The 2018-19 NLL season, salvaged when the league and players reached a collective bargaining agreement, starts Dec. 15 with a revamped schedule. Check back to uslaxmagazine.com as we roll out our season preview — including Jack Goods’ projections, team-by-team capsules and additional features, some of which appeared in the December edition.
Calgary Roughnecks
2018 record: 8-10 (third in the West)
Playoff finish: Lost in divisional final
Coach: Curt Malawsky (seventh season)
Top returners: Curtis Dickson, F; Wes Berg, F; Christian del Bianco, G
Key additions: Rhys Duch, F; Jesse King, F
Key losses: Holden Cattoni, F; Tyler Digby, F
Overview
The Roughnecks have become a tad predictable the past few years. Calgary went 8-10 for a third season in a row in 2018, but unlike the year prior, that record was more than good enough to get the team into the playoffs.
Saskatchewan and Colorado duked it out for the West crown in the regular season, but the Roughnecks reminded everyone they shouldn’t be overlooked when they upset the Mammoth in the first round of the playoffs. Their season ended at the hands of the Rush, who have eliminated the Roughnecks in each of their last three playoff appearances.
Barring a pair of major contract disputes, the Roughnecks have their same key cogs on offense, Curtis Dickson, Wes Berg and Dane Dobbie, and a handful of promising young players that have the franchise’s future looking bright.
Storylines to watch
1. Will the Roughnecks have problems getting their best players in?
Curtis Dickson and Wes Berg, the team’s top two scorers from last year, were both absent from Calgary’s training camp last weekend. Obviously, not getting that pair locked up would completely change the outlook of the Roughnecks. Dickson and Berg combined for 178 points in 2018.
“Curtis Dickson and Wes Berg have not yet come to contract terms with the Calgary Roughnecks,” Calgary GM Mike Board told US Lacrosse Magazine in a statement. “Per team policy, we do not publicly discuss contract negotiations.”
2. Can Christian del Bianco get even better?
It usually takes goalies until their late 20s to really find their groove in the NLL. Don’t tell Christian del Bianco that.
The youthful keeper made a serious case for 2018 NLL Goalie of the Year, leading NLL starters in goals against average and save percentage in his age 20 season. Just maintaining his numbers from last year, 10.50 GAA and .793 save percentage, would be impressive in his sophomore campaign as the Roughnecks main goalie. He seems bound to be a force to recon with for the next decade or more.
3. How much does Rhys Duch have left in the tank?
The Vancouver Warriors shocked the NLL community by releasing one of the biggest faces in the history of the franchise right before training camps around the league kicked off. Not surprisingly, Duch wasn’t out of work long, signing with the rival Roughnecks a day later.
Duch’s numbers fell off last season, dropping from 94 points in 2017 to 65 in 2018, but that total would still have been good enough for fifth on the Roughnecks.
Player to watch
Zach Currier
Currier already is one of the best transition players in the NLL after one season in the league. He set the rookie record for caused turnovers and led the league in loose balls by a wide margin. Second-placed Jeremy Thompson snagged 36 less, and he had the advantage of taking faceoffs.
MVP candidate
Curtis Dickson
If he reports, that is. Dickson became the first player to score more than 40 goals in six straight seasons last year.
Verdict
With the struggles in Vancouver and San Diego just launching, it seems the Roughnecks’ floor is finishing third in the West again. They certainly have the talent to jump higher if everything comes together.