Nll Top 50 Players: #8 Rhys Duch

December 4, 2014

Vancouver Stealth’s ethereally skilled scorer claims #8 spot on IL Indoor

It’s the most wonderful time of the year with National Lacrosse League preseason games starting this weekend along with NLL Face Off Weekend 2015 presented by New Era on January 2-3 on the horizon. Adding to the excitement, the IL Indoor countdown of the Top 50 Players in the NLL has reached the upper echelon with Vancouver Stealth forward Rhys Duch coming at #8 on the list.

IL Indoor contributors Bob Chavez, Stephen Stamp and Marty O’Neill collaborated with their own Top 50 lists for a points system that produced the final list. Click the link for the player to read their full analysis on Inside Lacrosse and check back to follow the countdown all the way to No. 1.

8) Rhys Duch – Vancouver Stealth

“Rhys Duch can take an offense on his back and has done just that in stretches for the Stealth over the last 6 years. The 2008 first-rounder has been the class of his draft year and leads the Stealth in production yearly. Duch had a bumpy road in 2014 with a nagging foot injury and an untimely suspension which hindered the Stealth mid season. Lightning feet and a deadly accurate outside shot make Rhys a double threat so he draws all the top checkers. Look for 2015 to be a bounce back year for Duch with more balance on the Stealth offense.” – Marty O’Neill

“Duch is the picture of consistency in the NLL. He has scored at least 33 goals and 79 points in each of his six seasons in the league. He’s an accurate shooter as well as a smart and timely passer. A perennial top-10 scorer, Duch is the catalyst to most of what happens in the Stealth offence. He has a knack for knowing when to be unselfish and when to work to create his own shot.” – Stephen Stamp

“Duch does it all right. He shoots, scores, passes and works as it should be worked within the system. Lke Marty said, he’s one of those guys who can sense when it’s time to take charge and it’s not uncommon to see Duch shift his game into a higher gear whenever his teams need to seize momentum. Lots of guys can score goals, but it takes a unique knack to know when goals and momentum are needed, and Duch has that. It’s a quality that makes him a leader because his actions speak louder than most words can.” – Bob Chavez