing the seniors to play out their final year before drafting, however, may have opened up the doors for others such as Matt Rambo, Connor Cannizzaro or Sergio Salcido to enter the conversation as the top overall selection.
Rambo, a member of a 14-3 Maryland team that is the top seed in the NCAA tournament and playing in its fourth consecutive final four, caught people’s attention right away because of the action star last name, but he backed it up with his play. Rambo increased his points total each year, culminating in 83 points through 17 games in 2017.
PHOTO BY JOHN STROHSACKER
Matt Rambo's dominant senior season has made him a candidate to be the top overall pick in the Major League Lacrosse draft.
“You want guys who come up big in big games, because every week in the MLL is a big game,” said Florida Launch head coach Tom Mariano, whose team has the top pick in the draft and four of the top 10. “He’s averaging six points in playoff games. It’s ridiculous what he’s doing. That Albany game, he took over. Maryland plays a really good schedule. He’s playing against guys that are MLL-caliber players. He leads you to believe he’ll do it in the pro game.”
Cannizzaro — also a member of a 2017 final four team — broke the Denver single-season scoring record as a sophomore in 2015 with 90 points (57 goals, 33 assists). He totaled a team-high 69 points the following year and has 65 points through 16 games in 2017.
“He had one role last year behind X and being the quarterback,” Mariano said. “This year he took on a scoring role and took on a lot of versatility. He changed his game and where he plays on the field. He’s multifaceted in how he’s going to attack the cage.”
O’Hara had equally high praise for Cannizzaro.
“He runs like the wind,” he said. “He’s got all the tools to play in our league. We’d love to get him, but I don’t think he’ll be around at 9, unless trades happen.”
Of the probable first-round picks, Salcido possibly benefitted most from the draft’s change in date.
The Syracuse midfielder totaled only five points in his first two seasons combined before putting up 53 points in 2016 as a junior. Having another year to prove himself, Salcido finished his senior season with 51 points, including five each in games against ACC rivals Notre Dame and North Carolina.
“Everyone knew he could play, but he took his game to another level,” Boston General Manager Kevin Barney said. “What was more impressive was his leadership and composure. Being a leader on that team, doing the little things. They had numerous one-goal tight games. He was taking those shots, or when I saw it at the end [of games], the ball was in his stick at some point. He’ll be an offensive leader.”
Perkovic and Molloy also remain strong possibilities for the top two picks.
“Perkovic,” Cerino said. “It’s not like his game and body type won’t translate.”
“[Molloy is] going to be a guy whatever team he goes to would be an impact player right away,” Barney said. “Whoever drafts him won’t say, ‘Come to practice, watch and we’ll see what happens next year.’ He’s a big, physical, strong player who can get to the cage, score and draws a lot of attention, and is a good feeder when you try to slide to him.”
Coaches and general managers agreed the draft was especially deep at attack. There is some talent at every position, however, and the first long stick off the board could possibly be Brown’s Larken Kemp.
Kemp, a three-time All-American, reached double digits in points every year since his sophomore season and is routinely one of the best in the nation in ground balls and caused turnovers.
“He’s a guy who at that role shows he can do it all,” Barney said. “He’s a solid defensive player, very good ground ball guy. He’ll get you the possessions. He isn’t afraid to bring the ball to the offensive end and take the shot when needed or feed. He’s a guy you like that can do a little bit of everything.”
Another change to the draft is players will be selected over 10 rounds, as opposed to eight. While rosters are already difficult to crack and their sizes will not increase, some believe the addition of a few rounds still has positive effects.
“A Limestone, Merrimack, Le Moyne kid, where in the past they were less likely to be picked,” Mariano said, “I think there’s more D-II or D-III guys picked because there’s more rounds.”
Cerino agreed that with more rounds, there would actually be more opportunities for players to get fair looks.
“What you’re going to see is teams drafting where they know the player will be in that city or area,” Cerino said. “You’ll have an ability to practice and develop. Look at [Nate] Lewnes for Chesapeake. He was a little banged up, practiced for a year, and had a big game against us. The later rounds, you might see best available player. That will add depth to the franchise and improve the quality of play.”
“You’ll also see someone take a flier on a guy,” he added. “Maybe he’s an indoor guy, but he has great value later and you’ll see if there’s something you can do moving forward. With the [2018] world games coming up, they might play some outdoor.”
No matter who the top pick is, or what position a team is looking for, each team has the same wish — that their draft picks provide a boost to break them away from the pack and win the Steinfeld Cup.
“Hopefully, whoever our first pick is, I hope we can get that picture and tell that story of who they are and how they’re going to help us win a championship in Boston,” Barney said.