The San Diego Seals are Crushing the Offseason

The beautiful city of San Diego is universally renowned for its laid-back vibe and easy-going approach to life. This feeling of calm is particularly palpable during the summer months, when locals and tourists alike bask in the circadian glow of clear skies and abundant sunshine, as the Southern California municipality operates in the shadow of ocean waves, palm trees and mountains.

While scores of surfers and skaters embrace this Jimmy Buffett-inspired lifestyle, the San Diego summertime memo clearly hasn’t made its way to the offices of the local NLL franchise, as the Seals have been the polar opposite of laid-back in their approach to the offseason. No team in the league has been more aggressive, no matter if the topic of conversation is the trade market, free agency or the recently held draft.

Amid the breakneck speed of the NLL offseason, general manager and head coach Patrick Merrill came up for air to share with NLL.com his thoughts on what his team has been up to since bowing out of the NLL Semifinals, courtesy of a 2-0 sweep at the hands of the Albany FireWolves.

“We feel really good about how the offseason is going,” explained Merrill. “The blueprint was to get more athletic and to improve our transition game. Our five-on-five defense and offense has been pretty strong, but the focus for us has been the transition game.”

Merrill, who has led the Seals to a 53-31 regular season record during his five seasons at the helm, is doing everything in his power to bring a desperately sought-after championship to a San Diego squad that has competed at the highest level from the jump.

Merrill is determined to finish next season with the taste of celebratory champagne on his lips, as opposed to the enduring flavor of bitter defeat.

“We had a really strong season last year, with a disappointing and gut-wrenching end to it. We remain confident in the group of guys we brought back from last year. But in order to get ahead in the playoffs you have to continually improve. Every season is a new challenge, a new opportunity and a clean slate. We’ve been so aggressive because we felt the need to bolster our roster to take the next step in the playoffs.”

With this all-encompassing approach in mind, Merrill pulled off the most significant transaction of the summer when acquiring two-time NLL Transition Player of the Year Zach Currier, along with a 2024 first round and 2026 second-round pick from the Calgary Roughnecks, in exchange for Curtis Dickson and a 2024 fourth rounder.

Zach Currier is now a member of the San Diego Seals (Photo by Jenn Pierce/NLL)

For the 45-year-old Seals’ boss, the move made sense for a bevy of reasons.

“Always tough giving up a player like Curtis Dickson,” Merrill said. “He was a great Seal for two seasons and a great guy. We got a little younger in the trade for Zach. But our transition game was the priority, along with acquiring another first round pick.”

The Seals built upon the mega trade when electing to sign more available players than any team in the NLL, with standouts Ryan Benesch, Ben McIntosh and Rob Hellyer garnering the most attention.

Merrill provided the front office perspective regarding the array of attributes and intangibles that each of the above players brings to the San Diego lacrosse scene.

• “Ryan Benesch provides stability and veteran experience on the left side. He’s a proven goal scorer, including 42 goals last year. Though nearing the end of his career, he can still shoot the ball and score at a very high level. Plus, he’s a great fit for our locker room.”
• “Ben McIntosh is a player we’ve coveted for a long time. He killed us back in the Saskatchewan days. His IQ stands out… He’s known as one of the smarter players in the league, in terms of finding open space; how he capitalizes on his opportunities; and how he makes his teammates around him better. He’s a real cerebral player.”
• “Rob Hellyer brings athleticism, quickness and really good vision. He’s a pass-first player who has always been a consistent and well-rounded player. He’s going to fit in really well.”

While the Seals’ brass has been adamant regarding their desire to add veteran players to the club’s active roster, the organization also turned its attention to the youth of the lacrosse world, adding seven players during last weekend’s NLL Entry Draft. The highest of these selections was Ohio State/Victoria Shamrocks transition player Trent DiCicco, whom San Diego moved up to obtain at number nine, courtesy of a draft-day trade with the Georgia Swarm.

In the wake of serving as the Buckeyes team captain and emerging as one of the best players of the recently held Mann Cup, DiCicco was a prize Merrill was nothing short of thrilled to claim.

“The consensus of our staff was that if DiCicco was available he would be the primary target of this draft. We believe he can step in and contribute right away and be an impact player this year and many years to come.”

The longtime NLL player turned head coach later added, “we think Trent and Currier will be pretty dangerous together.”

Still unresolved during the Seals offseason of wonder is the playing status of a pair of living legends that go by the names of Dane Dobbie and Callum Crawford. Both men are operating as unrestricted free agents, with Dobbie deciding if he will return for his fourth season in San Diego, and Crawford contemplating a move west after being selected in the dispersal draft.

“Dane is taking his time. He’s earned the right to be an unrestricted free agent,” noted Merrill. “He’s been in conversations with other teams, in addition to the Seals. Dane is a big family man, so he’s taking time to think things through with his family. He has the right to choose. We hope he’s back, but if not, Dane has been a great Seal over the last few years.

“Callum is an unrestricted free agent. In the meantime, we signed Hellyer and McIntosh, who play the same position. Callum is still exploring the market, but as of right now he is not with us.”

As Merrill and the Seals’ coaching staff gaze ahead at the upcoming campaign, the folks in charge of the San Diego lacrosse operation are putting the pieces in place for what they hope is a season to remember. From the very beginning, it’s all systems go for the inhabitants of Pechanga Arena.

“Training camp is going to look a lot different this year, by design,” explained the man with the plan. “It’s going to be a much more challenging and competitive training camp. We have a lot of new guys and a lot of fresh young legs competing for spots.”