Wings welcome Kyle Jackson day after he’s dropped by Thunderbirds
Kyle Jackson (Photo: Ryan McCullough)
In a move that caught many off guard, the Halifax Thunderbirds released Kyle Jackson on Thursday, team Owner & GM Curt Styres citing a difference in opinion of his role as the reason for the surprising split.
In a statement shared by the team on social media, Styres says:
The last couple weeks we have made some moves as an organization to put us in a position to compete for a championship this year.
In doing so, we asked Kyle to assume a different role within the organization.
Ultimately, Kyle has decided to seek out new opportunities elsewhere in the NLL. We appreciate the time and dedication that Kyle has given to this organization, and we wish him and his family nothing but the best.
Jackson, who moved with the franchise after their relocation from Rochester, is the second Halifax-based player the Thunderbirds have parted ways with in recent weeks. Just prior to the NLL trade deadline, Styres traded vet forward Stephan Leblanc to the Panther City Lacrosse Club. Hours later, Lebalnc was swapped again, this time to the Georgia Swarm.
The Thunderbirds also traded for Shawn Evans days earlier.
Twenty-four hours after his release, the Philadelphia Wings signed Jackson to a one-year contract.
The Wings, whose offense has struggled as of late while the team attempts to regain the post-season pass they once possessed, are expected to start Jackson tomorrow night when Philadelphia travels to Rochester to face the last-place Knighthawks (7pm ET).
“Our offense needed additional support as we continue our playoff push in the back half of the season,” said Wings GM and Head Coach Paul Day in a team statement. “Kyle brings the energy and experience to our team that we need to win.”
While yesterday’s release of Jackson shocked many, the team’s displeasure in his production this year has been previously made public.
The new Philly forward was a 2x 30-goal producer prior to the franchise’s move out east, and was an All-Rookie Team selection before that.
This year Jackson was without a goal during Halifax’s first three games, a healthy scratch in their fourth.
In episode five of the team-produced Thunderbirds 360 series, Halifax Head Coach, Mike Accursi, said, “You only have so many guys you can dress every night and if you’re not producing as an offensive player, the question marks start to come.
“It’s at the point where we’ve tried different things, we’ve talked to him in different ways, the only thing that is left is for him not to play, and start re-evaluating for himself as to where he’s going to be.”
Inserted back into the lineup after sitting for a single game, Jackson would score nine times in his next six starts, however, was held without a point in the team’s recent loss to the Swarm.
“All athletes at some point in their careers go through some sort of struggle, whether it’s inside of the game, outside of the game, maybe they’re not performing how they want, but for me it just so happens I haven’t been able to score,” Jackson said in the same 360 episode. It’s tough, it’s not fun, by any means.
“You’re paid as an offensive player to score goals, and when you’re not doing that you feel like you’re not doing your job properly, but I know I’m doing the things outside of the game in order to to set myself up, so when I do have that break-out game, we never have to have this conversation again.”
The Thunderbirds activated Dawson Theede, who the team received in exchange for Leblanc, when Jackson was released on Thursday.
The Thunderbirds have a home-and-home series with the league-leading Bandits this weekend - in Buffalo on Saturday (1pm ET) and hosting in Halifax on Sunday (4pm ET). Two Thunderbird wins would push them in a tie for first with the 10-1 Bandits.