Phil Shore, our resident Major League Lacrosse writer, previews all nine MLL teams, in reverse order of projected finish, leading up to opening day Saturday.

Check uslaxmagazine.com/mll before and throughout the season for more analysis and stories from the premier professional outdoor lacrosse league.

Atlanta Blaze

Projected finish: 8th
2016 record: 4-10
Coach: Dave Huntley, 2nd season

Power Rankings (Scale of 1-5)

Offense: 4
Defense: 2
Faceoffs: 3
Goalie: 3

Key losses: Deemer Class, M; Ryan Tucker, M; Casey Ikeda, D

Top returners: Matt Mackrides, A; Kevin Rice, A; Scott Ratliff, D

New arrivals: Dylan Donahue, A; Greg Coholan, M; Callum Robinson, D

MVP Watch

Kevin Rice, A

Rob Pannell broke the single-season scoring record in 2016, but Rice was on pace to obliterate that record. Through nine games, Rice had 58 points, which comes out to over six points per game. At that pace, if he finished the season he would’ve ended with 88 points. While he may not put up those numbers in 2017, he did demonstrate his ability.

Under-the-Radar Star

Justin Pennington, M

The Blaze struggled to get much scoring from their midfield, and several players they relied on to log heavy minutes down the stretch – Ryan Tucker, Deemer Class, and Nicky Galasso – are all gone. Pennington has been a dependable hand in his MLL tenure, but the team may need the veteran to provide a few more points while younger guys get their feet under them.

Scouting Report

Three things you need to know about the Blaze:

1. Syracuse attack is reunited.

The 2015 Syracuse attack featured Kevin Rice, Dylan Donahue and Randy Staats. The three combined for 115 goals (48.3 percent of the team’s total), 93 assists (66.4 percent of the team’s total), and 208 points (55.0 percent of the team’s total). The team traded second-round pick Deemer Class to Charlotte for Donahue, the fourth pick in the 2016 collegiate draft in an effort to reunite the trio. “I would buy a ticket to watch those guys for 14 games,” Huntley said. “The fact I get paid to watch them for 14 games is a great deal for me.”

2. They are expecting 14 games from Mackrides.

In a huge midseason trade, the Atlanta Blaze traded No. 1 draft pick Myles Jones – after only two games – to the Chesapeake Bayhawks in exchange for Matt Mackrides. He had scored 15 points in seven games for the Bayhawks, and he had five points in three games before suffering a concussion, his second in two seasons. Huntley believes Mackrides will be ready for the first game of the season and that he won’t have any lingering issues. “It was one of those fluky things where he stumbled and fell into the guy’s leg,” he said. “It was an accident. It was unlucky. He seems to be in really good shape and spirits and is excited to get back out there.”

3. They’ve brought in more veterans.

In an effort to bring more leadership to the locker room, the Blaze went out and acquired several MLL veterans in the offseason. Through the player movement policy, the team added midfielders Jeff Reynolds and Terry Kimener. In the supplemental draft, they added face-off specialist Anthony Kelly. Huntley hopes these fresh faces can help bring the younger players along. “On a team as young as ours is, it’s a weird game,” he said. “It’s not a 60 minute game. It’s 12 five-minute games with all the TV timeouts. It’s choppy, and that’s hard for guys to get used to. … It’s going to be good for Justin [Pennington] to have some other greybeards to show some of these young leaders like Kevin [Rice] and Matt [Mackrides] and Scott [Ratliff] to show them the way without dominating the conversation.”

Biggest Question Mark

What will the defense look like?

There wasn’t much consistency on defense for the Blaze last season. A look at their stats sheet shows that nine players listed as defenders played for Atlanta, but only three played at least 10 games, and only four are still on the roster. The team brought in three defenders in the supplemental draft, including first-round selection Callum Robinson. Scott Ratliff is one of the best defenders in the league, but most of the players surrounding him are still unproven.

Enemy Lines

What the opposition has to say about Atlanta:

“Hamilton, with Coach Huntley, looked very much like Atlanta and was very successful. It’s getting used to a certain style of play. It’s a mix of Canadians and talented athletic kids. … Year one, they had so many players, it was disarray. If they become consistent and find out who they are as an organization, they’ll be a good team. … With Ratliff there and lacrosse growing in Georgia, it will be a place players in this league want to go play.”

Number of Significance

50

Atlanta finished sixth in the league with a .459 face-off winning percentage. If it weren’t for Chris May, however, Atlanta would have been much lower in the category and, possibly, in the standings. May was signed after the first week of the season. He played 11 games for the Blaze, won 50 percent of his faceoffs, and was second on the team in ground balls (63). Take away May’s face-off numbers and the team posted a 39.8 faceoff winning percentage.

Bottom Line

The offense has the potential to be very exciting, but they do need to stay healthy (Rice, Mackrides) and they will be missing some early in the season (Staats, Mark Matthews). The midfield and defense will need several players to step up and at least be consistent contributors in order for Atlanta to take a step forward.