Atlas LC
Key Additions
- M Justin Guterding (FA, Whipsnakes)
- D Gavin Adler (Draft, Cornell)
- D Brett Makar (Draft, Maryland)
- A Xander Dickson (Draft, Virginia)
- SSDM Payton Rezanka (Draft, Loyola)
- HC Mike Pressler
Key Departures
- A Jake Carraway (FA, Waterdogs)
- M John Crawley (Retired)
- HC Ben Rubeor (Retired)
- M Dox Aitken (NFL)
The biggest surprise of the Atlas offseason was the resignation of Head Coach Ben Rubeor. After a miserable 1-4 bubble showing in 2020, Rubeor took over and grabbed the Bulls by the horns: trading away big names for draft picks. The big swing paid off, as first overall pick Jeff Teat won Rookie of the Year and led Atlas to two consecutive playoff runs. Rubeor injected new life into a stagnant franchise and the team embodied his energy and mantra “everybody eats.”
After announcing that he will step away from the PLL to spend time with his growing family, Atlas landed possibly the most experienced and decorated name on the market: Mike Pressler. In his 37 years as a collegiate coach, Pressler won 385 games, the F. Morris Touchstone Coach of the Year, appeared in both Division I and Division III National Championship Games, and a Team USA Gold Medal.
The loss of midfielder John Crawley will hurt the voice of the Atlas, as the current Johns Hopkins Offensive Coordinator was like a coach on the field and in the huddle. Dox Aitken will also miss time as he is trying out for the New England Patriots, but the Bulls have many more notable additions than subtractions to an already loaded roster.
The second biggest surprise was the selection of defenseman Gavin Adler with the #1 overall pick. This only comes as a surprise due to the media hype of #1 prospect Sam Handley. The Bulls, however, addressed their weakest unit, defense, with both the #1 and #3 picks in the draft in Gavin Adler and Brett Makar.
An interesting addition on offense was second round pick Xander Dickson. Dickson finished the season fourth in the country in both goals and goals per game. “The Slim Reaper” is a shifty player that has a sixth sense for off-ball movement. I see him continuing to perfect this skill while learning from an all-time great, Eric Law. The beauty of Dickson is that he played midfield every other year he was at UVA and will be versatile enough to get some solid middie reps this year, while possibly becoming a future replacement for Law.
It is safe to expect another season of Bulls running, as Vegas has Atlas with tied for the highest listed win total this year at 6.5. Some sportsbooks even have them as the championship favorite.
