The Premier Lacrosse League is off this week because of the 2022 World Games occurring in Birmingham, Alabama.
Now is that a sentence you thought you'd read in...2010?
Canada and the Haudenosaunee get the big names rolling later this afternoon.
Here are the best PLL players by team participating in the event.
Archers - Tom Schreiber - America
Atlas - Jeff Teat - Canada
Cannons - Zach Goodrich - Cannons
Chaos - Dhane Smith - Canada
Chrome - Jordan MacIntosh - Canada
Redwoods - Jack Kelly - America
Waterdogs - Zach Currier - Canada
Whipsnakes - Justin Guterding - America
Inside Lacrosse posted the full rosters here.
The rosters are incredibly small for what we are used to but there are still an abundance of heavy hitters talent wise in Alabama. If anyone of these players got hurt, their PLL team's season arc would change dramatically.
Lyle was ruled out earlier this morning.
On far more positive note, Bill Simmons loves to push the narrative that young basketball players who show well at the Olympics return to the NBA more confident in their own abilities. His most recent example is Jayson Tatum who nearly led the Celtics to the title. Perhaps a good experience in Alabama will boost up someone like Ryan Tierney (Cannons) or allow Connor Kirst (Whipsnakes) to take another leap after already doubling his 2021 point total.
Perhaps Jack Kelly will return fully loaded with confidence after his first PLL outing this spring. Perhaps having to stand in a field net behind a defense using only short sticks to cover Lyle Thompson and Cody Jamison will prove to have the opposite affect.
Due to the field size and goal size, there are few defensive minded players on the rosters of the top teams but there are middies who have at one time or another been labeled two way guys or at least not been labeled as trapped when they crossed the midline.
The Canadian and Haudenosaunee roster looks far more talented from an offensive standpoint than the American side.
While a PLL weekend is far more interesting than a "sixes" competition, this is another critical step for the path to restoring lacrosse to the Olympics. The PLL has to support this week's activities. Their leadership keeps pushing the right buttons so we'll continue to trust their judgement. Impeachable record to date.
How curious are you to watch this event?
We'll certainly keep an eye on social for Tehoka highlights. Kind of want to see Tom try to cover Teat and vice versa for a few possessions in a row.