2023 Premier Lacrosse League Preview: Chrome LC

With the 2023 Premier Lacrosse League season set to open in Albany, N.Y., on June 3, USA Lacrosse Magazine is going team by team in the days leading up to the opener. Today, we take a deep dive on Chaos LC.

CHROME LC

2022 Record: 7-3
Head Coach: Tim Soudan
Assistants: Jacques Monte, Matt Kerwick

Key Additions: Sam Handley, M

Key departures: John Ranagan, M (retired)

STORYLINES TO WATCH

How often will we see Brendan Nichtern?

Brendan Nichtern was last year’s PLL Rookie of the Year, but there’s a reason he dropped to the second round of the 2022 Draft. A graduate of Army West Point, Nichtern will be balancing military commitments and his career on the field going forward. Coach Tim Soudan said during his pre-draft media availability that Nichtern will be available for Saturday games — of which the Chrome have six, but none in the first three weeks. That led Chrome to place him on the military inactive list to start the year, which makes him eligible in time for a Week 4 matchup with Waterdogs in Eagan, Minnesota.

Jackson Morrill is an option to fill in, and the Chrome landed one of the few viable X attackmen in the draft, selecting Ohio State’s Jack Myers in the third round. There’s certainly potential there. Myers was considered a top pick heading into the season before a down senior campaign with the Buckeyes, but Nichtern’s production is a load to replace. His 38 points led all rookies and tied him for third in the league, only behind Lyle Thompson and Kieran McArdle.

Did Tim Soudan get the steal of the draft in Sam Handley?

Sam Handley was discussed as the top available player in the draft for much of the season, yet he surprisingly dropped to the Chrome at No. 4 thanks to an early run on close defensemen. For Soudan, it felt like a bit of déjà vu. In 2021, he was stunned that he managed to land Ryan Terefenko with the 12th overall pick, and last year he was thrilled to walk away with both Logan Wisnauskas and Nichtern.

In Handley, the Chrome landed a 6-5 midfielder with speed who was a two-time Tewaaraton Award finalist and the USILA’s Donald J. MacLaughlin Jr. Award recipient as the nation’s top college middie. He finished with 194 points in just 46 games and possesses the vision to help those around him. That’s now two years in a row that the Chrome acquired the top offensive player selected in the draft. With the weapons this offense now possesses, there should not be a repeat of the 11-3 defeat to the Chaos that knocked this group out of the postseason. Expect big things from Handley ... and quickly.

Is JT Giles-Harris just getting started?

JT Giles-Harris, the May/June cover athlete for USA Lacrosse Magazine, made history last season when he became the only first-year player to ever win either the Major League Lacrosse or PLL defensive player of the year honor. After missing 2021 due to injury, he secured hardware thanks to his stellar on-ball work as Chrome’s top close defender. He finished with 11 caused turnovers and 24 ground balls while helping the Chrome go from 12.8 scores allowed per game in 2021 (seventh in the league) to 10.2 last season, only trailing the Whipsnakes.

Soudan noted last season that Giles-Harris was a player that could “solidify the defense for the next eight years.” Now having been declared the league’s best defender at 24 years old, that’s certainly a fair statement. The question is, how much better can he get? Do the Chrome have a generational talent on the back end?