The newest competitor in the NLL, Panther City LC, made its first moves ever last night, adding 13 players to its roster through the expansion draft and pulling off four trades at the end of the draft.
Panther City was allowed to pick one player from each of the 13 existing NLL teams from the list of players each squad chose not to protect. Head coach Tracey Kelusky and his staff kept that momentum going after the 13 selections, acquiring more assets via trade with four other franchises.
Prior to the expansion draft, Lax All Stars’ Ryan Conwell predicted how Panther City would approach the opportunity. Let’s see how his projections stacked up to reality.
Panther City Expansion Draft Results
#1 Matt Hossack
Position: Defender
Age: 27
Team: Saskatchewan Rush
2019-20 NLL Stats: 10 games played, one goal, four assists, 12 CTOs, 43 LBs
#2 Charlie Kitchen
Position: Forward
Age: 23
Team: Albany FireWolves
2019-20 NLL Stats: N/A
#3 Liam Byrnes
Position: Defender
Age: 28
Team: Philadelphia Wings
2019-20 NLL Stats: 13 games played, two goals, three assists, 14 CTOs, 74 LBs
#4 Connor Kelly
Position: Forward
Age: 26
Team: New York Riptide
2019-20 NLL Stats: 12 games played, 15 goals, 24 assists, 132 shots, 79 SOG
#5 Nick Damude
Position: Goalie
Age: 22
Team: San Diego Seals
2019-20 NLL Stats: three wins, one loss, 46 GA, 9.43 GAA, 173 saves, .790 SV%
#6 Patrick Dodds
Position: Forward
Age: 19
Team: Calgary Roughnecks
2019-20 NLL Stats: N/A
#7 Sam Clare
Position: Defender
Age: 27
Team: Vancouver Warriors
2019-20 Stats: eight games played, two goals, six assists, five CTOs, 30 LBs
#8 Liam Patten
Position: Defender
Age: 24
Team: Buffalo Bandits
2019-20 Stats: 13 games played, one goal, two assists, six CTOs, 58 LBs
#9 Phil Caputo
Position: Forward
Age: 27
Team: Rochester Knighthawks
2019-20 Stats: 10 games played, 14 goals, 11 assists, 56 shots, 37 SOG
#10 Ryan Benesch
Position: Forward
Age: 36
Team: Halifax Thunderbirds
2019-20 Stats: 12 games played, 18 goals, 33 assists, 131 shots, 80 SOG
#11 Kevin Orleman
Position: Goalie
Age: 25
Team: Georgia Swarm
2019-20 Stats: zero wins, one loss, 11 GA, 13.83 GAA, 27 saves, .711 SV%
#12 Chris Wardle
Position: Forward
Age: 28
Team: Colorado Mammoth
2019-20 Stats: 13 games played, 18 goals, 33 assists, 106 shots, 77 SOG
#13 Scott Dominey
Position: Defender
Age: 23
Team: Toronto Rock
2019-20 Stats: nine games played, six goals, one assist, four CTOs, 32 LBs
After Panther City made its expansion draft selections, the team also executed four trades.
Panther City Post-Expansion Draft Trades
- Panther City sends its 2022 NLL Entry Draft second-round pick to Toronto Rock for Taylor Stuart and its 2021 NLL Entry Draft second-round pick.
- Panther City sends Scott Dominey to the New York Riptide for Dawson Theede.
- Panther City sends Chris Wardle to the Colorado Mammoth for Will Malcolm and
Jordan Trottier. - Panther City sends its 2023 NLL Entry Draft first-round pick and a 2023 NLL Entry Draft conditional third-round pick to the Georgia Swarm for Connor Sellars and the 2021 NLL Entry Draft No. 11 overall pick.
