Allegiance of Mammoth proportions
Young gun Malcolm goes from fan to foe when his Colorado club takes on once-favourite Warriors
If Will Malcolm wasn’t playing for the opposition on Friday, he would likely be in the Rogers Arena stands watching the Vancouver Warriors game.
The Colorado Mammoth rookie forward is accustomed to cheering on Warriors like Ian Hawksbee, Jordan McBride and Logan Schuss. They are all also longtime members of the summertime New Westminster Salmonbellies, and Malcolm, 20, comes from a prominent lacrosse family in the Royal City.
Father Dean Malcolm played summers for the Vancouver Burrards. Uncle Tony Malcolm did, too, before finishing up with the Salmonbellies. And older brother Anthony Malcolm has suited up for New Westminster for the past four seasons.
Hawksbee, 36, a defender who debuted with the Salmonbellies in 2005, even lived at Will’s house for a time when he was first coming west from St. Catharines, Ont., to play for the storied Western Lacrosse Association club.
“It’s crazy to think about, crazy to realize, that I’ve made it this far,” Malcolm said about facing the Warriors (7:30 p.m., Bleacher Report Live), who feature nine Salmonbellies on their active roster and had another in Anthony before they dealt him to the New England Black Wolves in an off-season trade.
“I’ve watched those guys playing senior lacrosse my whole life.”
Warriors ambassador Paul (BizNasty) Bissonnette, the former NHL tough guy turned social media juggernaut who brought considerable attention on Twitter to the club with his mock tryout a couple of months ago, is slated to be on hand Friday, reeving up the crowd on Beach Party Night.
Vancouver (1-4) is looking to gain some traction in the National Lacrosse League standings. They have fallen once already this season to Colorado (3-2), dropping a 13-9 decision at the Pepsi Center in Denver on Jan. 4 on a night when Malcolm tallied twice, including a highlight-reel marker where he deked out Hawksbee.
One of the youngest players in the NLL this season, Malcolm has four goals and nine points on the campaign. Colorado picked the 6-foot, 170pound Malcolm in the second round, 23rd overall, in this season’s entry draft.
He led the B.C. Junior A league in scoring this summer with 106 points, including 41 goals, in 21 regular season games with New Westminster. He has another season of junior eligibility remaining.
“The difference is huge,” Malcolm said of playing in the 21 and under junior loop compared to the NLL. “It’s things like how fast the ball moves up and down the floor. There are a lot more skilled guys playing transition.
“It’ll be a little bit weird to go back to junior for one more season, but I know a few guys have done it over the years.”
Anthony Malcolm, 26, is in his fifth year in the NLL and gives Will someone close at hand for advice. The Warriors dealt Anthony to the Black Wolves in an October trade for a 2022 second-round draft pick that the Warriors in turn flipped to the Saskatchewan Rush for defender Nik Bilic.
Anthony, a right-handed forward, has one goal and five points in three games. The Black Wolves and Mammoth meet once this season, squaring off in an April 4 game at the Pepsi Center in Denver.
“He’s been doing this for a while now. The little things here and there that I’m experiencing, he’s already experienced. He’s already been a big help,” Will said.
The Warriors are at Colorado on April 17, before closing out the regular season the following week in Saskatoon against the Rush.
The NLL expanded to 13 teams in the off-season, adding a pair of teams. They have gone to three divisions. The top two teams in each qualify for the playoffs, along with the next two clubs with the best overall records.
Vancouver finished 5-13 last season, missing the playoffs for the fifth time in the past six seasons. This is their second season under the Vancouver Canucks umbrella and playing out of Rogers Arena. They spent five seasons based out of the Langley Events Centre under the Vancouver Stealth banner.