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

Ohio Machine

2017 Record: 9-5
MLL Playoff Finish: Won championship
Coach: Bear Davis (6th season)

Power Rankings (Scale of 1-5)

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

Key Losses: Kevin Cunningham, A; Kevin Reisman, M; Steele Stanwick, A
Top Returners: Marcus Holman, A; Peter Baum, M; Tom Schreiber, M
New Arrivals: Ryan Ambler, A; Mark Matthews, A; Garrett Thul, A

MVP Watch

Tom Schreiber, M

Commonly referred to as the best lacrosse player in the world, Schreiber is the two-time reigning MLL MVP. He will miss games at the beginning of the season due to his NLL commitments, but that didn’t prevent him from earning the recognition last year. In 2016, he scored 18 goals and added 26 assists, which was fourth on the team despite playing in only 10 games. “He’s a treat to coach,” coach Bear Davis said. “He would be the first to credit the guys around him to become one of the best players in the world.”

Under-the-Radar Star

Tyler Pfister, M

Ohio has a lot of stars, but one player that caught on at the end of the season and caught the eye of Davis is Pfister. The Ohio native didn’t appear in a game for the Machine until four games left in the regular season. He played in three of the final four games, scoring once and adding two assists. He made the team’s playoff roster, however, and even scored in the semifinal game against Florida. Davis is anticipating a breakout year for Pfister. “He went from being a college inactive,” Davis said, “practiced a couple times, to a guy playing in a semifinal and championship game for us.”

Scouting Report

Three things you need to know about the Machine

1. There is more than one MVP candidate.

Ohio had two of the three league MVP finalists in 2017. In addition to Schreiber, midfielder Peter Baum was nominated for the award, and many thought he would win it. Baum played in all 14 games and tied for the league lead in points, with 52. He also scored both of Ohio’s two-point goals and was named to his fourth consecutive All-Star game. Additionally, Marcus Holman was again one of the best players in the league, earning a trip to the All-Star game, scoring 34 goals, and tallying 49 points.

2. The emergence of Kyle Bernlohr.

In 2016, Scott Rodgers was an MLL All-Star. He began the 2017 season as the starter, but with some time, the second-year Bernlohr earned the starting position. He played in 10 games. He finished second in the league in goals against average (11.35, behind Rodgers) and led the league in save percentage (.567). In the championship game, Bernlohr made 11 saves, six of which came in the second half.

3. There are still things to work on.

Ohio has been one of the best teams in the league the past few seasons, culminating in a championship victory in 2017. It might be difficult to match the success from last year, but Davis said there is still plenty the team can improve on. “We didn’t have as many possessions per game as we would have liked,” he said. “We put a lot of pressure on our defense and offense to perform. Whether you’re clearing the ball, ground balls, face-offs, all those areas manipulate possessions. We have to figure a way to manipulate more possessions. I think our subbing, too, we could get better in. I don’t think we took full advantage of our subbing game and taking advantage of matchups.”

Biggest Question Mark

Will Schreiber’s knee injury cause problems for the Machine?

In mid-February, Schreiber was in an NLL game and collided with a pair of defenders. He was diagnosed with a partially torn posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. The good news is that the injury did not require surgery. Schreiber returned to the floor with the Toronto Rock last week. Will he experience any lingering issues going from the box floor to the field game? Will he experience any additional wear and tear? Davis doesn’t expect any issues. “Tom is a very mentally and physically tough person,” Davis said. “We know he’ll rehab according to what is required, and we hope for the best. We hope he doesn’t rush anything. He’s a smart guy. He won’t do that because he wants to play for a long time.”

Enemy Lines

What the opposition has to say about Ohio

“On paper and on the field, they are an awfully powerful team at every position. They have everybody back. I’m sure they’ve added new pieces. They are the defending champs. Until somebody proves otherwise, they have to be the favorite in 2018. … Tommy Schreiber was the best player in the world. They had good chemistry. Marcus Holman plays like it’s his last game. … I thought they were tough defensively and a bear to guard offensively. Tommy Schreiber was the best offensive player and Jake Bernhardt was probably the most valuable. They had two of the top four or five players, and they did a good job coaching. … They’re the defending champions. Bear has done a really good job of keeping that unit together and continuously bringing in great pieces to that unit. They feel comfortable with each other. Their experience will help them this year.”

Number of Significance

37.8

Despite winning the MLL championship, the Machine struggled at the faceoff X. The had the worst faceoff winning percentage in the league (37.8). Faceoff specialist Greg Puskuldjian was a huge surprise in 2015, winning 53.5 percent of his faceoffs, but statistically, he has struggled since then, winning only 49.8 percent of his faceoffs in 2016 and 38.1 percent of his faceoffs in 2017. He is the man in 2018 again, however, as the team no longer has Anthony Kelly or Kevin Reisman on the roster.

Bottom Line

The defending champions kept the majority of the team that played in the championship game. The team has built on previous success each year since its inception. With so many world-class players, there’s no reason to think they won’t compete for the championship once again.