Editor’s Note: Although the state changed, the team stayed the same! Today we’re onto the Georgia Swarm. 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!
Yesterday afternoon Ryan Conwell pondered the future of the New England Black Wolves with us. Today we examine the inner workings of one of the youngest teams in the league, the relocated Georgia Swarm.
2016 NLL Preview: Georgia Swarm
The announcement of the Minnesota Swarm’s offseason move to the Atlanta suburbs was one of the most shocking storylines from all of 2015. Although their record didn’t reflect it, the Swarm excelled in Minnesota, establishing a committed fan base and planting the seeds for boys and girls to play real box all across the state. Swarm loyals were floored at the announcement and immediately demanded that a team moves back to the Twin Cities. For those in the south, box lacrosse is coming back after the short-lived Orlando franchise went by the wayside years ago and they are stoked! Coming just months after the announcement of the Atlanta Blaze, the MLL’s newest club, the region announced the addition of the Swarm to capitalize on all of the local lacrosse buzz.
Atlanta may be a failed hockey market, but if the excitement of the community for field lacrosse can transfer to the indoor game, the infinite Energy Center is going to be rocking come January 9th when they host the Toronto Rock at home.
The biggest challenge Georgia will have to deal with in 2016 in their extremely young depth chart. As the roster stands, only one player on the entire Swarm bench has over five years of experience. The seven-year veteran Mitch Belisle is going to be relied upon heavily to lead his defense, to which only four names are now listed, one is a rookie. But the story for the Swarm has been the same the past few years. They put a lot of their eggs into the rookie basket with hopes of their first round draft picks can make an immediate impact in the league. Last year Miles Thompson became a human highlight reel but it still wasn’t enough to propel his team to the playoffs. Trades sent Captain Andrew Suitor packing and eventually brought in Johnny Powless who seemed at home putting up 13 points in just 6 games. Thanks to free agency, goal scorer Callum Crawford is now with Colorado, leaving even fewer veterans on the front line. This year, a whole gang of rookies are getting the nod early and if history tells us much, experience is the key to winning games in the NLL.
Before I get to rookie talk, let’s look at a couple more things. Their 2016 road schedule is a cake walk. They go to the West only three times, over three different months. Although there’s just one home game in February, from March 18th to April 15th they host 5 straight home contests with no back-to-backs all season except for an away game in Rochester on 4/16. Considering none of their players call anywhere near Atlanta home, it’s a wonder home much the light travel schedule will affect them anyway. Let’s look at what else the Hive is made of going into 2016.
At a Glance
- Game 1: 1/1/16 @ Colorado Mammoth
- Arena: Infinite Energy Center
- 2015 Record: 6-12 (Regular Season)
- 2015 Attendance: 8,699
- Mascot: TBD (Formerly Buzz)
- Dance Team: Georgia Swarm Dance Team
- Website: GeorgiaSwarm.com
New Faces
If the NLL Draft had a customer loyalty card, the Swarm would have some serious fuel perks racked up by now. The front office made not one, but four selections in the first round of the collegiate draft alone. The #1 overall was no doubt going to one of the most electrifying players in the sport’s history, UAlbany/Onondaga’s own Lyle Thompson. That came as a surprise to none seeing as brother Miles was taken #1 the year before and the Swarm had the pick again in 2015. Joining Thompson in the first rounders’ club is Ohio State/Victoria product Jesse King, third overall; former Tar Heel and current Peterborough Laker Chad Tutton, fifth overall; and Syracuse/Six Nations star and Thompson’s Iroquois Nationals teammate Randy Staats, the sixth overall pick. Thompson, King, Tutton and Staats have all earned their spots on the opening day roster.
Lyle Thompson needs very little introduction. Like his brother, some questioned if Thompson would be ready to play at the highest level having only competed in the Can/Am prior to the NLL. I think this bug was already squashed watching Lyle ball against Canada and the US in the WILC 2015 with the Iroquois Nationals. In the event, Lyle put up 30 points, 16 of which were goals, against some of the best players in the world. The only two-time Tewaaraton winner in the game’s history, Thompson is leading the charge to bring lacrosse into the spotlight with one SportsCenter Top 10 appearance after another. His creativity paired with brother Miles’ size and soft hands are on track to write their own names into the history books, and they haven’t even started yet. The Haudenosaunee connection is incredibly strong on the Swarm, the Thompson brothers and Staats join young guns Joe Maracle and Johnny Powless.
Six Nations star Randy Staats has carved his own path to the lacrosse spotlight. Growing up as one of the most promising players in his class, Staats’ NCAA journey started with two season at Onondaga CC where Staats helped lead the Lazers to a flawless record and two NJCAA titles. From OCC, Staats went up the road to Syracuse where he scored 109 points in his 27 career games with the Orange. Staats isn’t huge, but he’s tough and will grind it out on the offense to fill the voids where he can. Passing and ball handling is also a strong point for Staats who is best known for his ability to bury the rock. I expect Randy to see the least amount of floor time between the four first rounders, but he won’t waste the opportunity to learn and get up to game speed. Heck, he put up more points (32) and assists (22) than Lyle at the WILC, so clearly he’s ready for the big boys.
I’m pumped up to see what the giant lefty Jesse King can do in the pros. Virtually unknown in the field lacrosse world prior to his four years at Ohio State, King accumulated a staggering 208 points on 119 goals and 89 assists in the NCAA. In his senior year he earned his 3rd All-American honor by scoring a career-high 47 goals and 35 assists. King was on the gold medal winning Canadian field lacrosse team last summer and recently won the Mann Cup this past summer with his hometown Victoria Shamrocks. In the Dub this summer he scored 33 goals in 16 games for the Rocks in their run for the Mann. I expect King to be a huge presence on the floor for Georgia. He checks in at 6’3”, 220lbs, making him the biggest left-hander on the Swarm front line. Not only can he finish inside but King can body guys up, create space and knock down shots with range.
Chad Tutton was one of th defenseman in this year’s rookie class. Tutton has stick skills and he’s fast so Georgia can play him at Transition or Defense. His junior years were spent with the Whitby Warriors where he won two Minto Cups. The Brampton Excelsiors drafted Tutton second overall last year but an April trade sent Tutton to the Peterborough Lakers, which made the run to the Mann Cup finals. Tutton had an excellent NCAA career at the University of North Carolina, where he scored 108 goals, making him the the all-time leading scorer for midfielders at UNC. Tutton should be an exciting player on both sides of the ball and will be given the green light to bury it in transition.
Loyola product Reid Acton has spent his summers in the MLL with the Florida Launch and now he’s getting his nod with the Swarm after being selected in the 2013 draft. The skilled 6’3”, 210 lbs defenseman played his junior career with the Jr. A Beaches in Toronto and is getting a shot as a rookie for 2016.
The offseason saw the addition of left-handed defenseman Drew Petkoff from the New England Black Wolves in exchange for Shane MacDonald. Petkoff is heading into his 7th season in the league, last year he totaled 40 loose balls in the 7 games he dressed.
Coach Eddie Comeau is back in the NLL and taking the reigns of this Georgia franchise. It’s been a few years since Comeau has been the head coach, but the numbers don’t lie. He’s 54-32 as the HC, winning 1 Championship and 5 others as an assistant. This summer he was the suit behind Canada’s undefeated run at the World Championships and did a great job with the team and the media.
Offense
Team scoring and leader Shayne Jackson was the 4th overall selection in the 2012 draft and has been huge for the Swarm since. Jackson has put up 192 points during his first three seasons in the NLL, 78 of which came last season. There’s more natural scorers on the Swarm this year to lighten the load of Jackson and Miles Thompson. Thompson put in 27 goals and 35 assists in his highlight reel rookie season. The older of the Thompson duo was a Rookie of the Year finalist and recipient of the Shoeless Joe’s Shot of the Year award.
2015 @goShoeless Shot of the Year: @miles2thompson from @GeorgiaSwarmLAX! #NLLAwards pic.twitter.com/WMZqGV49Lm
— NLL (@NLL) September 29, 2015
It’s going to be a treat for years to come to watch him tear up the left side of the floor with his brother. When Lyle Thompson plays with Miles, they’re almost unstoppable. These two were raised on lacrosse and can connect with each other like no tandem ever.
A midseason deal brought lefty Johnny Powless to the club in an exchange for Logan Schuss. Powless racked up 52 total points in 2015, 13 of those points came in his 6 games with the Swarm. At 22, Powless has NLL Championships, a Mann Cup and a Minto Cup under his belt, the kid knows what it takes to win. This team should be a more comfortable fit for Powless who seemed out-of-place since leaving Rochester. His Six Nations Arrows teammate Joe Maracle is back for 2016 and he spent September on the floor with the Thompson brothers and rookie Randy Staats on the silver medal winning Iroquois Nationals. Maracle was active the last three games of 2015 and will get a chance to dress for the 2016 start. He registered 4 points in his 2015 rookie season and recently won back-to-back Minto Cups with the Six Nations Arrows.
If Kiel Matisz can play the full season, that righty line is going to be hard to real with. Matisz creates space and can score goals. He’s listed as a forward but I’m sure he will fill his typical transition spot on the team. In the 11 games he played last season, Matisz put up a solid 29 points. Along with rookie Jesse King, Matisz will need use his size to body guys up for his young offense.
Peterborough product Josh Gillam is back for 2016 after sitting out the 2015 campaign to rehab after re-injuring his knee in the 2014 MSL Finals. Gilliam recorded 28 points and 57 loose balls in 2014 and should be fresh for another season in the NLL.
Defense
It’s going to be the core of Mitch Belisle, Alex Crepinsek and Drew Petkoff leading the defensive unit in 2016. They will be aided by rookie Reid Acton. It’s hard to say the Swarm have even had a solid backline since 2012, the last season that they had both a positive record and a positive goal ratio in the same year. -41 goals against is a number that needs to be fixed if they want to give their youthful offense a chance.
Crepinsek had 71 loose ball pickups at 13 forced turnovers in 2015. Petkoff is a recent addition to the defense from the Black Wolves where he made his return to the NLL for 7 games totaling 4 points, 6 caused turnovers and 40 loose balls. Belisle will continue his role as a natural leader of the defense and will be coming into the season in crazy good shape as usual. He’s quick, aggressive and looking to grow his total of 19 caused turnovers from 2015.
Transition
The transition team in Georgia is crazy fast and super young. Five of the main transition guys from last season are listed on the starting roster, David Earl, Jordan MacIntosh, Jason Noble, Ethan O’Connor and Joel White. Rookie Chad Tutton will continue the theme of speed along with the ability to bury shots. Defensive-minded Noble stayed home a lot last season and I expect him to take a few more liberties in his third season in the league. He’s a tough kid with great stick skills, it’s time for Noble to breakout of his shell and starting running the backline.
Joel White was a huge midseason pickup last year for the Swarm. There is literally no one picking up loose balls like White. He had 20 points and 182 loosies in 2015, 65 with his new club. In the offseason White competed with Team USA in the WILC where he helped lead the defense to a bronze medal with 9 total points.
Speaking of loosies, Ethan O’Connor is also a ground ball machine and good for taking a handful of draws for Georgia. This will be O’Connor’s third year in the NLL, where he’s put up 19 points, 32 forced turnovers and 231 loose balls in his last two seasons. Jordan MacIntosh should be taking the majority of the draws for the Swarm and pushing the ball for the offense. MacIntosh finished 2015 with 20 goals and 25 assists on top of 22 forced turnovers and taking over 150 face-offs. If he can secure more possessions for the offense, a lot of the scoring weight will be lifted from his shoulders.
Goaltending
Goaltending has had its ups and downs for the Swarm recently but it looks like the dust is starting to settle with the Zach Higgins, Brodie MacDonald combination.
Going 5-8 in 2015, Higgins finished with a 78% save average, playing 830 minutes for the Swarm. Higgins stood tall during the entire WILC event for Israel, leading the first time competitors to the bronze medal game against Team USA. Higgins posted 231 saves (77%) in the event where they finished 4th.
MacDonald has struggled to find his footing in the NLL since entering the league in 2012. Last season he went 1-4 with a 13.94 gaa. I expect Higgins to run the show this year in Georgia, but MacDonald is going to get his minutes, it’s inevitable. I just hope he’s prepared for the calling.
Calling it Early
I think the Swarm have a shot at making the playoffs this season, I really do. They are going to score a ton of goals based on the offense they’re rocking and winning games is going to come down to how often they can posses the rock. I don’t think this is the year for the relocated and rebuilding franchise, but I do think they can take a crack at the postseason. If it doesn’t happen early, inexperience is going to get the best of them come springtime.
How wrong am I? Are the Thompsons going to score a million goals and lead the Swarm to a Champion’s Cup or will these rookies struggle to hang with the big boys? Let me know below!
Up Next: Colorado Mammoth
