Albany sends Tony Malcom & 2024 third-round pick to Panther City for 2026 first, plus prospect
Tony Malcom (Photo: Kathleen Helman)
The dismantling of last year’s Albany FireWolves roster has seemingly not slowed down, the team today trading transition player Tony Malcom and a 2024 third-round pick to the Panther City Lacrosse Club for a first-round selection in the 2026 NLL Entry Draft, plus prospect Jackson Reid.
Reid was part of the recent Randy Staats deal between Panther City and the Halifax Thunderbirds, the east-coast team drafting the Kitchener-Waterloo Lacrosse Club & Ohio State University product in the second round of the 2021 draft.
“Tony has long been a player that I thought highly of and kept an eye on since the formation of Panther City,” said PCLC GM Bob Hamley in the team’s trade announcement. “He brings a dynamic skillset to our club and effects the game on both ends of the floor.
“He is a someone that we believe can instantly help us take the next step as a franchise in our pursuit of an NLL Championship and we are thrilled to add him to our roster.”
An expansion team just a season ago, Panther City fell just a few positive results shy of qualifying for the 2022 NLL Playoffs.
Earlier this offseason the FireWolves lost MVP finalist Joe Resetarits & veteran forward Ryan Benesch through free agency, later trading Andrew Kew, Reilly O’Connor and Jacob Ruest too. Those five players finished first through fifth in 2022 team scoring.
Today’s trade sees Albany losing their top transitional point producer, the 28-year-old Malcom finishing tied for seventh in scoring with the FireWolves a season ago. The eleventh overall selection in the 2015 NLL Entry Draft, Malcom has developed into a dynamic two-way player since being picked up by Albany GM & Head Coach Glenn Clark prior to the 2020 season. Last year Malcom averaged the most loose ball scoops (8.1/GP) and finished second on the team in caused turnovers too (19).
While Reid most definitely has shown pro promise, Panther City’s first-round pick in four years is what evens if not possibly sways the scales in Albany’s favour here, depending of course where the coveted selection settles before that still-distant draft.
After dealing Malcom and either trading or losing those previously mentioned goal scorers, the FireWolves have seen nearly 150 goals slip away from a season ago. A few offseasons earlier, high-scoring forward Callum Crawford departed the then-New England Black Wolves (relocated to Albany) for the New York Riptide, where he still remains.
The FireWolves had acquired notable names like Kieran McArdle, Aaron Forster, Taite Cattoni, Ethan Walker and Connor Kelly over the last several weeks, and earlier this month selected three times in the first round of the 2022 NLL Entry Draft, adding Alex Simmons (St. Catharines Athletics/Denver/Syracuse), Will Johansen (Nanaimo Timbermen/Robert Morris) and Tye Kurtz (KWLC/Delaware).
Yesterday the NLL transaction report confirmed that Albany released forward Jordon Durston from their active roster as well. Almost three years ago to the day, the Black Wolves (again, now FireWolves) had traded Myles Jones, Ryan Fournier and the 24th overall selection in the 2019 Entry Draft (Connor Farrell) to the Riptide in exchange for Durston.
Albany qualified for last year’s playoffs during the final weekend of the regular season, but were eliminated in the opening round by the Buffalo Bandits.