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BUF at SD - Sat. 10pm ET on ESPNews Schedule

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WK
1
Fri, Dec 2
FINAL
Philadelphia
8
Halifax
18
Sat, Dec 3
FINAL
Vancouver
8
Toronto
19
Sat, Dec 3
FINAL
San Diego
15
New York
14
Sat, Dec 3
FINAL
Albany
11
Buffalo
10
Sat, Dec 3
FINAL
Rochester
16
Georgia
11
Sat, Dec 3
FINAL
Colorado
6
Saskatchewan
18
WK
2
Fri, Dec 9
FINAL
Las Vegas
11
Panther City
13
Fri, Dec 9
FINAL/OT
Saskatchewan
12
San Diego
13
Sat, Dec 10
FINAL
Toronto
7
Rochester
11
Sat, Dec 10
FINAL
Vancouver
9
Calgary
11
WK
3
Fri, Dec 16
FINAL
Calgary
14
Vancouver
5
Fri, Dec 16
FINAL
Panther City
9
Las Vegas
3
Sat, Dec 17
FINAL
Buffalo
11
Toronto
8
Sat, Dec 17
FINAL
Rochester
14
Albany
13
Sat, Dec 17
FINAL
Philadelphia
13
Georgia
12
Sat, Dec 17
FINAL
Halifax
20
New York
11
Sat, Dec 17
FINAL
Colorado
12
Panther City
9
WK
5
Fri, Dec 30
FINAL
Halifax
13
Buffalo
18
Fri, Dec 30
FINAL
San Diego
17
Calgary
14
Sat, Dec 31
FINAL
Panther City
9
Saskatchewan
11
WK
6
Fri, Jan 6
FINAL
Philadelphia
14
Las Vegas
9
Sat, Jan 7
FINAL
Panther City
9
Rochester
17
Sat, Jan 7
FINAL
Halifax
14
Albany
11
Sat, Jan 7
FINAL
Buffalo
18
Georgia
9
Sat, Jan 7
FINAL
Toronto
15
New York
7
Sat, Jan 7
FINAL
Calgary
8
Colorado
9
Sat, Jan 7
FINAL
Vancouver
11
San Diego
16
WK
7
Fri, Jan 13
FINAL/OT
Albany
11
Halifax
10
Fri, Jan 13
FINAL/OT
Saskatchewan
10
Colorado
11
Sat, Jan 14
FINAL
Halifax
8
Toronto
17
Sat, Jan 14
FINAL
Panther City
12
Philadelphia
10
Sat, Jan 14
FINAL
Georgia
9
Buffalo
11
Sat, Jan 14
FINAL
San Diego
10
Calgary
14
Sat, Jan 14
FINAL
Las Vegas
16
Vancouver
19
Sun, Jan 15
FINAL
Rochester
11
New York
8
WK
8
Fri, Jan 20
FINAL
Buffalo
12
Rochester
15
Fri, Jan 20
FINAL
Vancouver
14
Las Vegas
15
Sat, Jan 21
FINAL
Toronto
14
Philadelphia
5
Sat, Jan 21
FINAL
New York
16
Albany
10
WK
9
Fri, Jan 27
FINAL
Rochester
7
Halifax
17
Fri, Jan 27
FINAL
Buffalo
13
Philadelphia
9
Sat, Jan 28
FINAL
Buffalo
16
New York
10
Sat, Jan 28
FINAL
Las Vegas
10
Saskatchewan
15
Sat, Jan 28
FINAL/OT
Toronto
11
Calgary
10
Sat, Jan 28
FINAL
San Diego
13
Colorado
9
Sat, Jan 28
FINAL
Panther City
20
Vancouver
7
WK
10
Fri, Feb 3
FINAL
Georgia
10
Colorado
13
Sat, Feb 4
FINAL/OT
Calgary
12
Halifax
11
Sat, Feb 4
FINAL
New York
14
Toronto
22
Sat, Feb 4
FINAL
Albany
5
Philadelphia
13
Sat, Feb 4
FINAL
Rochester
10
Buffalo
13
Sat, Feb 4
FINAL
Panther City
10
San Diego
12
Sat, Feb 4
FINAL
Saskatchewan
14
Vancouver
8
Sat, Feb 4
FINAL
Colorado
8
Las Vegas
13
WK
11
Fri, Feb 10
FINAL
Toronto
11
Georgia
10
Fri, Feb 10
FINAL
Saskatchewan
6
Calgary
13
Sat, Feb 11
FINAL
Halifax
14
Rochester
16
Sat, Feb 11
FINAL
Albany
12
New York
14
Sat, Feb 11
FINAL
Vancouver
13
Panther City
14
Sat, Feb 11
FINAL
Colorado
9
Calgary
13
WK
12
Fri, Feb 17
FINAL
Calgary
14
Vancouver
9
Fri, Feb 17
FINAL
Saskatchewan
16
San Diego
11
Sat, Feb 18
FINAL
Georgia
7
Toronto
16
Sat, Feb 18
FINAL
Las Vegas
12
Albany
10
Sat, Feb 18
FINAL/OT
Philadelphia
12
Buffalo
13
Sat, Feb 18
FINAL
Colorado
7
Panther City
13
Sun, Feb 19
FINAL
New York
12
Halifax
13
WK
13
Fri, Feb 24
FINAL
Panther City
12
Colorado
14
Fri, Feb 24
FINAL
Calgary
9
Las Vegas
11
Sat, Feb 25
FINAL/OT
New York
10
Rochester
11
Sat, Feb 25
FINAL
Albany
4
Georgia
20
Sat, Feb 25
FINAL
Vancouver
16
Saskatchewan
12
WK
14
Fri, Mar 3
FINAL
Buffalo
10
Halifax
9
Sat, Mar 4
FINAL
New York
12
Philadelphia
19
Sat, Mar 4
FINAL
Las Vegas
12
San Diego
15
Sat, Mar 4
FINAL
Rochester
8
Toronto
9
Sat, Mar 4
FINAL/OT
Georgia
9
Albany
8
Sat, Mar 4
FINAL
Saskatchewan
10
Panther City
16
Mon, Mar 6
FINAL
Toronto
10
Philadelphia
11
WK
15
Fri, Mar 10
FINAL/OT
Halifax
9
Buffalo
10
Fri, Mar 10
FINAL
Calgary
16
Colorado
10
Sat, Mar 11
FINAL
Albany
6
Toronto
12
Sat, Mar 11
FINAL
Philadelphia
10
New York
13
Sat, Mar 11
FINAL
San Diego
12
Saskatchewan
11
Sat, Mar 11
FINAL
Vancouver
14
Las Vegas
5
Sun, Mar 12
FINAL
Rochester
19
Georgia
18
WK
16
Fri, Mar 17
FINAL
Saskatchewan
6
Calgary
11
Fri, Mar 17
FINAL
San Diego
16
Vancouver
9
Sat, Mar 18
FINAL
Georgia
13
Philadelphia
12
Sat, Mar 18
FINAL
Toronto
12
Halifax
14
Sat, Mar 18
FINAL
Albany
10
New York
13
Sat, Mar 18
FINAL
Colorado
13
Buffalo
8
Sat, Mar 18
FINAL
Las Vegas
8
Panther City
11
Sun, Mar 19
FINAL/OT
Philadelphia
9
Rochester
8
WK
17
Fri, Mar 24
FINAL
San Diego
17
Panther City
9
Sat, Mar 25
19:00:00
Toronto
Albany
Sat, Mar 25
19:00:00
Halifax
Philadelphia
Sat, Mar 25
19:30:00
Georgia
New York
Sat, Mar 25
21:30:00
Calgary
Saskatchewan
Sat, Mar 25
22:00:00
Buffalo
San Diego
Sat, Mar 25
22:00:00
Colorado
Vancouver
Sat, Mar 25
22:30:00
Rochester
Las Vegas
WK
18
Fri, Mar 31
19:00:00
New York
Georgia
Fri, Mar 31
21:00:00
Las Vegas
Colorado
Fri, Mar 31
22:00:00
Calgary
San Diego
Sat, Apr 1
19:00:00
Buffalo
Toronto
Sat, Apr 1
20:00:00
Albany
Panther City
Sat, Apr 1
21:30:00
Vancouver
Saskatchewan
Sun, Apr 2
13:00:00
Georgia
Halifax
Sun, Apr 2
18:00:00
Rochester
Philadelphia
WK
19
Sat, Apr 8
19:00:00
Albany
Rochester
Sat, Apr 8
19:00:00
Saskatchewan
Georgia
Sat, Apr 8
21:00:00
Panther City
Calgary
Sat, Apr 8
21:00:00
Vancouver
Colorado
Sat, Apr 8
22:30:00
San Diego
Las Vegas
WK
20
Fri, Apr 14
21:00:00
Las Vegas
Calgary
Fri, Apr 14
21:00:00
San Diego
Colorado
Sat, Apr 15
19:00:00
Philadelphia
Toronto
Sat, Apr 15
19:00:00
Georgia
Albany
Sat, Apr 15
19:30:00
New York
Buffalo
Sat, Apr 15
21:30:00
Halifax
Saskatchewan
Sat, Apr 15
22:00:00
Panther City
Vancouver
WK
21
Fri, Apr 21
20:30:00
Calgary
Panther City
Sat, Apr 22
18:00:00
New York
Halifax
Sat, Apr 22
19:00:00
Georgia
Rochester
Sat, Apr 22
20:00:00
Toronto
Buffalo
Sat, Apr 22
21:30:00
Colorado
Saskatchewan
Sat, Apr 22
22:00:00
Las Vegas
San Diego
Sun, Apr 23
15:00:00
Philadelphia
Albany
WK
22
Sat, Apr 29
19:00:00
Philadelphia
Rochester
Sat, Apr 29
19:00:00
Buffalo
Albany
Sat, Apr 29
19:00:00
Halifax
Georgia
Sat, Apr 29
22:00:00
Colorado
San Diego
Sat, Apr 29
22:00:00
New York
Vancouver
Sat, Apr 29
22:30:00
Saskatchewan
Las Vegas
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Draft

Final Thoughts Before the 2019 NLL Draft

1. Heightened Sense of Pressure

On Tuesday night there’s going to be a ton of nervous energy as a room full of players sit anxiously waiting to hear the Commissioner say their name. The draft has come a long way since Teddy Jenner was taken 11th overall back in 2001, but that gut-wrenching feeling every time a team passes on you will never change. However, for Regy Thorpe and Dan Carey, the nerves will be equally as palpable, if not more.

Going into their first drafts as General Managers is taxing enough; add on top of that the pressure of a brand-new franchise’s future. “For sure [there are] some nerves, but our staff has done a great job in preparing for the entry draft,” said Thorpe. Adding that he feels “really good about our preparations”

Both have been through the process before as players, and Carey was AGM with the Mammoth last season, so they know what these guys are going through. “There’s always nerves,” commented Carey, “but I had nerves as a player, too. That nervous excitement is a good thing to have.”

Don’t expect any sympathy from their fellow GMs, though. Thorpe holds the coveted first-overall selection Tuesday night, and while he has fielded calls from other teams about that pick, they are “keeping [their] short term goals in mind while also keeping sight of having a long-term, stable team that can be successful both on and off the field.”

Many team execs will be in Oakville for the Combine this weekend, and Carey, who’s been incredibly impressed with his staff’s preparation, is looking forward to seeing many of the players firsthand and expects to “add a few players” to his draft list. So there’s still time to make an impression, fellas.

Unfortunately, like a few others from the NLL, Thorpe will be in be Langley at the 2019 Worold Indoor Lacrosse Championship, so he’ll likely be pacing back and forth in his hotel room on Tuesday night.

 

2. Slim Pickings

With 89 names to be called out Tuesday night in Philly, the 13 NLL clubs average just under seven picks each. The Swarm lead the way with 11 selections, followed by the Riptide and Knighthawks who have 10 each. Unfortunately, the Vancouver Warriors, who finished last season with a 5-13 record, only have three picks to their name. That’s right—they won’t be at the podium until the 52nd pick and only have two more selections (67th & 80th) afterwards.

GM Dan Richardson has been busy in the offseason trying to bring in some local free agents like Colton Clark, Patrick O’Meara, Sam Clare, and Andrew Gallant. These signings aren’t breaking the bank, and there are no guarantees they’ll all make the final roster, but the Warriors are trying to do all they can right now to change the culture in Vancouver after far too many years of disappointment. The biggest get so far has been Riley Loewen, who has won cups in Saskatchewan and Calgary and will be another lefty weapon in addition to Mitch Jones and Logan Schuss. There are more FAs out there that are on Vancouver’s ‘Wish List,’ but it’s a dog-eat-dog world out there on the free-agent market. Getting Joel McCready and Chris O’Dougherty back will also gain the Warriors some more grit and leadership as Richardson continues to try and build a playoff-caliber team.

You have to go all the way back to 2013 to find a first-round draft pick from the Warriors/Stealth franchise, and Cody Bremner isn’t even playing lacrosse anymore. When Richardson took over the job as Warriors GM back in June of last year, he wasn’t exactly flush with cash, picks, or prospects. He’s had to unload unhealthy contracts and fan favorites, and he’s been forced to try to squeeze diamonds out of coal. With no real chances to move up in the draft, the Warriors will have to wait until 2020 to make any sort of noise on draft night.

 

3. “We have a trade to announce.”

There always seem to be trades at the NLL draft, sometimes huge ones that cause seismic ripples throughout the room. Last year, Georgia sent Jesse King and the 23rd pick in the draft to Calgary for Holden Cattoni and the 7th pick, which they promptly used to select Brendan Bomberry.

Back in 2011, Rochester provided a stunner when they shipped Shawn Evans and a 2012 first-rounder to Calgary for the 5th pick so they could select Johnny Powless.

Will something at that level happen at the 2019 draft? It’s hard to say, but how about the following scenario for a potential shocker: New York trades the 1st overall pick to Saskatchewan for the 4th pick and either a roster player or another first rounder?

To be clear, I haven’t heard that this is going to happen, and I actually think the most likely scenario is that New York uses the first pick on Andrew Kew, as we’ve all figured for a while that they would.

Still, it would be an interesting trade and would make some sense for both teams when you delve into the layers a little bit.

There’s been a pretty solid buzz that New York is enamored of Tyson Bomberry, even to the extent that they considered for a while just using the first pick on him. By trading the first pick, they could almost surely still get Bomberry at 4 and add another pick with which the expansion team could get a player who would start for them right away.

The tricky thing about this imaginary trade would be determining what the other asset would have to be to compel the Riptide to risk moving down. New York would almost surely ask for the #9 overall pick and Saskatchewan would almost surely try to convince the Riptide to take #16.

Will it happen? Probably not. Would it shake up the draft? It sure would. Whether it’s this trade or, more likely, one that we haven’t even heard rumors of yet, look for a slight delay to the drafting at some point on Tuesday as commissioner Nick Sakiewicz steps to the stage and says “We have a trade to announce.”

 

2. Draft Night Steals

As we get into the later rounds of the draft, a theme arises that it is highly unlikely players being selected at that point will make a roster. While it’s true that late rounders are long shots and that the shots may be even longer this year with the draft extending to 89 picks, players selected late into Tuesday night’s proceedings shouldn’t give up hope. After all, it’s not unheard of for late-round picks to make it—and sometimes make it big—in the NLL.

Two-time NLL Transition Player of the Year Joey Cupido was selected by Colorado in the 5th round, 38th overall, in 2011.

Former NLL Defensive Player of the Year Ryan Dilks was picked even later by Toronto, also in the 5th round but 50th overall, in 2010.

The year after Cupido was a draft night steal for the Mammoth, Washington took Kyle Buchanan in the 6th round. Like Dilks, Buchanan bounced to a couple of teams before really hitting his stride, but now he’s one of the top loose-ball collectors among NLL forwards.

And finally, we go back to the 2008 draft to find the poster child for late-round draft picks. Patrick Saunders was selected by Chicago with the very last pick, 76th overall at the end of the 6th round. Saunders took a while to find an NLL gig, but he eventually made it to the show and produced seasons of 38 and 44 goals.

NLL