Mammoth’s Ryan Lee recovering well, no confirmed timetable on his return
Ryan Lee, Colorado Mammoth (Photo: Jack Dempsey)
Although they were still able to capture last year’s NLL Cup without difference-making forward Ryan Lee for much of their post-season run, the return of a player of Lee’s calibre is no doubt critical to the Colorado Mammoth’s continued success heading into the upcoming National Lacrosse League regular season.
Lee was moved to the Mammoth’s injured-reserve list ahead of Game 1 of last year’s West Conference Finals against the San Diego Seals on May 13. While specifics of his injury were never shared, Lee was seen on crutches for the remainder of the playoffs with an obvious knee injury.
Colorado Avalanche/Mammoth Championship Parade, Dever, Colorado (Photo: Colorado Mammoth)
There had been much speculation of Lee’s status over the summer, but Mammoth GM Brad Self confirmed with The Lax Mag this week that the club expects to see the star forward in their lineup this upcoming season.
Self confirmed that Lee had successful surgery on his knee and has been recovering well. While the anticipation is that he will play during the 2022/23 season, there is no definite date or confirmed timetable on his expected return.
Last year, Lee had by far the best season of his young career. He finished second behind MVP Dhane Smith in both assists (85) and points (119) during the regular season, plus had a ten-point night in Colorado’s post-season opening win against the Calgary Roughnecks. He was later voted to the NLL’s All-League Second Team too. The Lax Mag ranked Lee fifth overall in our year-end-regular-season rundown of the top players in the league.
Prior to 2022, Lee had played in 37 games for the Mammoth over three seasons (2018-2020). Below, see how Lee’s first three years in the NLL compared to his most efficient & productive campaign a season ago (Note: stats are per-game averages).
Ryan Lee: 2022 vs. 2018-2020
In addition to losing Lee during 2022’s playoffs, Colorado was also later without clutch-forward Eli McLaughlin for Game 2 & 3 of the Finals against the Buffalo Bandits. McLaughlin attempted a return in Game 3, but was eventually left off of the team’s starting lineup. McLaughlin still managed to top the 2022 playoffs in goals (20) and points (41), finishing a few helpers shy of the assists lead as well (21).
The Mammoth’s Cup win is considered by many to be the biggest comeback effort in NLL history, the club receiving inspired performances from Dillon Ward, Zed Williams, Connor Robinson and many others.
Colorado opens their 2022/23 NLL regular season away to the Saskatchewan Rush on Saturday, December 3 (8:30pm ET).
The last team to repeat as NLL Cup champions were the Rochester Knighthawks (1.0, now Halifax Thunderbirds), who won three straight titles from 2012-2014. Since Rochester’s historic run, a franchise from the league’s current West Conference has won five of the last six NLL Finals.