Inside Training Camp: Philadelphia Wings

The Philadelphia Wings hit the reset button.

After missing the playoffs the last two seasons and never making it past the quarterfinals since rejoining the league in 2019, the organization needed a change.

Paul Day stepped back from head coaching duties to focus solely on being the team’s general manager. Assistant coach Ian Rubel was promoted to head coach, Tracey Kelusky was brought back to be associate head coach and offensive coach and the Wings added NLL Hall of Famer Pat McCready as defensive coach. Rob Taylor also joined the bench staff as a video coach.

Several veteran players moved on – Ben McIntosh signed with San Diego, Ian Llord and Chad Tutton went to Rochester, and goaltender Zach Higgins was traded to Ottawa.

Those holes were easily filled – the Wings added seven players from the Panther City franchise, through the dispersal draft and crafty trading. Paul Day had the easiest pick in the entry draft, taking American field lacrosse talent Brennan O’Neill in the top spot.

Thus with several new faces, training camp began this past weekend in Downingtown, PA at the United Sports Center. The Wings held an open practice, with many fans coming out to watch the team and meet their favorite players. Fans were treated to yard games, airbrush tattoos and face paint, food, and the opportunity to buy team swag.

Training camp week one ☑️ pic.twitter.com/zRSYrDvn3M

— Philadelphia Wings (@NLLwings) November 4, 2024

O’Neill was one of the most sought-after players at the open practice as fans clamored to be one of the first to welcome him to the team.

“It’s definitely cool for them to take me in already,” O’Neill said. “Obviously, people could have their doubts just because I’m not your typical draft pick, but I really appreciate the support that they showed me on my first day playing for this organization.”

O’Neill hasn’t played box lacrosse since high school, so he was shaking off four years of rust on Saturday.

“A lot of it was similar to drills I’d done in the past but I really needed a refresher,” he explained. “You have to be in a different type of shape than [you are for] field. It’s a lot of quick lateral movements and it’s physically taxing, so sometimes you don’t even realize how much you’re running.”

When he was drafted, the perception was that O’Neill had never played box lacrosse, so was an unknown entity. Actually, O’Neill has been playing box since fifth grade.

“You don’t start with box lacrosse on Long Island, but you definitely have opportunities to play it. A few years into my lacrosse journey I picked it up,” he said, crediting the Canadian players at local colleges with influencing him. “They showed us how it could help our field game, too.”

Head coach Ian Rubel was looking forward to seeing O’Neill in action.

“Like everybody, I’m excited to see what he can bring to the box game. From the videos I’ve seen, and from the way he handles himself, he’s a professional so I expect him to adjust well,” Rubel said.

Veteran forward Mitch Jones took the rookie under his wing Saturday and will continue to act as a mentor as O’Neill adjusts to the speed of the game. The pair will live together in Philadelphia for the duration of training camp.

“I’ll get to spend a lot of time with him and hopefully that translates into success on the floor,” Jones said. “I’ve been really impressed with him. He’s a freak of nature. There will be a learning curve for him like anyone but I’m really excited with what he brings. He’s going to make a lot of difficult things look easy.”

O’Neill is already proving to be a student of the game.

“I want to learn,” he expressed. “There are so many little things about the game that I still don’t know, but the veterans around me are trying to help get me up to speed. It’s a process and the only thing I can do is get better every day and work on my craft every single day to become the most complete player I can be and do whatever the team needs.”

While O’Neill will inject the offense with some energy, the Wings’ defense will have some new faces leading it this season, too, including Tyler Burton, Tony Malcom, Liam Patten and Connor Sellars, who last played in Panther City.

Jones praised that group, saying they are “solid, veteran guys who are going to do their job and impact our team right away.”

In addition to those four, Rubel expects the remaining veterans to make a difference.

“Ryan Wagner and Mitch Armstrong,” Rubel named. “I know Armstrong is still young in this league but he’s got a full year under him now so I expect him to make some strides this year. Scott Dominey, those are some left-handed defenders that I expect to step up. On the right side, Alex Pace and Isaiah Davis-Allen will take another step forward.”

As for goaltending, “the net is Nick’s,” Rubel said. Nick Damude taken third overall by Philly in the dispersal draft. Deacan Knott will be his backup.

“[Nick Damude has] proven himself in this league. He’s a true professional. From day one as a rookie, he showed he could play in this league. The net is his.”

Rubel has been with the Wings since 2019, and this will be his first NLL head coaching position. He’s coached the Jr. A St. Catharines Athletics for close to 20 years in his hometown, where he is a full-time police officer, and he’s excited to make the jump.

“Coaching in the NLL itself was always something I thought would be a pretty amazing experience and it just kind of happened,” he said. “I’ve been pretty fortunate in my career as a player (104 games over 10 seasons with Columbus, Toronto, Minnesota and Rochester) and now as a coach. I put the work in and I’ve been given opportunities and I’m making the best of them.”

Rubel said that he expects a competitive camp over the next few weeks; nobody’s job is safe in the new regime.

“We haven’t been in the postseason the last two years so I expect guys to come to camp with some urgency and a mindset to be a hardworking, hard-nosed team this year,” he stated. “I expect everybody to be competing for spots. If guys are coming into camp with the expectation that they already have a spot, we’re already in the wrong mindset. They have to earn that jersey this year.”

However training camp plays out, once the roster decisions are made it will be time to focus on Faceoff Weekend, when the Wings visit the San Diego Seals on Sunday, December 1st, to open their season. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

“I think everybody’s going to have nerves; for sure I’m going to have nerves,” Rubel said. “The nerves that we carry just means that we care about what we’re doing and we’re passionate about the game of lacrosse.”

Jones said that Rubel has brought some needed vigor to the team: “He’s settled into his role and I think he’s going to be really good for us.”

Jones is also excited at the prospect of learning from Kelusky.

“You can tell he’s a really sharp mind that is going to bring a lot of insight for us on offense.”

O’Neill, the rookie, is cognizant that the Wings began building something this weekend, but he understands it will be a season-long process as the team works for success.

“You’re not a championship team on the first day. You have to build it from the ground up,” he acknowledged. “We need to focus on each day at a time and get better and get as many wins as possible. There will be learning curves.”

Training camp continues over the next three weeks with workouts and practices, along with exhibition games, in Brampton, Six Nations and Oakville, ON.