The NLL Draft will be soon upon us. The NLL season is now only a few months away, and it's time to preview them.
The Mammoth had their worst season in franchise history last season, finishing last in the west and in the NLL. The year before, Colorado was the last seed to make the playoffs in the west, but lost in the first round to the champion Calgary.
The Mammoth's biggest problem last season was their goaltending. Their starting goaltender, Andrew Leyshon, had the worst goals against average in the NLL at 13.38 and only a .718 save percentage. That is one thing the Mammoth have sured up this offseason; Goaltending.
The Mammoth were in a good spot when the Titan's dispersal came with the #1 pick. They could have had last year's MP Casey Powell, but they went with the goaltender of the year, Matt Vinc. Last season Vinc was third in GAA and S%. That sures up their biggest issue.
The Mammoth did not have any of their runners in the top 20 goals scored. In fact, their highest goal scorer was ranked 22nd in the league, Jamie Shewchuk. After him at 23d was Brian Langtry. Even with Vinc between the pipes this season, the Mammoth will need better scoring from their veterans. Alex Gajic is their next ranking scorer. Gajic had a great rookie season, competing for rookie of the year. But this season he will need to take the next step to become a true goal scorer in this league.
The Mammoth, even with their horrible record, did have a shot at the playoffs with two weeks left. Minnesota had gone cold and the Mammoth had a game in Boston. If they won the next two and Minnesota lost, they could have still made it. But Colorado lost a heart breaker to Boston, one of the best games of the year in the NLL. The Mammoth showed fight even when there was little hope left. The Mammoth will compete for a playoff spot again this season.
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