Armor Mesh, it’s new, it’s innovative, it’s a little tricky too. Typical mesh is made by weaving very thin thread tightly together and interwoven between diamond rows and columns to make a sheet of relatively flat piece of mesh. Because these thin threads are woven so tightly together, there is not much room for it to shift around and conform to where the ball is in the pocket. The basis of Armor Mesh is that it consists of one piece of string woven loosely throughout the piece of mesh. Because the mesh is not woven tightly like typical mesh, each “knot” within the mesh has the ability to shift along with the ball as it moves within the pocket. To get a more professional take on this new mesh, I reached out to one of the lacrosse community’s most well known stringers Lars Kiel, also known as the Sidewall Jedi.

One of the first things that may come to mind when first glancing at a piece of Armor Mesh is that the interlocking loops are vertically aligned similarly to how traditional stringing leathers would be. This begs the question if Armor Mesh give a feel more similar to typical mesh, or traditional leathers? Kiel answered saying that it is best to just treat it as its own category. He went on to say that it’s possible to string traditional and make it feel like Armor Mesh but that it’s also possible to string a typical ten-diamond to feel like Armor Mesh. However, it’s best to try to be able to string Armor Mesh like Armor Mesh. 

“There are things that you can do with Armor Mesh that you simply can’t do with regular mesh, but there’s also things you can do with regular mesh that you can’t do with Armor Mesh. It is really dependent on the player.”
– Lars Kiel, Sidewall Jedi

So what is it that Armor Mesh can do that regular mesh cannot? The most commonly brought up topic for reviewers of Armor Mesh is the way in which the mesh holds the ball in the pocket. With typical mesh, the ball sits on and rolls along the surface of the mesh while the player is cradling, passing, or shooting. With Armor Mesh however, because the strings are not tightly fastened, the strings and the mesh entirely shifts and changes with the ball as it transitions to different parts of the stick. This is why reviewers like PowLax often tote the mesh’s ability to hold the ball low in the pocket much better than typical mesh because of its ability to shift down with the ball and still maintain a high catchpoint for passing and shooting.

One of the questions that needed to be asked concerning Armor Mesh is that when looking at a head strung with the mesh, it seems like there is not much of a defined channel within it. Kiel quickly answered this by relating it to rolling a ball down a rain gutter. If you had one channel that was circular shaped and one that was triangle shaped, both would roll the ball down the gutter but the round one would better contact the bottom of the ball with the bottom of the gutter. He then proceeded to present a ECD Rebel D that he had strung a mid-high pocket with Armor Mesh in, showing the “channel” of the pocket he said “people will say ‘that’s got no channel’. Well no, it’s got a ton of channel, it’s just not a teepee.” This is the mentality a stringer needs to go in with in order to form a good pocket using Armor Mesh. Kiel went on to say that young stringers tend to stay away from the path of least resistance when it comes to channeling their sticks. “You don’t need a wicked tight channel in order to have an ‘accurate’ stick.”

While most in the lacrosse community say that Armor Mesh has better “hold”, Lars Kiel will be the first to jump on the common phrase of “it’s the wizard, not the wand.” 

“Hold is a skill, along with accuracy, consistency, ball retention, stick protection, shot velocity, and having a quick release. You can have the best arrows in the world, but if the archer doesn’t know how to use the bow, the arrows are worthless.”
– Lars Kiel, Sidewall Jedi

What Kiel is getting at here is that every player has a different style to their game, and every style can be catered to a certain type of stick. This is the true beauty of lacrosse, no two players have the exact same mechanics, therefore it is very uncommon for two players to use the same stick and stringing pattern, creating a diversity of mechanics and equipment customization unseen in nearly any other sport.

So what is in store for Armor Mesh? It has been a year since its release at the 2022 LaxCon and for a non-traditional type mesh, it is still prevalent at tournaments and leagues around the country. So is this a failed experiment like STX’s knot mesh? Not in the least, and as long as players like Tehoka Naticoke, Latrell Harris, and Eric Fannell are finding that it suits their style of play, other players throughout the world will continue to pick it up. Obviously it won’t be for everyone, Kiel said himself “it will never replace regular mesh, but it will continue to find its place”. So maybe go out and try a piece of Armor Mesh, not to see if your style suits the mesh, but if the mesh suits your style of play.

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With well-established companies continuously releasing the same products with minor tweaks every year while adding a sequential number to the name, I think it’s important to highlight a company that constantly releases new innovations and isn’t afraid to push the limits of what is possible, ECD Lacrosse.

From new materials like graphene used in the Rebel head, to FlexForm and Diamond plastics used in the DNA head, ECD Lacrosse has been one of the industry leaders in lacrosse product advancement. They have perfected their Diamond plastic in the newly released Ion head and are taking their material wizardry into the protective industry with their newest product to be released on November 10^th.

While ECD Lacrosse has released secondary models like the Mirage 2 and numerous iterations of their well-known carbon shafts, we can still applaud their consistent commitment to innovation. This took place most recently in the newly released Ion head and soon to be released Echo Arm Pads.

The Ion is the final culmination of Project Beta which involved trying to innovative older heads with newer materials. However to my delight, they didn’t stop there and now have combined their tested and perfect Diamond plastic with a newly designed head which is in my opinion one of their best yet. From what has been shown of the head so far, it can be determined that the head will create a very well-defined pocket depth area given that it has one of the smallest angles between the top of and bottom sidewalls offset point compared to other heads on the market. This can be easily seen in the sticks of pros that have been using it like Jay Carlson and Josh Byrne. 

The Echo Arm Pads are a brand-new product from the boys over at ECD Lacrosse. Greg and friends weren’t afraid to step into the protective industry with some new technology of their own as well. For as long as I’ve played lacrosse, the top-of-the-line elbow pads that garnered the most protection came with a fairly standard design of a hard-plastic cup at the elbow with similar material shields above and below the cup. The only true difference between most padding is how the user tightens it to their elbow.

ECD Lacrosse has ushered in a new style of fully protective padding with their new material that Greg says will harden on impact. With this new padding, they are able to create a more sleeve-like design that is much easier to keep tight to the arm. This eliminates the chance of creating pinch points between pads, as well as eliminating the hard-plastic cup that can be prone to cracking and bending. 

So how could this impact the rest of the lacrosse market? We can look at how after STX released their popular RZR gloves, prototypes began popping up from companies like Maverik and Nike implementing the tightly cut foam padding on the fingers similar to the RZR gloves. It’s very likely that in the coming months we will see some prototypes from other companies trying to formulate their own hardening material for elbow pads or even a clear plastic head in an attempt to compete with ECD Lacrosse. 

With the new technology they are putting into them, I can nearly guarantee the Echo Arm Pads will be the next hot topic piece of lacrosse equipment since the RZR gloves were released. When a product is innovative and successful, other companies will try to replicate it. Sometimes it will become the industry standard much like the Brine Edge becoming the first offset head. None of this can happen without one company taking a leap and thinking outside the realm of sequential product releases like ECD Lacrosse has been doing for years now.

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With the release of the new Tactik 3.0 and Havok 2.0, let’s dive into what makes Maverik’s latest releases so popular and look over what changes they’ve made to the new models. But first, we have to understand what made these heads popular in the first place. These heads initially gained traction due to the new STX Forward Cant design.

What is the STX Forward Cant? The initial backward tilt of the STX Forward Cant was designed to increase the trajectory of your passes. This means you don’t have to take your stick back as far when passing. Less wind up means you pass the ball sooner, thus a quicker release.

But where the technology gets its name is half way up the sidewalls where the lacrosse head tilts forward. The forward cant keeps the ball in the head a bit longer when passing or shooting. Instead of the ball following the offset, it’s redirected to the front of the head, giving a slight whip and a little extra speed.

The abrupt arrival and departure of the Forward Cant design is a time we might not see again given the new growing trend of head manufacturers tending to the specific needs and wants of current players. The most exaggerated form of the Forward Cant we saw was shown in the STX Ultra Power which was designed with increasing shot speed to its maximum potential in mind through the Power Ramp. 

While this head was very successful initially, players quickly realized that to play with a head like the Ultra Power, a player must create a new set of mechanics that might not be as viable in different situations such as a box lacrosse game or in tight situations on the crease. While the forward leaning design surely added a couple miles per hour on the few wind-up shots a player might have in a game, the need to wind-up for any crease shot made this head less desirable.

While the Power Ramp may have had its flaws in the shooting game, Maverik found that giving the stick a Forward Cant has more positives when you apply it for ground balls. If the head points forward from the pocket depth more, your bottom hand won’t have to get as low on groundballs. With that, Ground Control was born and with it came designed into the new and improved Tactik 2.0 and the infamous original Havok. 

When these heads came out it was difficult to go to a summer tournament and not see an LSM with a Havok or a midfielder with a Tactik 2.0 on any given field. Not only were both heads wicked on groundballs, but Maverik had also toned down the Forward Cant just enough to where it had perfected the release angle for shooting with a pole (Havok) or short-stick (Tactik 2.0). 

So here we are back in 2022 and there is a new rendition of these once wildly popular heads, so what has changed from the old models to the new ones? 

Havok 2.0

• Narrower Face Shape
• More aggressive Flare
• Less return (Forward Cant from original offset point)
• More aggressive offset
• More defined pocket placement (based on angle from original offset point to deepest point of bottom sidewall)
• More pointed scoop

Tactik 3.0

• More aggressive offset
• More return (Forward Cant from original offset point)
• More defined pocket placement (based on angle from original offset point to deepest point of bottom sidewall)
• More pointed scoop

While these terms make sense to me, it really matters if they make sense to you. In layman’s terms, the Havok 2.0 will feel like the ball sits a bit lower and deeper in the head, your channel will be more defined, the ball will not come out as aggressively as the last model but you will still feel it, the ball won’t push up towards the shooting strings as much, and the head will not feel as wide. 

On the Tactik 3.0 side, the ball will feel like it sits lower and deeper in the head, the ball will release with more Forward Cant and likely more juice to it. However, it won’t push up towards the shooting strings as much as the more pointed scoop will pull your channel up and make it more defined.

So will these new releases reach the popularity of their originals? That’s for you to decide. I can rant about head metrics all I want, but at the end of the day it is all theoretical and the only way to really know if a certain head will fit your game or not is to string it up and try it yourself. 

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With the 2022 NCAA Lacrosse Tournament now a month in the past, let’s go through my ranking of the best and worst of the 18 teams’ helmet designs from this year’s tournament.

WARNING: This list is strictly one writer’s opinion on which helmets were their favorite. However, I strongly encourage debate in the comments sections about your own lists of your favorite buckets from this year’s tournament.

18: Manhattan

Although they did not make it past the play-in round, they were still in the tournament. The dark green logo on a black helmet makes for one of the hardest to read logos, and for that reason, I have them at the bottom. This helmet is very barebones especially when ranking other lacrosse helmets on this list.

17: Harvard

This helmet isn’t necessarily a bad one, however it is a bit bland with the only logo being the shield which is so small that you can’t identify anything besides that it must be the Harvard shield. This one is more at the bottom because they chose not to sport the incredible black and crimson uniforms. Less of a bad helmet and more of a missed opportunity.

16: Georgetown

Once again this helmet is not necessarily bad, the G pops on the helmet really well. However the Hoyas colors of Navy and Gray is a hard combination to make an impressive kit with. To get them higher on this list there would’ve had to have been some kind of special new logo to top some of the other helmets on this list.

15: Brown

I love Brown’s colorway with the Brown and Red. It shouldn’t work, but it does. However, the Bear logo being two shades of Brown makes it very hard to see, and this is what lands it this low on my list. I would prefer maybe their simple B with the red outlining.

14: Princeton

Throwback helmets look amazing…on Cascade helmets. I love the winged leather helmet throwback look on Cascade helmets (Michigan and Delaware), because Cascade helmets are evolved from the old leather buckets. However when STX went out to make their own bucket, it had to be different from the patented Cascade look. This generated the round type look that we see in the Rival helmet, which does not flow at all with the winged helmet look. I’m giving them brownie points for trying a throwback look because we need more teams to try, but this one simply did not look right.

13: Yale

This is another helmet that they tried something new and used Handsome Dan on one side, and a plain print Yale on the other. I much prefer the scripted Eli’s over the plain print Yale, and the bulldog logo has so much detail that it is hard to appreciate when stamped on a helmet from far away.

12: Vermont

Vermont has been an STX school from the start and their uniforms have been molded by the Rival. I also love the Green and Yellow colorway. But because it is still their simple helmet, and it is not one that has become iconic yet, like others on this list have, it doesn’t rank near the top on my list.

11: Ohio State

Replicating the iconic look of the OSU football helmet has been a challenge over the years for both the Buckeye hockey and lacrosse programs. A lacrosse helmet just doesn’t have that glossy silver finish that the football bucket does. I think the chrome look is the closest they’ve gotten although I love that both OSU and That Team Up North sport the same design on their lacrosse and hockey helmets as their football programs, they are truly iconic looks.

10: Robert Morris

I love a simple logo, and with the complexity of the Colonials primary logo, I am very glad they went with a simple star on their bucket. It is the perfect balance of complexity to appreciate, but not so much detail that it is hard to tell what exactly the logo is.

9: Richmond

I don’t think there is a nickname in college sports I love more than the Spiders. The colorway of their helmet is great and the logo fits perfectly on the bucket. Although I loved the old oversized logo on the Cascade S, I still love this helmet.

8: Penn

The middle stripe pattern on this helmet is what makes it awesome, it pops well but it doesn’t disrupt the rest of the helmet. I wish we could’ve seen these along with Sam Handley on Championship Weekend.

7: Rutgers

The Scarlet Knights sported multiple helmets during their 2022 run. The latter of which was their usual scarlet and white helmet they wore in the semifinals, which I love. But that wasn’t the one that spotted them at this point on the list, that honor went to their all black helmets with a popping red logo that they wore in the quarterfinals.

6: Boston University

For whatever reason I love the simple one color with white helmets, and the Terriers bucket is one of the best. Why you might ask? Because the skyline of Boston on the back of the helmet is one of my favorite looks for city based schools, and Boston is no exception.

5: Cornell

The rounded nature of the STX rival gives off serious Pro 7 vibes. When it’s put in Cornell Red, it feels like their back on their 2009 run to the finals. This red Rival helmet has become an iconic look for the Big Red and it feels wrong whenever they try any sort of alternate helmet. Although I wish they still used the stadium on the back of the helmet.

4: Maryland

The all matte black helmet itself is a great look. But it has always felt like black would be an alternate color for the Terps. When they put these helmets on the all white look, it makes the players look like bobble heads in my opinion. Although it is an unconventional combination, Maryland pillaged more teams in them than the ancient vikings. They’ve given this look a lot of mystique and it has become synonymous with the wagon John Tillman is building in College Park.

3: Virginia

The vibrant orange buckets have become a staple for the Wahoos this year. The bright color pops out immensely but unlike Maryland, these helmets fit very well with the rest of the uniform. Also the crossed swords in the brim of the helmet have to be one of my favorite trim type logos in lacrosse.

2: Saint Joseph’s

As stated earlier, sometimes less is more, and no one does that better than the Hawks of Saint Joseph’s. The hawk wings on the side rather than trying to squeeze their logo on is the perfect fit in my mind. The hawk wing is also detailed in a way that is appreciable up close, but also doesn’t make it look like something other than a wing from afar. This helmet would fall similar to Manhattan with the double dark colors, but the silver trim holds it all together in a perfect combination.

1: Delaware

The winged helmet look originates from the old leather head football helmets that had a forehead patch in the front that looked like wings, and colored stripes going to the back of the helmet. This look has been coined by the University of Michigan, but the Blue Hens of Delaware (FCS) have also continued the winged helmet look. In my opinion, the Delaware blue and yellow is one of my favorite color combinations and will always look amazing on the cascade winged helmet style design. I was very sad we didn’t get to see this Cinderella get their championship weekend debut.

This iconic lacrosse helmet is well deserving of the No.1 spot on this ranking.

Ranking the 2021 NCAA DI Men’s Lacrosse Tournament Helmets

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We saw phenomenal play from the Atlas’ family style offense in Week 1, netting both Jeff Teat and Eric Law 31 and 29 fantasy points in the PLL Player Royale respectively. At the faceoff X, Trevor Baptiste went off as well with 26.6 points, which included a 2-pointer (10 points). Lyle Thompson and Nick Morocco scored big for the Cannons as well in a big win over the Waterdogs. 

If there’s one thing to takeaway from Week 1 on how to set up your lineup if you want an explosive point total, it would be that every position besides attack and goalie needs to be a 2 point threat. Obviously attackmen will rack up total points with assists, but out of the midfield and defense, it’s good to have the potential for one play to count for 2.  The perfect example is Eli Salama of Chrome, who had a solid defensive game which only knotted him 6 points, but an assist and a 2-pointer made him the highest scoring defensive player in the league last week.

Week 2 Locks

• Jeff Teat: I expect this guy to be a regular on this list. As the Rookie of the Year last year averaging 4.6 PPG in the regular season, he doesn’t seem to plan on stopping this year. With the stacked offense surrounding him, I don’t think there’s anything stopping him from averaging 5 a game this year. 
  
• Lyle Thompson: With the retirement of Rabil, Lyle is becoming the new face of the sport, and the limelight doesn’t seem to stop him. He averaged 3.5 PPG last year with an injured groin, it’s hard to say those numbers will go down now that he is healthy.
  
• Zach Currier: He is still a human vacuum cleaner on GBs. With the Waterdogs offense struggling to find its groove early I see Currier continuing to be a lock on the midfield with his two-way capabilities and offensive production.
  
• Danny Logan: Picking up this kid in the defensive end is like picking up an extra midfielder. Logan is a transition threat and he proved last season he’s not afraid to sling it from 2. The kid is good for at least a CT per game and is a beast on groundballs, an all around work horse.
  
• Trevor Baptiste: Once again Trevor is sitting atop the faceoff world. Combined with his transition and 2-point capabilities I don’t see why you wouldn’t start him in your PLL Player Royale lineup every week.
  
• Blaze Riorden: With the Archers offense still without Grant Ament and struggling against the Chrome, I think Blaze has a big day and keeps the Archers under 8. With Chaos’ run and gun style, he’s bound to see a plethora of shots and I think he’ll save over 65%.

Week 2 Busts

• Marcus Holman: With the absence of Grant Ament, Holman has been forced to dodge more and be less of a spot up shooter. This combined with outside of their midnight madness game last year, Holman put up a combined 3 points in their other 2 meetings. And for these reasons I don’t believe he’ll live up to the tier 1 status this week.
  
• Nakeie Montgomery: As much as it pains me to put a Woods player on this list, without his 2-pointer he would have been irrelevant. While I think he has a lot of star power potential not only as a scorer but also a feeder, I don’t think he is at the tier 1 midfielder level yet.
  
• Scott Hooper: While two caused-turnovers and one ground ball as a solid defensive stat line, Hooper isn’t the transition threat that Pulver is, and for that reason I wouldn’t use a tier 1 spot on him.
  
• Stephen Kelly: While he had a great day at the stripe last week against Jake Withers, much like his teammates this week however, I think he is outmatched by Trevor Baptiste. I see Kelly possibly even dipping below 40% Saturday.
  
• Nick Marrocco: While he was a brick wall against the Waterdogs, the young pup shooters are still finding their stride. When it comes to Atlas however, they look like they are in midseason form. I expect the Bulls to absolutely shell Morocco and I don’t think he’ll be able to hold his ground.

Tier 3 Sleepers

• Matt Rambo: After a slow Week 1 the 2019 PLL MVP has fallen to tier 3 in the Player Royale, seems like an easy pickup if you plan to use your other tier 1 spots on other positions
  
• Tom Schreiber: The Archers struggled to find their groove Week 1 and Schreiber didn’t exactly put up the numbers we expected from him. With the absence of Ament it’s logical to see Schreiber claim his spot as quarterback for the time being.
  
• Ryland Rees: As I’ve said before, outside of attack, the name of the game is 2-point threats. And Rees is the embodiment of that, pick him up as a tier 3 player and cheer on the Waterdogs transition.
  
• TD Ierlan: A tough battle with reigning faceoff man of the year has set the sophomore back a bit. But as he has tearily beaten Farrell last year, I expect him to have a bit of a bounceback game against the Chrome.
  
• Tim Troutner: The Woods got shelled Week 1 by Atlas and Guppy and Kelly didn’t exactly stand much of a chance on half the shots. Much like Ierlan, if Guppy gets the start, expect him to have a bit of a bounce back game.

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What a PLL season we are awaiting. The PLL is now on ESPN, there’s a fresh new draft class of fresh talent, player movement has happened, and we’re all set for faceoff on Saturday. But before the first whistle, let’s get caught up on each team and what they’ve done since last September, and what we can expect from them this season.

Chrome

Last Year

Starting off with the one team that missed out on the playoffs last PLL season, with yet another disappointing season the Knights are still building, or rebuilding however you would call it. The season started off with a bad omen in their offensive quarterback in Jordan Wolf going down with a lower body injury that would end what would be his final season very abruptly. With the entry of Dylan Molloy into the league the Chrome were looking to make a late season run, however their offense was never able to mesh together and the defense had the second worst SAA in the league. 

Off-Season Moves

With the first overall selection Tim Soudan passed on the NCAA all-time points leader in Chris Gray, and selected the Tewaaraton winner in Maryland’s Groot, or as some call him Logan Wisnauskas. In the second round they selected Brendan Nichtern out of Army. Between Nichtern and Wisnauskas, along with Cole Williams taken out of the player pool, Soudan seems to be taking the approach of bringing in strong fundamental offensive weapons.

Strengths

• Defensive Midfield: Terefenko, Aslainian, Haus, and Messenger are all hard hitters on the D-end.

Weaknesses

• Faceoffs: While Farrell was a menace in the bubble, he struggled in 2021 going sub 50% at the stripe, time will tell if he can have a bounce back season.

Question Marks

• Offensive Production: While it is no doubt the Chrome like every other PLL team has a load of talent at the offensive end, with lots of new faces and some players only getting partial seasons together it will be interesting to see how quickly this group can get on the right page with one another.
• Goaltending: With the retirement of John Galloway the torch has been passed to Sean Sconone. While the big man has had success in the MLL, he is still unproven in the PLL. He might however have a bit of a warm up game Week 1 with Grant Ament and Connor Fields out for the Archers.

Cannons

Last Year

While the Nooners were able to win in their final week matchup with Chrome to make the playoffs, they were not able to take down Atlas’ family style offense in the first round of the playoffs. As a PLL expansion team the season definitely wasn’t a success but it by far wasn’t a failure. The Nooners took down the Archers in Minnesota and took the defending champs to overtime in Atlanta. 

Off-Season Moves

With the retirement of Paul Rabil, the Cannons roster looked pretty similar to Chrome in terms of talent, however they have an X factor, the best player in the league, Lyle Thompson. During the offseason, Sean Quirk mostly focused on trying to get as many weapons around Thompson as possible. The dream is for Thompson to get an assist off of every dodge. But the question is, will these new faces be able to bury the rock against the extremely talented goaltending in the PLL?

Strengths

• LYLE THOMPSON… that’s it, that’s the strength.
• Goaltending: Nick Morocco was 2nd in the league in saves last year.

Weaknesses

• Faceoff: Bones Kelly and Kevin Reisman have not been consistent in the PLL. Alex Woodall was a beast at Towson and with the Blaze, but he has still yet to prove himself in the PLL. If coach Quirk is keeping three faceoff men, it doesn’t exactly speak to one of them being dominant against the competition.

Question Marks

• Thompson’s Supporting Cast: Will they be able to find twine?
• Draft Day Trade: With Fairman being on the PUP list and Kirst looking like a backup for the time being, trading away yet another first round pick may come back to haunt Coach Quirk.

Redwoods

Last Year

It was once again déjà vu for Nat St. Laurent’s Redwoods as they lost for the third season in a row to the Whipsnakes by one goal in the playoffs, and for the second time the game winner was scored by Matt Rambo. Safe to say the Woods are ready for another piece of the big lefty. The Woods have been one of the most consistent teams in the PLL alongside their archrivals Whipsnakes, it is almost safe to say they will have another good season. The only question is, can they finally exercise their demons and take down the Whips when it counts?

Off-Season Moves

Nat St. Laurent used his third overall selection to secure his new 1-on-1 cover man in Arden Cohen. In arguably the steal of the draft, the Woods were able to pick up Nakeie Montgomery in the third round. Finally, out of the player pool they grabbed Montgomery’s partner in crime from Duke Joe Robertson who looked incredible for a player pool pickup during training camp. 

Strengths

• Midfield: Who do you pole? With at least 1/2 of the Myles, Perk, Jules, and Nakeie group of dodgers on the field at all times on offense, someone will always get to dodge on a short stick. Unless you want to leave Pannell, Kavanagh, or Garnsey on a shorty at X
• Faceoff: I’d put my money on that TD will be the best faceoff man in the industry barring another injury like last season. *Knock on Wood*
• Special Teams: Last season the Woods had both the best Power Play and Penalty Kill percentages in the league.

Weaknesses

• LSM: With John Sexton out for the time being, all the reps will fall on Kyle Hartzell who is giving it his all, but sadly is not the player he used to be.
• Offensive Stall: When the Woods share the ball and work offball, they seem unstoppable. However a couple times last year the offense got stuck in loops of trying to just win 1-on-1 matchups which was a part of the Whipsnakes having a chance to comeback in their playoff game.

Question Marks

• Arden Cohen: How reliable can he be to become the next Woods shutdown matchup, could Landis Island return in the form of Cohen Island?

Archers

Last Year

The Archers have now created their own playoff nemesis in Chaos, the past two PLL seasons the Archers have had massive momentum heading into the playoffs only to be stuffed by Blaze Riorden and the Chaos comeback season. Is this the year they can get over the hump and make their first championship game and win it?

Off-Season Moves

Although they didn’t make many notable player pool signings, the Archers picked up Matt Moore out of Virginia in the first round to strengthen their offensive firepower. They used their next two picks to fill their need for a faceoff man in Justin Inacio, and fortify the goalie position with Canadian Brett Dobson. 

Strengths

• Offensive Firepower: This offense is stacked, however without stars Grant Ament and Connor Fields Week 1 it will be fun to see how they adjust for the time being. Rumors are swirling that Tom Schreiber may start at attack Sunday.
• Goaltending: Adam Ghitleman led the league in save percentage last PLL season.

 Weaknesses

• Defensive Depth: There are only three base defenders listed on the 25-man roster. While they have three LSM’s, the base D depth might be a point of worry for Archers fans.
• Ament Out: Not much is known as to why Ament is sidelined this week, other than that it is a lower body injury. Hopefully it is nothing serious and we will see him back on the field soon.

Question Marks

• Faceoff: How will Justin Inacio adjust to the PLL faceoff rules, will he be as dominant as he was at OSU?

Atlas

Last Year

Last year Ben Rubeor completed both the first and quickest rebuild in PLL history, going from the second worst team in the league to the second best team after the regular season, and Jeff Teat missed the first two games! While this offense is the most stacked in the league when it comes to big name young talent, they stumbled in the semifinals when Chaos decided to mix it up and pole all three midfielders, forcing Carraway and Law to be major initiators on short sticks. 

Off-Season Moves

With the second overall pick which they received in the Paul Rabil trade, the Atlas were able to select the NCAA all-time points leader in UNC’s Chris Gray. Another massive pickup to Atlas’ starpower was Towson’s Koby Smith, a dynamic LSM who is anything but afraid to let it fly from 2-point range, arguably some of the best hands in the league from an LSM standpoint.

Strengths

• Offensive Firepower: Family Style is their mantra and it worked very well last PLL season, who’s to say it won’t be better with even more weapons.
• Faceoff: Trevor Baptiste is the reigning faceoff athlete of the year and is poised to dominate the stripe yet again.

 Weaknesses

• Defensive Consistency: With Durkin aging, the Atlas were in the bottom half of the league in Scores Against Average last year and will likely need to bring that up to be successful as they likely won’t be able to run up the score as much as they were last year.

Question Marks

• Goaltending: After Concannon went down with an injury Week 4, JD Colarusso took over and thrived for the rest of their run and kept the job when Concannon returned from injury. It will be exciting to see who gets the start on Saturday.

Waterdogs

Last Year

The Dogs came out of the regular season as the No.1 seed in the playoffs without Michael Sowers, I believe in large part because of getting to play Cannons and Chrome twice. However they fell in their first playoff game against the defending champs Whipsnakes in a game where they were simply outmatched and unorganized in finding how to incorporate Michael Sowers midseason. 

Off-Season Moves

While the Dogs were without a first round pick in the college draft, with their second round selection they took in my opinion the most Waterdogs player in the draft in Jack Hannah out of Denver, hailing from my own Cincinnati, Ohio. Hannah is a true two-way middie that will be reunited with his college teammate Ethan Walker. This team is very strong in every position and that’s why they have the highest futures odds currently.

Strengths

•  Two-way Middies: Transition offense has been Coach Copeland’s MO since the expansion draft, and he’s done it well. With guys like Zach Currier and Ryan Conrad, be ready to watch up and down lacrosse all day.
• Attack: Between Ryan Brown with the right and Ethan Walker with the left, Michael Sowers shouldn’t have any problems having his assists be finished off from anywhere on the field.
• Defense: Ben Randall is one of the best in the business in 1-on-1 defense.

 Weaknesses

• Wardo Out: With the Mammoth in the NLL Finals. Dillion Ward will be out at least the first two weeks, if not three. This opens the door for Deluca to get the start, he was solid in the bubble but definitely no Wardo.

Question Marks

• Faceoff: Jake Withers was just over 50% at 54% last season with his scrappy faceoff style, will he keep it up this season and can Waterdogs rely on him in big moments to get wins?

Whipsnakes

Last Year

For the first time in their existence, Jim Stagnita and his squad did not hoist the cup on the final day, however they were still playing that day which made it hurt that much more. For the rest of the league however it was nice to see someone else come out on top. All the more motivation for the Whips to come back stronger than ever, or is this the last we could see of the Whipsnakes dynasty?

Off-Season Moves

In the college draft the Whips added to their amassed Terp Nation with Roman Puglise and Keegan Khan. In the fourth round they picked up a Canadian Buckeye who is rumored to possibly start at attack in Zed Williams’ absence in Jackson Reid. 

Strengths

• Mystique: Although they dropped the championship game last year, in most people’s minds they are still the top dog in the league. 
• Faceoff: Nards continues to be a top faceoff man in the PLL season after season.

 Weaknesses

• Goaltending: The Whips were the only team in the league to sport a sub 50% save percentage in the regular season, however both Behrnlor and Phipps showed moments of brilliance at the right times.
• Zed Out: With the Mammoth in the NLL finals Zed Williams will be out for at least the first two if not three weeks of the season. This will create a hole in the Whips attack line that is rumored to be filled by Jackson Reid.

Question Marks

• Midfield: With Brad Smith looking to be making the move down to attack, who will become the major initiator from the midfield? Gutty? Aslanian? Kirst?

Chaos

Last Year

They are the first to finally take down Goliath. After getting their first shot in the bubble in 2020, the ‘Aos boys once again bombed the regular season, snuck into the playoffs, and then pillaged their way all the way to the championship game. However this year, they won.

Off-Season Moves

While some joked about congratulating the Buffalo Bandits on winning the PLL Championship, the joke has now reversed to the Chaos as the Bandits are possibly about to win the NLL Championship. While this is amazing for the players success, Andy Towers is now without nearly his entire offense for the first two to three weeks. How did he react? Well he took a trip to the player pool and picked up any player with any sort of box background. This group should be fun to watch as they will all be vying for a roster spot once the Bandits return. 

Strengths

• Goaltending: Blaze is easily the best in the game and he carried the Chaos defense to the 2021 PLL Championship.
• Two Man Style Offense: Trends of the PLL are heading towards two man games rather than traditional 1-on-1 dodging, and Chaos is leaps and bounds ahead of the game.

 Weaknesses

• Defense: While Blaze played out of his mind all year, he was getting absolutely shelled. If the Chaos want repeat success, they need to get the rapid occurrence of shots down.
• Faceoff: With Adler playing with the Bandits, Towers will rely on Tommy Kelly and Jerry Ragonese who are both unproven in the PLL.

Question Marks

• Offensive New Faces: There is no doubt that these new box guys have talent. But once again, how quickly can they come together?

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