The Boston Cannons, a Major League Lacrosse “Original Six” franchise, finally climbed the mountaintop in 2011 and won its first championship. A lasting image from the contest was Paul Rabil, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 draft and one of the most popular players in the sport, hoisting the trophy over his head.

Those were happier times.

Since then, the Cannons have been to the playoffs only twice, never making it past the semifinal round (they tied for first place in the league in 2016, but missed the playoffs due to tiebreakers). The team finished in last place in 2017. It doesn’t look like the luck will turn in 2018, either, because through the first eight weeks of the season, Boston sits in last place in the standings with a 2-6 record.

“It’s definitely frustrating,” said defender Mitch Belisle, who has been with the team since the 2009 season. “Being a competitor and wanting to win, you never like losing.”

What makes the turn of events in Boston even worse is the roster turnover the team has undergone, specifically the trading of All-Stars. Since 2015, the team has traded away Rabil, Scott Ratliff, Will Manny, and Joe Nardella. All four of those players were drafted by the Cannons, and each represented the team in All-Star games.

Additionally, the team traded Matt Landis and Davey Emala — both of whom are All-Stars in 2018 — and Kylor Belistri, the team’s leading scorer in 2017.

“It’s tough because you build these personal relationships, and you value your relationship with the guys,” Belisle said. “The biggest thing is, I value the level of competition those guys brought to the table. I also understand the business. There’s different reasons for each of them [to be traded]. I get it. It is definitely hard on a personal and professional level, especially when players go to another team and have a lot of success. That can be very frustrating.”

The Cannons front office caught a lot of flak on social media for the moves. The Will Manny trade (Boston also sent Joe Locascio to New York in the deal) was especially criticized since the players the team received in return — Dave Lawson (a Massachusetts native) and Chris LaPierre (the second-overall pick in the 2013 draft) — both retired immediately in lieu of playing for the Cannons.

Cannons coach Sean Quirk said he understands the perception of the trades. He insisted, however, that the trades were made with the franchise’s best interests in mind.

“I can’t speak to the Cannons trading Rabil, but I know what we got for him. We got Max [Seibald], and we got really good pieces and draft picks,” he said. “You trade Scott Ratliff, and that happened the second day I was in Boston, you trade him to Atlanta where he’s from and has a piece of LB3. We got some really good pieces. We got Brodie [Merrill] back. We got [Justin] Turri back, so you get some good pieces for it.” 

“I think the trades we made this year, with Bellistri, Emala, and Nardella, all those guys in the locker room miss those guys,” he added. “I miss them, but they were for all the right reasons. You’ve got [Mark] Cockerton coming in, [No. 1 overall draft pick Trevor] Baptiste, a draft pick. The players understand the beats of the business. We want to keep continuity, but we’re always trying to get better at the same time.”

While difficult to see friends go, Belisle said the guys in the Boston locker room are understanding of the trades.

“It’s a league that has its challenges being weekend warriors,” he said. “You look at a guy like Scott Ratliff. As much as I was bummed to lose him, I know, for Scott, moving back to Atlanta was the best possible thing for him personally, for business, so I was happy for him. There are a lot of factors at play, but a lot of it has to do with making our lives as livable as possible while playing. The support the Boston fans show is something all of us appreciate, and I think guys miss it when they get traded.”

With so many high-profile players traded away from the Cannons — not including midfielders Josh Hawkins and Brent Adams signing with the Denver Outlaws through the Player Movement Policy — there has been even more pressure to bring in a new crop of stars, especially with the team holding the first pick in the 2018 collegiate draft.

The Cannons picked Trevor Baptiste, the NCAA record-holder for faceoff wins and a member of the 2018 Team USA roster that will play in the FIL World Championships. Baptiste said he could feel the energy from Boston fans looking for a new star.

“Boston has a great base, and people that are jacked up about the games and care about us,” Baptiste said. “I do think there’s a little buzz around me coming in. Little kids are excited to see me play. Hopefully, I can deliver and give them something to watch, but I try not to think about it as the star. I try to think about it as the team getting it done.”

Baptiste has delivered thus far. In two games, he has won 38 of 69 face-offs (a 55.1 winning percentage) and scored a goal. He’s also been available for the fans, as well.

“We were in Dallas playing Thursday, and he was the last guy — including the home team — to leave the stadium,” Quirk said about Baptiste. “He’s signing autographs with the kids. He’s a high character kid. It’s been fun getting to know him. The guys have taken to him. He’s a team player. He just wants to get better. That’s great to see.”

Baptiste isn’t the only young player seeing success in Boston.

In the 2016 draft, the Cannons selected defender Brandon Mullins with one of their two first-round picks. In 2017, they selected midfielder Sergio Perkovic with the second pick in the draft. In the 2018 draft, in addition to Baptiste, the team selected attackman Will Sands in the third round. 

Those picks have paid off. All three of those players were selected to play for the MLL All-Stars against Team USA in the 2018 MLL All-Star game.
Add in waiver pick-ups Tim Muller and Zed Williams, as well as James Pannell, who the team acquired through a trade with Atlanta, and the Cannons have quietly collected a strong group of young players to help build the organization back up.

“Those guys are hungry,” Quirk said. “Those younger guys, they have some really good leaders and mentors and have a lot of success.”

Although he’s only been a part of the Cannons for two games, Baptiste is excited about the Cannons’ potential.

“The young guys are really stepping up,” he said. “I’m happy to be a part of that group. It shows our team is going to progress because there’s no breakage between the young guys and the veterans. Everyone really likes each other and wants to be together."

In Week 8 of the 2018 season, the Cannons fell to the Rattlers in a lopsided 22-11 outing. The youngsters, however, showed plenty of promise. 
Baptiste won 23 of 37 face-offs and picked up a game-high 10 ground balls. Williams led the team with four points on three goals and an assist, Perkovic scored three goals, and Sands scored one.

Through eight games, Sands (who has only played in four games) is tied for second on the team in points with seven goals and eight assists.

“Will Sands has been awesome,” Belisle said. “Especially as a rookie, coming out of the gates and being put in a pretty tough position, he has to be the quarterback and distributor for our team. He jumped right in and really embraced that role. That is exciting.”

Belisle has been with the Cannons for the highs — including the championship run in 2011 — as well as the recent lows. While he’s seen many peers move on, he hopes to retire as a member of the Cannons. Part of that reason is the support the fans in Boston have given him over the years. The other part is because he believes in the guys in the locker room, especially the new crop of players finding their way in the league and with the team.

​“The one thing I try to remind these guys is every chance you get on the field, you really have to make the most of it because you don’t know how long they will last,” he said. “Guys are figuring out their roles. That takes time. I was lucky enough to be on a championship team in 2011, and we had a lot of great role players, but everyone in those unique roles honed what that role was over a one-or-two-year span. It wasn’t instant success. With so many young guys and new pieces, it’s going to take some time to find exactly how the puzzle pieces fit together.”