The Philadelphia Wings enter the 2024-2025 campaign off the heels of what was a competitive 2023-2024 campaign. While the Wings seemed to be in a better place with flashes of greatness last season, they did fall short of their own postseason aspirations. Finishing just outside of playoff contention, with a record of 6-12, highlighted their inconsistency into close games. Key Players Mitch Jones and Joe Resetarits led the charge offensively, while Zach Higgins represented a dependably anchor between the pipes. The Philadelphia Wings enter this season hoping to make the jump from competitive to elite.
The Philadelphia Wings reshaped their roster with some big offseason moves to date. Major adds include Nick Damude in the goal and acquiring Tony Malcom, adding experience and versatility to the team. One of the bigger names signed is high-profile draft pick Brennan O’Neill, the top prospect in the draft. These moves continue to show the commitment of the Wings to find a balance between veteran presence and emerging talent. On the flip side, moving out key contributors in Ben McIntosh and Taite Cattoni presents a challenge; the offensive production these players provided will need to be replaced. How quickly the new pieces fit will go a long way toward the ultimate success of the team.
The season kicked off with a really difficult test in the form of the San Diego Seals, showcasing just about all of the worst and best from the Wings. In the end, the high-flying action saw the Wings fall 15-18 despite a truly valiant effort. There was a starring performance by Brennan O’Neill in his debut and he was able to prove why he is believed to be one of the greatest young talents. Still, poor moments in key spots on defense led to too many bad goals as the team is working on its chemistry. San Diego capitalized on these mistakes, underlining the importance of tightening up defensively if the Wings want to compete with the league’s top teams.
Looking ahead, the Philadelphia Wings have a regular season chock-full of marquee matchups that could define their season. Opening night at home against the Las Vegas Desert Dogs will provide an early chance to bounce back and get a win in front of their fans. The most intriguing game, of course, would have to be the one on February 22 with the Albany FireWolves, pitting two teams against each other that have championship aspirations. And the April 12 game against the Georgia Swarm might carry significant playoff implications as well, since it’s their last home game. These games will give the Wings a platform to show where they’ve improved and solidify their position in the league.
The strengths for the Philadelphia Wings include depth on offense and a high upside on some of their younger guys. Brennan O’Neill has already had an impact, and the veteran presence of Mitch Jones brings leadership and consistency to the score sheet. Adding Nick Damude in goal brings a different dynamic which the team will certainly adapt to in the coming weeks. But there are still gaps in defensive coordination and late-game execution that showed up in the loss to the Seals, and it is areas like these where the Wings will need to take the next step.
The Philadelphia Wings have all the makings of a young playoff team this season, but their road will be quite difficult. They possess depth from experienced leaders down to young talent, and with those pieces, they can compete with the best of the league. Whether or not they can find consistency to execute in those biggest moments remains to be seen. If they can, Philadelphia could be one of the teams to watch during the 2024-2025 NLL season.
