The Major League Lacrosse season starts Saturday, April 21. These team-by-team previews — in order of finish as projected by US Lacrosse Magazine contributor Phil Shore — were written before the MLL collegiate draft.

Find those results here.

1. Ohio Machine
2. New York Lizards 
3. Dallas Rattlers
4. Denver Outlaws
5. Chesapeake Bayhawks
6. Florida Launch 
7. Atlanta Blaze
8. Boston Cannons 
9. Charlotte Hounds

Chesapeake Bayhawks

2017 Record: 7-7
Coach: Dave Cottle (1st season)

Power Rankings (Scale of 1-5)

Offense: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Defense: ⭐⭐
Faceoffs: ⭐⭐
Goalie:⭐⭐⭐

Key Losses: Shawn Evans, A; Brian Farrell, D; Dan Groot, M
Top Returners: Matt Abbott, M; Matt Danowski, A; Myles Jones, M
New Arrivals: Luke Duprey, D; Goran Murray, D; Steele Stanwick, A

MVP Watch

Myles Jones, M

The No. 1 one draft pick in 2016 continued to live up to the hype in his second season in Major League Lacrosse, setting new career highs in goals (23), assists (14), and points (39). Jones played big in the spotlight, earning All-Star Game MVP honors, scoring four goals, one of which was the game-winner.

Under-the-Radar Star

Steele Stanwick, A

In 2012, Stanwick was the second overall pick in the collegiate draft, the first-ever selection made by the Ohio Machine. Unlike other star rookies drafted by the Machine, Stanwick wasn’t part of the team’s 2017 championship victory; he sat out the 2017 season. He returns in 2018 after the Bayhawks acquired him in a trade during the offseason, and the strong passer will have plenty of offensive firepower around him with the likes of Jones, Danowski, Josh Byrne and Lyle Thompson.

Scouting Report

Three things you need to know about the Bayhawks

1. Youth movement.

The Bayhawks were the only team in 2017 to score more than 200 goals. A big reason for the team’s offensive firepower was the play of three rookies: Josh Byrne (46 points), Jake Froccaro (27 points) and Colin Heacock (11 points). Add faceoff specialist Ben Williams (51.9 winning percentage) and short-stick midfielder Isaiah Davis-Allen, and the Bayhawks got a great return from their 2017 draft class. Cottle takes his first run at coaching these players, and he has high expectations for them. “I’ve always said in this league, the second year is the toughest year for players,” Cottle said. “The ones that have good second years will go on to have long careers. You go from college to a thing where you have to train yourself and come in in great shape in training camp. The guys that do it become elite players.”

2. Duke defensive reunion.

In 2012, the Blue Devils reached the NCAA final four and did so behind one of the best defenses in the country, which gave up only 9.25 goals per game. The defense featured three players that were eventual first-round draft picks and five players that would play in MLL. For 2018, Chesapeake brought in Luke Duprey as a supplemental draft pick and hope the chemistry between Duprey and current Bayhawk C.J. Costabile helps to boost the team. For what it’s worth, Cottle said Costabile enjoyed his best season as a professional in 2017. “He’s a competitive kid who plays really hard, helps us at the faceoff X, and he played better on defense,” Cottle said. “I’m hoping C.J. can continue that.”

3. Depth at short-stick midfield position.

The Bayhawks won seven games in 2017, four of which came in the final six games of the season. One reason for the change was the improved play on defense. The Bayhawks surrendered 15.6 goals per game in the first eight games, but that number dropped by two goals over the final six. Cottle credits that to the play of the short-stick defensive midfielders Nick Mannis, Isaiah Davis-Allen, Mark Glicini and Domenic Sebastiani. Cottle expects those players to continue to help the defense trend upward.

Biggest Question Mark

How many games will the attack play together?

The Bayhawks have a talented stable of players at attack. Matt Danowski is a Team USA member and former Tewaaraton Award winner, and Lyle Thompson is a two-time Tewaaraton winner. Josh Byrne set the rookie scoring record in 2017. The team also has Heacock, Nate Lewnes and Stanwick. The problem is none of those players played an entire 14-game schedule last season, and most will not do so in 2018 either. Danowski is an assistant coach at Duke and will also be on Team USA for the FIL World Championship. Thompson and Byrne will each be playing in the NLL at the start of the season. The attack unit is as good as anybody’s in the league, but it is tough to get in a groove when you’re not playing together regularly.

Enemy Lines

What the opposition has to say about Chesapeake

“They’re one of my favorite teams to play. … Dave Cottle is a legend in coaching. … Whoever they’re going to have in the lineup, they’ll put together the best product. … Awesome organization, great team, great coaching. … Depending on what happens with guys in college coaching and the NLL, that team, on paper, that’s one of the best teams in the league. But that’s why you play the games. … Dave [Cottle] will do an awesome job there. He’s won a ton of games in the league.”

Number of Significance

5

With one or two more bounces going their way, the 2017 Bayhawks season could’ve been very different. Of the seven losses the team suffered, five were by one goal. Three of those five one-goal losses came in overtime. According to Cottle, the key is not to dig a huge early hole. The Bayhawks were down 5-1 after the first quarter in the June 10 game against the Rattlers, 6-2 after the first quarter in the June 16 contest against the Hounds, 5-1 after the first quarter in the July 15 game against the Launch, and 6-3 after the first quarter in the July 27 game against the Outlaws.

Bottom Line

The Bayhawks boast one of the most talented rosters in the league. Despite missing the playoffs each of the past four seasons, the Bayhawks have come very close the past two, losing out on a tiebreaker in 2016 and missing by one game in 2017. If the defense can stay healthy, and the attack can click, they could finally break the streak and get back to the playoffs.