Prior to joining the PLL, Pless’ resume was full of highlights. At Mountain Vista High School in Colorado, he was a two-time [USA] Lacrosse All-American, a two-time all-state selection, a two-time captain and a the defensive MVP.
He never missed a game at Rutgers, and as a senior, he was a USILA All-American honorable mention, a second team All-Big Ten and All-ECAC selection.
In the MLL, he was a regular contributor who helped the Denver Outlaws reach the MLL championship game twice. He didn’t earn any postseason awards or All-Star nods, but he did catch the attention of current Atlas head coach Ben Rubeor.
“I remember playing against Kyle when I was [an assistant coach] with the [Boston] Cannons,” Rubeor said. “I thought he did a really nice job. He’s extremely fast. He was on my radar.”
Pless entered the MLL as the last pick in the 2019 Collegiate Draft, picked behind 62 other players. He had two productive years, but when the PLL and MLL merged, he was not one of the 24 Entry Draft selections. Six other long-poles — including Outlaws teammates Michael Rexrode and Andrew Newbold — were drafted instead of him.
He admitted he was sad to not get drafted.
“There were nerves whether or not I was going to get a shot,” he said. “I felt like I deserved an opportunity, but you’re never sure. It’s always up in the air. I was hopeful, but I wasn’t overconfident or locked in that I was going to get a shot.”
A few days after the draft, Pless said Rubeor texted him telling him he was acquired through the waivers process. It was a plan that Rubeor said was lucky to work out in the team’s favor.
“Talking to my coaches, we went back and forth whether to use a pick on him,” he said. “I just got the sense in speaking with him that he was flying under the radar. My feeling was if we could get him off waivers and not use a pick on him that could be a valuable thing. It worked out. We took a little bit of a risk, especially with a guy that was No. 2 in caused turnovers and could play LSM or close. We took a risk, but it worked out.”