Currier fills need for speed
Peter borough Laker impressing at NLL Calgary Roughnecks pre-season camp
It has been an unusual pr e-season camp for the Calgary Roughnecks, with players unavailable for various work- and injury-related reasons.
But one guy the coaching staff really wanted to get a look at is the speedy Zach Currier, the team’ s top pick and third overall in the 2017 National Lacrosse League Draft.
And the Roughnecks are getting an eyeful.
“When we drafted him, we knew he was fast, that he was built for the N LL ,” explained Riggers head coach CurtMalawsky.
“But the thing I’ve noticed is that he has a huge engine, a huge motor. He can run for days, it seems, and he doesn’t get tired. He’s a guy we can lean on as a workhorse ... him and Tyson Bell. That’s one big thing. You don’t want to put pressure on a young guy to score goals, but just watching his skill-set, it’s inevitable he’ll put the ball in the net.”
Currier, a Peterborough native who helped the Lakers to a Mann Cup title, played his first pr e-season game in Calgary on Saturday.
“It’ s been going well ,” Currier said of his first pro camp .“You can never really tell until you’ re thrown in the fire, but it’s definitely a lot faster, and I imagine it’ ll only get faster the closer you get to the season. That’ll be the biggest adjustment, for sure.
“Once the team is selected, which I hope I’m part of, then it’ll be gearing up for the season and building that camaraderie, that cohesiveness the team needs to be successful on the floor.”
Trying to get the chemistry working has been a real challenge for Malawsky and the coaches, as a number of players have been M. I. A. during the four pre-season games.
“When the season starts earlier, guys have previous commitments,” Malawsky said with a sigh. “But for who we’ve had at camp, they’ve worked extremely hard. We’ ve got a lot done. It’s not a crutch, (but) from a coach’s perspective, you’d like to have all hands on deck so you can assess and prepare.
“We’ ve changed systems up front, so we need guys to get some rep sand minutes to know what we’re doing. We’re getting better each week, so that’s good. But we need more time under our belt. We have to start forming what we want toward that Dec. 9 game. I think we’re right on task, but we need to maximize the time we’re on the floor.”
The ‘Necks start the NLL regu- lar season Dec. 9 against the host Rochester Knighthawks. That first game comes a month earlier than in past years. Then, they return home the following weekend to play the Stealth at the Saddledome.
A number of players have been let go, bringing camp down to a work able group--one that must get down to 24, including the practice roster, by Friday. That means the team has to make another three or four cuts.
“It’s going to be very difficult,” Malawsky admitted. “Everyone should make a team -- the problem is who shouldn’ t make it. This is the toughest part of our jobs, having to make these final decisions. The boys make it very difficult for us. It’s tough emotionally. Yeah, it’ s a business, but we all have a human side.”
The Roughnecks still haven’ t come to a contract agreement with sniper Wesley Berg, so the third-year player hasn’ t been at camp. Those negotiations are on-going.