Posted on: 07/01/2010 

The National Lacrosse League has been transformed since the Calgary Roughnecks hoisted the Champion's Cup last spring. The New York Titans moved to Florida after losing the final, the San Jose Stealth left California for Everett, Wash., and Oregon's Portland Lumberjax folded, leaving 11 pro teams.

The West Division now is comprised of the Calgary Roughnecks, Edmonton Rush, Washington Stealth, Colorado Mammoth and Minnesota Swarm, while the East Division is comprised of the Toronto Rock, Buffalo Bandits, Rochester Knighthawks, Boston Blazers, Philadelphia Wings and Orlando Titans.

So, the talent of 12 teams has been compressed into 11.

"Players and coaches lost jobs and that's sad," says Derek Keenan, the former Portland and new Edmonton GM-coach. "The positive is that the quality of lacrosse will likely be better than ever."

The off-season news most appreciated by Canadian lacrosse fans was new Toronto owner Jamie Dawick's deal with TSN to put Rock games back on TV nationally this winter.

A new season begins Friday when the Philadelphia Wings play in Orlando. On Saturday, Toronto is at Boston (TSN2, 7:30 p.m. ET), Buffalo at Rochester and Colorado at Washington. The opening weekend concludes with Minnesota at Calgary on Sunday afternoon.

There have been significant front office changes.

Besides Keenan's move to Edmonton, Terry Sanderson is back in Toronto as GM after being assistant coach in Calgary, Derek Graham is associate GM in Buffalo with Darris Kilgour relinquishing some management duties so he can focus on coaching, Curt Styres now is GM as well as owner in Rochester, Doug Reffue is GM in Boston as Tom Ryan devotes his full attention to coaching, and Doug Locker steps up to GM from Stealth assistant as Johnny Mouradian moves into a consulting capacity with the transplanted team.

Keenan has revamped the Rush roster and has brought in some of his Portland players, including captain Pat Jones and dominant defenceman Brodie Merrill, who was acquired with the first pick in the dispersal draft. So, can the Rush, starting their fifth season, make the playoffs for the first time?

"I hate to make predictions but, based on the way we have built this team, I would say yes," Keenan ventures.

Four teams have new head coaches.

Keenan runs the Rush, 2009 NLL coach of the year Troy Cordingley jumped to Toronto from Calgary, the Roughnecks promoted assistant Dave Pym, and Minnesota named Mike Lines head coach after Duane Jacobs quit to become an assistant in Buffalo.

It's hard to win the title two years in a row - Toronto was the last to do it, in 2003 - but Pym is challenging his Roughnecks to do it in 2010.

"Anything less than a championship will be a failure," says Calgary's new head coach. "We are going to bring high octane, in-your-face defensive pressure, a lightning-quick transition, lunch-bucket workingman scoring, and a no-nonsense work ethic with a commitment to excellence that our great fans deserve."

The biggest trade of the off-season saw the Stealth send captain Colin Doyle, the 2009 NLL scoring champion, back to the Rock for a package of players including high-scoring Lewis Ratcliff. Toronto has also brought back Kim Squire, who last played in 2006 for Buffalo, in hopes of getting back into the playoffs after missing two years in a row.

"Kim and Colin worked great together and won championships," says Cordingley. "We're happy to reunite that magic."

Another major trade saw Colorado part with captain Gavin Prout, who wound up in Edmonton after a flurry of trades that saw Rush scoring leader Dan Teat wind up in Philadelphia.

Sid Smith, the No. 1 pick in the 2009 entry draft, bolsters Rochester's defence and other rookies ready to impress include nifty attacker Ilija Gajic of the Mammoth, all-time leading NCAA scorer Zack Greer of the Swarm, standout attacker Garrett Billings of the Rock, talented shooter Corey Small of the Rush and flashy forward Joel Dalgarno of the Stealth.

Colorado now has three Gazic brothers from Burnaby, B.C., in its lineup: Nenad, 26, beginning his fourth season with the Mammoth, and rookies Ilija, 24, and Alex, 22.

"We've added some definite size, speed and talent - all while getting younger across the board," says Mammoth GM Steve Govett.

It's the time of year when every team says it has improved.

"We are bigger, stronger and faster than last year and our offence is deeper," says Washington coach Chris Hall.

Minnesota GM Marty O'Neill is equally optimistic.

"With the addition of Zack Greer and the other new players we acquired during the off-season, I feel that we have put together a highly-competitive team for 2010," says O'Neill.

They come and they go.

Rich Kilgour, a mainstay in Buffalo for more than 15 years, retired from the Bandits, and Dan Stroup, Chris Gill, Dave Stilley, Curt Malawsky, Ken Millin and Kyle Couling were some of the others packing it in.

Rochester stars John Grant, the 2007 league MVP, and Scott Evans missed the entire 2009 season rehabbing from injuries and they start their comebacks Saturday night in Buffalo, where teammate Gary Gait begins his 17th pro season and the Bandits' John Tavares starts his 18th.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia star Athan Iannucci, league MVP in 2008 when he scored a record 71 goals, won't play at all this winter after undergoing more knee surgery in November. The Wings also expect to start the new season without high-scoring Merrick Thomson, who is on the physically unable to perform list with lingering post-concussion symptoms.

Trying to pick a leading 2010 contender is more difficult than finding a four-leaf clover in the desert.

"This has always been a competitive league," says Philadelphia GM-coach David Huntley. "If you don't bring your best effort every night chances are you will be on the short end of things.

"As I look at our schedule, every team that we play has strengthened its roster so I do not see anyone that I would label a clear favourite or underdog going into the season."

The third year of the seven-year collective bargaining agreement calls for increases of six per cent, to $11,832 US, in minimum veteran player compensation and of five per cent, to $24,650 US, in maximum compensation for the 16-game season. Maximum rookie pay will be $7,964 US and minimum second-year pay will be $10,745 US. Each team can put a franchise player tag on as many as two players at a 2010 salary rate of $30,813 US.

Most of the coaches and many of the players are Canadians who have full-time jobs outside lacrosse.

Ontario is the source of much NLL talent. Keenan is a City of Oshawa recreation director and Jones has served on a police squad guarding the nuclear power plant in nearby Pickering. Cordingley and Boston goalie Anthony Cosmo are elementary school teachers in Mississauga, while Orlando goalie Matt Vinc is a high school science teacher in St. Catharines. Boston captain Dan Dawson, the 2009 league MVP, is a Brampton firefighter, and Orlando forward Pat Maddalena is a chiropractor from Welland.

As was the case last winter, every NLL game will be available live and free of charge at NLL.com.