The tide is turning for Redwoods Lacrosse Club. The Woods are four years removed from their narrow loss in the inaugural Premier Lacrosse League Championship Game, and the roster is undergoing its largest makeover yet.
Franchise cornerstone Matt Kavanagh was traded to Cannons early in the offseason. Defensemen Finn Sullivan and Kyle Hartzell left in free agency and short-stick defensive midfielder Pat Harbeson announced his retirement. With new assistant coach John Grant Jr. reshaping the offense in his image, the roster is turning the page to a new chapter.
The biggest piece of this transition is set for this week: the PLL College Draft. Redwoods have the second, 10th, 18th and 26th picks in the draft. The team needs more juice to finally get over the hump in the postseason, but head coach Nat St. Laurent has several different avenues to improve the roster.
The second overall pick provides the biggest dilemma for Redwoods. The top of the draft is anchored by superstar close defenders like Cornell’s Gavin Adler and Georgetown’s Will Bowen. However, Redwoods drafted Arden Cohen third overall last season and will look to make the former Notre Dame star a cornerstone piece of the defense.
St. Laurent could still add one of those top poles to fill out the depth and potentially shift one of the close defenders to long-stick midfield — John Sexton is the only true LSM currently on the roster.
The top offensive player in the draft also doesn’t seem to fit Redwoods needs. Penn midfielder Sam Handley is arguably the best player in the entire draft, but the Oregonian superstar is a similar player to current Redwoods midfielders Sergio Perkovic and Myles Jones. In fact, Handley is arguably even more of a ball-dominant initiator than both Perkovic and Jones.
Despite the current midfield depth, Handley’s unique physicality and skill could make him too enticing to pass up. If that’s the case, Redwoods might make a corresponding move to free up room in the midfield — but this is all assuming that Handley is still available when the Redwoods go to pick.
If St. Laurent opts not to take a premium pole or Handley if he’s available, there’s two more options: trade down or draft Thomas McConvey.
Trading the pick is a risky move that might not be possible depending on the trade market. A team like Cannons or Chrome could look to trade up for Handley or an elite defenseman, but few have the draft capital or players to pull of the move and a trade with Atlas for the third overall pick seems more likely.
Still, a trade down could increase Redwoods supply of assets. St. Laurent said during pre-draft media availability that he “wouldn’t be afraid to make a move,” which shows that Redwoods are willing to move back in the right circumstance. Whether they move down or not, McConvey could still be the pick.
McConvey has shot up draft boards leading up to Tuesday’s draft. The Virginia attacker has scored 26 goals and added 20 assists on an uber-talented Cavaliers team. Before this season with the ‘Hoos, the lefty Canadian scored 127 goals in four seasons for the Vermont Catamounts.
Regardless of where he goes in the PLL Draft, McConvey has a bright future in professional lacrosse. The Rochester Knighthawks selected the three-time All-American with the first overall pick in the National Lacrosse League draft just last Fall.
McConvey’s box lacrosse experience and goal-scoring pedigree could make him a natural fit for Junior’s offense. The former Vermont star could easily pair with new lefty signing Eli McLaughlin, Ryder Garnsey or Charlie Bertrand in a more box-style offensive attack.
St. Laurent said that box experience matters and that the team already has its eyes on players drafted to the NLL — i.e. McConvey. Redwoods will make its final decision with the second overall pick and its other three selections during Tuesday’s draft live on ESPNU at 7 p.m. Regardless of what the Redwoods do with the pick, it is sure to set the tone for the rest of the draft.
