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Buffalo Bandits 2015 NLL Photo Credit Bill Wippert.png
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Buffalo Bandits – 2016 Season Preview

Editor’s Note: Tomorrow is their season opener, here’s what to know about the Buffalo Bandits. Thanks to the help of the innovative team at SISU Guard, the Official Mouthguard of the NLL, we are beefing up our National Lacrosse League coverage for 2016, starting with a preseason preview series! We hope you enjoy our look at the NLL season through a new lens with the aid of our partner SISU!

Before they took on the Rush, we previewed the 2016 Calgary Roughnecks. Last, but not least, we break down the revamped Buffalo Bandits before they kickoff their season on Saturday!

2016 NLL Preview: Buffalo Bandits

Tomorrow night, the Buffalo Bandits kick off their 2016 against the (0-1) Calgary Roughnecks. This will be the first season since 1992, the formation of the team, that John Tavares will not play a single game. After 24 seasons, Tavares finally hung it and I think I can speak for all of us when I say it’s going to be a little weird. Instead, Tavares will lend his services behind the bench as the offensive coordinator. He will also be honored on John Tavares Night, played on March 11th and fans can get $11 tickets!

Buffalo finished 3rd in the Eastern Conference, 5 games ahead of the Swarm, with a 11-7 record. Pretty solid until they got knocked off in the first round by those pesky Knighthawks. One thing they have to look forward to is their incredible fan base. Giant foam hats, wigs, face paint , organized cheers… you get my point:

There’s nowhere like Banditland.

Rallying for the second highest attendance average in the NLL (behind Colorado) and highest in the East, the fans add their own element to the Bandits games.

Photo Credit: Koi Ton
Photo Credit: Koi Ton

At a Glance

  • Game 1: 1/9/16 vs. Calgary Roughnecks
  • Arena: First Niagara Center
  • 2015 Record: 11-7 (Regular Season), 0-1 (Playoffs)
  • 2015 Attendance: 14,316
  • Mascot: Rax (Racoon)
  • Dance Team: Bandettes
  • Website: Bandits.com

New Faces

There won’t be a lot of new faces around the Bandits clubhouse. Only one rookie is making the first cut, but a whole group of young talent is getting another look after impressing the coaching staff last year.

Seven-year NLL veteran Daryl Veltman joins the lefties after putting up 57 points in 2015 for the Calgary Roughnecks, 24 of which came on the power play . Looking to get back east toward his native Ontario, Veltman got to Buffalo on free agency. He will do his best to fill a gap left by legend Johnny Tavares. Veltman has never posted under 40 points in any given season.

The 11th overall pick coming in the 2nd Round was used on righty forward Anthony Malcolm out of New Westminster, BC. The WLA rookie scored a staggering 49 points (26 g, 23 a) in 18 games with the Langley Thunder this past summer and should fill an immediate void for the offense.

Coming more recently is lefty defender Mitch de Snoo in a trade from Calgary for veteran transition man Brandon Goodwin. de Snoo will be a member of the practice squad to start the season, but I expect the rookie to crack the roster by midseason by learning from such a veteran defensive group. The current member of the Oakville Rock won two Minto Cups in his junior career with the Whitby Warriors.

Offense

Last year’s NLL MVP runner-up Ryan Benesch has made the difference for Buffalo since arriving from the Swarm. In 2015 the left-hander racked up a career-high 113 points (55 g, 58 a) and 99 loose balls in 18 games. These breakout numbers placed Benesch 3rd in total points and 1st in scoring for the entire NLL last season. In September Benesch found rope 10 times and gathered another 4 helpers to win the gold medal with Canada at the WILC. The two-time All-Pro 1st Teamer will be joined by former Calgary Roughneck lefty Darryl Veltman.

Canada v Czech Republic Please Credit: Coyote Magic Action Shots
Photos Credit: Coyote Magic Action Shots

Righties Dhane Smith and Mark Steenhuis accounted for a solid core of Buffalo’s offensive. The massive Smith finished with a career-high 39 goals and 68 assists, 3rd in the league, in his 107 point season. Going into his 4th season in the league, Smith is playing the best lacrosse of his life. Smith scored 28 total points in Canada’s run to the gold medal and 90 points with the Six Nations Chiefs in the regular season and 44 points in 11 just OLA playoff games. As one of the game’s top players, Smith will continue to carry his weight on the offense along with 12-year veteran Steenhuis. Steenhuis’ transition responsibilities were lifted allowing him to focus more on offensive responsibilities. After posting 104 in 2014, Steenhuis limited himself to 64 loose balls last season and instead focused on the points column where he racked up 95 points in 2015, 32 more than the prior season. The 35-year-old is still moving well and focused on building a championship caliber team.

Off to New England is Derek Suddons and Brandon Goodwin was recently shipped to Calgary for defender de Snoo. This leaves a lot of room for Tyler Ferreira and rookie Anthony Malcolm to earn their stripes and prove themselves to the coaching staff. Ferreira is a speedy lefty out of Brampton that didn’t see the active roster in 2015, but has seen a lot of success at the junior and senior levels with the Excelsiors. Malcolm put up solid numbers in the WLA this summer as one of the key fire points of Langley’s high-powered offense. All of the minutes he played for the Thunder should have brought Malcolm up to speed for the NLL

WILC Recap: Canada 11, Iroquois Nationals 9 Jeff Melnik

The second oldest of the brothers, Hiana Thompson had an excellent rookie season tallying 24 points on 10 goals and 14 assists along with 35 loose balls in his 13 appearances. Back for his second season, Thompson is in excellent shape and will continue to bring new life to the lefty side. Thompson also competed alongside his brothers this past summer at the WILC 2015 with the Iroquois Nationals, capturing the silver medal with 5 total points in the event.

Right-hander Mitch Jones was a later addition to the 2015 Bandits offense to which he added quickness and stick skills. 11 points and 14 loose balls in just 3 regular season games and 3 playoff points last season.

Lefty veteran Chad Culp will start the season on suspended list after his altercation at the end of the Rochester/Buffalo playoff game. Culp will jump right back in right after the game.

Defense

The Bandits only list three names to their defensive backline, two of which are a couple of the most terrifying players in the NLL. Big, bad Billy Dee Smith returns to run his unit alongside fellow gold medal winner with Team Canada, Steve Priolo. The two bruisers combined for 101 pim last season. Priolo is the aggressive side to Smith’s stay at home ability to clog the interior. Prior collected 104 loose balls, 20 points and 18 caused turnovers, declining only slightly from 2014 and Smith finished with 5 points, 32 loosies and 5 forced turnovers.

Joining the group is KW Kodiak Jamie Batson who came to the organization mid-season last year from Rochester. Batson had 12 loose balls a 1 point as a Bandit and will have his shot at floor time again this year. The kid is built like a small truck and brings even more strength to a powerful, yet not very deep, defense.

Transition

Buffalo got a full 19 games out of Kedoh Hill last season and the Six Nations product got his chance to show what he’s made of. The incredibly quick Hill finished with 23 caused turnovers and 101 loose balls in the regular season on top of 23 goals and 26 assists. Leading the transition team with Hill is 4 year veteran Kevin Brownell. Brownell’s quickness and aggressive play brought him 6 goals and 13 assists long with 79 loosies and 7 forced turnovers.

In his first season with the Bandits, Nick Weiss 12 points, 16 forced turnovers and 92 loose balls. The kid fights hard in the corners and is a scrappy main fixture of the transition group. Recently named an assistant captain, David Brock returns to the bench. Larger-than-life Brock is now entering his 6th season in the NLL after posting 8 points and 41 loose balls in 2015. Righty Mitch Wilde also was a key player in the Bandits defense/transition teams last season. Playing in all 18 games, Wilde had 12 points and 41 loose balls. He had a strong summer with the KW Kodiaks and when he gets a chance at any level, he shines.

Garrett James Jay Thorimbert
Photo Credit: Garrett James

Franchise-leader Jay Thorimbert is one of the few remaining “face-off guys” in the NLL. Last season the Bandits went to the draw circle 515 times, of those 515 draws 513 were taken by Thorimbert. Winning 338 of those 515 draws, the 29-year-old finished with a 66% win average. Thorimbert also brought in 13 points in the 2015 season and will be looking to continue to positive numbers despite the revised face-off rules.

Youngster Matthew Bennett rounds off the 20-man roster. The second-year player comes back to the bench after dressing in two games for Buffalo last season. Looking to learn from a deep transition group, the tough and quick Bennett could be a healthy scratch to start, but the Bandits have been fairly quiet to talk about the lineup.

Goaltending

Anthony Cosmo Buffalo Bandits
Photo Credit: Koi Ton

Entering his 16th NLL season Anthony Cosmo, has remained amongst the most solid and consistent goaltenders in NLL history. At 10-7, Cosmo worked out an 11.31 GAA, making 681 saves in a little over one-thousand minutes. Last season was probably one of the veteran’s best in a Bandits uniform and there’s no reason he can’t repeat the performance in 2016. The defensive line in front of him isn’t deep but they’re strong and the transition team has world-class hands and speed.

Backup Davide Diruscio played 75 minutes in his 2015 rookie season and posted a 1-0 record. His big win came last February in a full game against Colorado where he made 47 saves in 14-11 victory. The promising young net minder is on the heavier side and a “get in the way” type tendy. Cosmo has 15 seasons under his belt and is likely going to give up more minutes as the season progresses. I don’t fear Buffalo’s success when Diruscio is in cage.

Calling it Early

They have the same opportunities that they do every season, but never seem to do anything with. If they couldn’t go further with what they were producing last season, I find it hard to imagine 2016 is going to work out much better. Playoffs? Yeah, I think they can do it again. New England and Georgia are looking poised for better seasons and Rochester and Toronto look strong as ever. It’s sink or swim early for the Bandits.

SISU Guard Official Mouthguard of the NLL

Let’s hear it! Bandits boo or Bandits yay? Let your voices be heard in the comments below.