Welcome to the Lax All Stars 2021 PLL Rookie Spotlights series!
The PLL College Draft was held April 26, introducing 32 players into the PLL fold. The league’s training camp is set for May 28 through June 3 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, to determine the final rosters of the eight teams for the 2021 campaign.
Not all 32 of these players will make a team, but right now, the dream is alive for them all. We’re counting down the days until the PLL opens up its training camp by delving deep into every player selected in the 2021 PLL College Draft, with two players included in each post, with help from Ryder Cochrane, Ryan Conwell, Nick Zoroya, and Nick Pietras.
Next up: Danny Logan and Peter Dearth.
2021 PLL Rookie Spotlights: Danny Logan & Peter Dearth
Danny Logan
School: Denver
Position: Short Stick Defensive Midfield
Who drafted him & when: Danny Logan was selected No. 11 overall (Round 2, Pick 3) by Atlas LC.
Is this about where he was expected to go: This was definitely higher than Danny Logan was expected to go. He went as the first SSDM off the board, a spot ahead of Ryan Terefenko. The position pick was not a surprise, though. It’s really where Atlas needed the most adds, and it had the draft picks to get them without needing to reach.
What are the main skills he brings to the team: Danny Logan is a true two-way middie in every sense of the word. What separates him from most other defenders is not his high school accomplishments but that he was an offensive midfielder at Denver, at one time even being on the first line, before shifting to full-time defense. He has also played in every single game he’s been eligible for since arriving on campus.
How’s the fit: While he may not have the size as a Bryan Costabile or Peter Dearth, Danny Logan has the skill and IQ to be a threat and play a very similar role as Costabile did in the 2020 Championship Series. He’ll be able to play good defense and actually be a part of the offense on the other end of the field.
Who’s the competition & what are the odds he makes the team: The rest of the SSDM corps for the Atlas is Jake Richard, Kevin Unterstein, Bryan Costabile, and Peter Dearth. This is one tough unit to break in to. Unterstein is a Team USA member, and Richard has been knocking on the door. Costabile had an incredible debut in 2020 and firmly established a role on the team. That mostly leaves him fighting with Dearth for some playing time, as five SSDMs is a pretty high number to be carrying week to week.
Peter Dearth
School: Syracuse
Position: Short Stick Defensive Midfield
Who drafted him & when: Peter Dearth was selected No. 17 overall (Round 3, Pick 1) by Atlas LC.
Is this about where he was expected to go: This was a little lower than I would have expected to see Peter Dearth taken off the board, but his slide was more due to SSDMs as a whole being taken much later than planned. He was also chosen by Atlas’ next pick after Danny Logan, so even though a few names had come off the board, he was still appealing enough for head coach Ben Rubeor to make the call.
What are the main skills he brings to the team: If you were to create a prototypical SSDM right now, it’s Peter Dearth. At 6-foot-3, he has the size to matchup with even the biggest midfielders in the PLL, and his cover skills are fantastic. Virginia head coach Lars Tiffany mentioned how trying to run an invert offense with Dearth on the field almost defeats the purpose of isolating the short sticks. He has the offensive skills to score, but he hasn’t played settled offensive sets in college like Logan or Costabile.
How’s the fit: In the PLL, he’s the exact type of player you want. It’s tough to tell exactly how he’ll fit into this particular defense, because really the Atlas is changing things up quite a bit after their disappointing 2020 campaign. But it’s hard to have anything but high expectations for the only three-time captain in Syracuse history.
Who’s the competition & what are the odds he makes the team: Without just copying and pasting what I wrote about Logan above, Peter Dearth is in the exact same situation. There are two rookies fighting for spots alongside two very established veterans and one sophomore looking to build on what he did a year ago. It’s not an ideal situation for the rookies, but there isn’t a position in the league this year where competition isn’t happening.
More PLL Rookie Spotlights
There will be plenty of PLL Rookie Spotlights to check out between now and the start of training camp. You can find information about the incoming rookie class here.