Shawn Slaght – All Lacrosse All The Time, A Division of the Edge of Philly Sports Network
Colorado Mammoth 2021-2022 season: 10-8 record for third place in the West Conference, defeated the Buffalo Bandits to win the NLL Championship.
New Faces: Austin Murphy, Brett Draper, Matt Dunn
Key Losses: Scott Carnegie, Sam Firth, Erik Turner
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. That seemed to be the mantra of the Colorado Mammoth heading into this upcoming season.
Colorado lost a few big names this off-season, but that is always going to be expected that you’ll lose a few guys. Scott Carnegie called it a career, while Sam Firth and Erik Turner were picked up by the expansion Las Vegas Desert Dogs in trades.
Meanwhile, the Mammoth picked up Matt Dunn in a trade with Georgia and signed Brett Draper in free agency. Austin Murphy was released by Panther City on Nov. 11 and was signed by Colorado 11 days later.
Offense
Again, not a lot of change for the Colorado offense. The right side is loaded up with Ryan Lee, Zed Williams, Tyson Gibson, and Brett McIntyre. Adding depth, the Mammoth still has Draper, Jake Foster, and Keegan Khan on the roster.
On the left side, there is no shortage of talent. Eli McLaughlin and Connor Robinson are back. Then you add to the mix Chris Wardle, Asher Nolting, Logan Wisnauskas and now Austin Murphy.
Like many teams, Colorado will have a problem with too much talent and some worthy of a roster spot will be let go.
Defense
There won’t be many open roster spots when it comes to Colorado’s defence. Nick Musso has already become a victim of that as he’s been released from the roster.
Opposing offenses will have to go up against the likes of Robert Hope, John Lintz, Dylan Kinnear, and Anthony Joaquim just to name a few.
Transition will not be a problem either with arguably the fastest guy in the league, Joey Cupido, running up and down the floor.
Goaltending
Dillon Ward is your number one guy. He’s one of the best goaltenders on the planet, field or box, right now so there is no disputing his starting job.
What could be more interesting is Ward’s backup. Tyler Carlson has been a career backup, but can a young Nate Faccin push him out of that position? Only time will tell.
Overall, however, Colorado is looking like they are poised to be a contender this year and will likely share the top spot in the West with San Diego.
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Shawn Slaght has been a sports reporter across the Canadian prairies for over 10 years and has experience covering everything from junior hockey to World Cup skiing to all levels of lacrosse. He is the Saskatchewan correspondent for All Lacrosse All The Time.
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