NLL Power Rankings: Week 11
Latrell Harris, Toronto Rock (Photo: Ryan McCullough)
Every week during the 2022-23 National Lacrosse League season, The Lax Mag will publish updated NLL Power Rankings reflecting the previous week’s performances, as well as incorporating a team’s overall regular season rep, status, and success rate.
Toronto Rock 7-2 (1)
It wasn’t their most complete effort of the season, but the Toronto Rock still got out of Georgia with two points (or whatever that equals in win % gains). As has been the case for most of the season, they were led by Tom Schreiber up front (3G, 2A) & Nick Rose in the back (37 saves), plus Latrell Harris keeps heating up (1G, 1A, 4LB, 2CTO) & rookie Josh Dawick was the latest of their secondary-scoring options to pile up some points (2G, 1A).
Buffalo Bandits 7-2 (2)
The banged up (yet still winning) Buffalo Bandits had a much-needed bye last weekend leading up to an important East Conference date with the Philadelphia Wings this Saturday (KeyBank Centre, 7:30pm ET). Although the Wings have struggled against quality contenders over the past two years, they did beat Buffalo in Banditland during the 2020 season (7-6), although asterisk, Dhane Smith didn’t play in that one due to injury. This year, Smith has already had a 9-point night against Philly, and averaged nearly 10 against them a season ago.
San Diego Seals 6-1 (3)
How good has Chris Origlieri been since the Seals seemingly switched the youngster to their starting stopper? While he’s played fewer minutes than most team’s number one netminder, Origlierie’s 9.57GAA is bettered by only Toronto’s Nick Rose, and he’s one of a handful of goalies just a single percentage point behind Rose & Calgary’s Christian Del Bianco for the NLL’s best save %. It was Origlieri’s relief effort in the fourth quarter that helped propel the Seals to an OT win over the Saskatchewan Rush earlier this year. The two teams will meet at Pechanga Arena this Friday (10:30pm ET).
Rochester Knighthawks 7-2 (4)
A dominant second quarter (soon after Jake Withers was ejected for this) against Halifax secured the Rochester Knighthawks’ seventh W of the season, and more importantly, stopped their two-game slide. The result puts them in a three-way lead for the East at 7-2. Still without defensive leader Dan Coates, who has only played four times this year due to injury, Rochester has received elevated play from Mitch Ogilvie in his absence. Ogilvie led all Rochester players with 12LB in last week’s win.
Calgary Roughnecks 6-3 (6)
Not one but two dominant wins this past weekend against rivals Saskatchewan & Colorado jumped the Calgary Roughnecks to second in the West while matching San Diego’s six wins this year. The Roughnecks are still the only team to beat the Seals in 2023 too. Christian Del Bianco is now most definitely in the conversation for both GOTY & MVP after allowing single digits in both weekend wins. Last week we highlighted the minimal offensive production happening after Jesse King & Tyler Pace up top. Forward Tanner Cook, who had 6 goals and 4 assists in their double dub, quieted that concern quickly.
Saskatchewan Rush 4-3 (5)
The Saskatchewan Rush offense was clearly frustrated by Calgary’s Christian Del Bianco in their loss last Friday (13-6L). Outshooting the Roughnecks 50-37; Saskatchewan’s forwards struggled to finish, their power-play went just 1-7, and their transition game got just one by Del Bianco all night. Things don’t get any easier for the Rush, who travel to San Diego this Friday (10:30pm ET) and now have a painfully persistent Panther City side just behind them for third in the West standings.
Halifax Thunderbirds 4-5 (7)
How valuable is Jake Withers to Halifax’s success? Well, after seeing how they declined after his ejection against Rochester last weekend, “extremely” would be putting his overall impact mildly. The Thunderbirds slipped to under the .500 mark after Saturday’s loss. There is glaring gap forming in the standings between Halifax and the East’s leaders (Toronto, Buffalo and Rochester), a table-topping spot they owned at this exact same time last year (8-1). Halifax hosts the somewhat rejuvenated New York Riptide on Sunday afternoon (1pm ET).
Panther City Lacrosse Club 5-4 (9)
Unlike others, Panther City is securing results against the teams beneath them in the standings, their 5-4 record keeping them in the post-season conversation while the second-year side continues to heat up. How low-key good has goalie Nick Damude been this year? Buried behind some impressive forward & transition scoring in last week’s win over Vancouver, Damude had 50 saves in the W and owns an almost identical goalie stat-line as Matt Vinc (10.41GAA, .800SV%). Ditto for Matt Hossack, who has easily been one of this year’s top pure defensemen while leading PCLC’s backend.
Colorado Mammoth 4-4 (8)
No Ryan Lee still, Connor Robinson was moved to their IR, and worse yet, Joey Cupido is done of the year with an Achilles injury. The Mammoth have lost three of their last four, and could definitely use some of the inspired lacrosse we saw from several during last year’s playoffs. Speaking of playoffs, if they started today, Colorado’s .500 W% would see their title defense ending before the post-season even had a chance to start. Below are the NLL Cup winners from the ten seasons prior to Colorado winning is last year, including records during their Cup-defending campaign (and how they did during that follow-up season).
Cup winning-season: Near year’s regular season record (+ playoffs)
2010 Washington Stealth: 8-8 (Lost NLL Finals)
2011 Toronto Rock: 9-7 (Lost Division Finals)
2012 Rochester Knighthawks: 8-8 (Won NLL Finals)
2013 Rochester Knighthawks: 14-4 (Won NLL Finals)
2014 Rochester Knighthawks: 12-6 (Lost Division Finals)
2015 Edmonton Rush: 13-5 (Won NLL Finals)
2016 Saskatchewan Rush: 12-6 (Lost NLL Finals)
2017 Georgia Swarm: 11-7 (Lost Division Finals)
2018 Saskatchewan Rush: 11-7 (Lost Division Semi-Finals)
2019 Calgary Roughnecks: 10-8 (Lost Division Semi-Finals)
Philadelphia Wings 3-4 (10)
It’s unlikely a bye week quieted their confidence too much after arguably their best offensive showing with Mitch Jones inserted into their lineup. This weekend, however, the competition will be considerably stiffer when the Philadelphia Wings go to Buffalo to battle the East-leading Bandits. A win on Saturday (7:30pm ET) would put Philly fourth in the East.
New York Riptide 2-6 (13)
Jeff Teat was again relied on heavily, in on 9 of New York’s 14 goals during their second win of the season, and second over Albany too. Dan Lomas, who played in just his third game of the season, had a hat-trick last week. Lomas becomes just the fourth Riptide scorer not named Teat to score three or more in a game this year. One of those players, Callum Crawford, was traded away a few weeks ago.
Dec. 3 vs. San Diego: Jeff Teat (4)
Dec. 17 vs. Halifax: Reilly O’Connor (3), Connor Kearnan (3)
Jan. 15 vs. Rochester: Callum Crawford (3)
Jan. 21 vs. Albany: Teat (7)
Jan. 28 vs Buffalo: Teat (3)
Feb. 4 vs. Toronto: Teat (5), Kearnan (3)
Fab. 11 vs. Albany: Teat (7), Dan Lomas (3)
In comparison, their opponent this weekend, the Halifax Thunderbirds, had four forwards with hatties or more in their Week 1 win alone.
Albany FireWolves 2-5 (11)
Even though they had a legit late push against New York this past weekend, the Albany FireWolves’ lack of scoring depth & consistency was on display throughout the disappointing result. The team’s top point producer, Kieran McArdle (32 points), ranks just 32nd on the league leaderboard currently. Goalie Doug Jamieson has had some struggles of late, pulled after giving up 9 goals on only 21 shots in that most recent Riptide loss. The FireWolves, one of the few teams in the East that play the expansion Las Vegas Desert Dogs this year, get them this Saturday at home (7pm ET), where they’ve yet to win in 2023 (0-3).
Las Vegas Desert Dogs 2-5 (12)
Winners in two of their last three, the Desert Dogs are on a bit of a hot streak. They travel to Albany this Saturday (7pm ET) and get a struggling FireWolves team that owns an identical 2-5 record. How good has first-year forward Jack Hannah been? Well, if he can maintain his 2.29 goals/game (by far the best of any rookie this year), he’d end the year with 41 goals. There have only been two rookies in NLL history to score 40 or more times in the debut season: Paul Gait had 47 in 1991 and Ryan Painter 45 in 2002. Seems pretty good.
Georgia Swarm 0-6 (14)
They came close thanks in large part to a strong relief effort by Craig Wende (26 saves in 38 minutes, only 4 goals allowed), but the Swarm again fell short of securing their first W of the season in an 11-10L to the Toronto Rock. Georgia would likely need to go somewhere in the neighbourhood of 9-3 the rest of the way for a sniff at the playoffs. Impossible? No. Unlikely? Highly.
Vancouver Warriors 1-8 (15)
Like the Swarm, the Warriors are surely done after 18 games this year, their record really setting them back in the standings. They’ll have two picks in the first round of next year’s draft (their own + Philadelphia’s from the Mitch Jones trade), plus have last year’s first rounder Owen Grant (3rd overall, 2022 NLL Entry Draft) available to them next year. Vancouver does have valuable veteran assets that could add considerable depth to a contender, with more picks and maybe even prospects coming back their way.