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Undrafted Impact Players In The MLL

Editor’s Note: Please welcome Sean Christman to LAS! Sean did a great job of covering D3 this year over on Cac to the Cac, and now he’s looking at some of the potential Top Undrafted MLL Players from this year’s college Seniors!

With the collegiate season officially coming to a close, the MLL will be bringing in lots of rookies from the collegiate draft. However, going undrafted doesn’t mean your collegiate career is over (see: Lusby, Eric). Here is a look at a few seniors who could potentially land a spot in the MLL.

Bill Conners (D) – Duke

Conners, a co-captain on this year’s championship team, has been a big part of the Blue Devil defense the past four years. He has the ability to transition the ball up field with confidence using a pole, something that would be beneficial for an MLL defender. He scored a goal in Duke’s semi-final game against Cornell. Realistically, Conners would likely not play close defense in the MLL, but would act as a long-stick midfielder, a place where he has played for Duke and seen success. The Rattlers could find use in Conners as a back-up to Joel White.

Conners slide hard. Also a good thing! Photo Credit: Tommy Gilligan
Conners (#55) slides hard. Also a good thing! Photo Credit: Tommy Gilligan

Ryan Snyder (F/O) – Lehigh

Snyder, who won 49% of his faceoffs this year, is another player with MLL potential. Only two faceoff men were taken in this year’s collegiate draft, Mike Poppleton and John Antonaides. Snyder squared off against Antonaides in the North-South game, and had a good showing at the X (14-30). Snyder has some of the quicker hands in D1 as of the past four years, and established himself as one of the nation’s top faceoff specialists. With the abundance of players at the faceoff X in the MLL, it would be difficult for Snyder to land a spot this year. However, he could be an off-season pick up and earn a spot on a roster come next year.

Jack Forster (A) – Penn State

Earning MVP at this year’s North-South game, Forster missed two years of college play due to injury. He scored 42 points last year, and had another great campaign as a Redshirt Senior this year. Forster is a great finisher with good vision, and is also relatively tall for an attackman (6 feet). Forster could compliment a great dodger like Charlotte’s Ryan Young, or help out the struggling Machine with immediate scoring potential.

Dillon Ward (G) – Bellarmine

Dillon Ward had the best statistical season of any goalie in college lacrosse, with the best save percentage at the end of the year. Ward towers over the net, and makes incredibly athletic saves.Ward saved 66.2 of the shots he faced this year, averaging 14.86 saves per game. The Canadian goalie could find a spot backing up Brett Queener in his home country.

Other seniors with serious pro potential include:

Mike Noone, Defense, Lehigh
Jack Rice, Attack, Villanova
Tim Schwalje, Midfield, Penn
Jordan Houtby, LSM, Detroit
Bobby Thorp, Attack, Cabrini
Sam Ozycz, FO, Endicott
Brandon Palladino, LSM, Dickinson

I’m interested to see if any of these guys end up making an impact! Check our Chris Rosenthall’s Week 5 Recap, Week 6 Preview (publishes Thursday), and Best MLL Games of the Year, for more pro lacrosse talk and opinion!