‘Love to bring a lacrosse championship to Boston’
Syracuse defenseman Mellen ready for professional career with Cannons
Defenseman Nick Mellen is ready to get back on the lacrosse field.
The Boston Cannons’ first-round pick (fourth overall) in the 2020 Major League Lacrosse Draft had one season canceled and a second put on hold as a result of the global COVID19 pandemic.
Mellen is home in Syracuse, N.Y., using every means at his disposal to keep in game shape in a state slowly emerging from a government-decreed lockdown.
“I’m keeping myself busy but the gyms haven’t been opened so I have found the means to work out every day one way or another,” said Mellen.
“Whether it be going to a local field and hopping a fence or working out in my driveway or working in my front yard. I’ve been finding the means to work out pretty much every day staying in shape.
“I’m just kind of keeping myself ready physically so whenever the MLL season is announced I’ll be ready to game-on. But I can’t drive myself insane. I’ve got to be patient and control what I can control and that’s staying in great shape.”
Mellen was a fifth-year senior, a two-time thirdteam All-America selection and team captain at Syracuse intent on making serious runs in the ACC and NCAA tournaments.
Mellen was a preseason All-America and All-ACC nominee and was named to the Tewaaraton Award watchlist. Mellen considers individual accolades nice trappings, but he is a teamoriented player singularly focused on protecting the Orange’s cage.
Syracuse was ranked No. 1 in the country after a 5-0 start that included key nonleague wins over No. 7 Army and Johns Hopkins when the NCAA closed shop.
“I definitely felt like we were a title contender,” said Mellen. “I’m trying hard not to think about it just because I thought we were on track to be the best team in the country, no doubt about it.
“Our team from top to bottom was all set from our attack to our midfield to our defense and to our goalie. We were definitely on our way.”
Mellen was left with two choices. He could come back for a sixth collegiate season or sign with the Cannons and begin collecting a paycheck for his bumps and bruises.
Mellen had played in 47 career games and had accrued 101 groundballs and 55 turnovers, impressive numbers to build upon in the ACC. Mellen didn’t have to think very hard before signing a rookie contract with the Cannons on April 15.
“It really wasn’t a difficult decision to be honest with you,” said Mellen. “I was a fifth-year senior and the oldest guy on the team and I was 23 and still in school.
“I just knew it was going to be my last year and I was ready to move on professionally. Sometimes it’s hard to find an academic program that makes a year of lacrosse worth it.”
The Cannons are an original MLL franchise that have played in various stadiums in the Greater Boston area. The Cannons currently play their home games at Memorial Stadium in Quincy.
The Cannons were scheduled to begin on May 30 against the New York Lizards in Hempstead, N.Y. MLL has not finalized a timeline for when teams can resume training but hopes to begin an abbreviated slate of games in July.
“There is a championship culture in Boston and I would love to bring a lacrosse championship to Boston,” said Mellen. “To have an opportunity to be a part of that scene would be great so I’m more than excited to get started.
“From the owner, to the GM to the coach to the players, I was very welcomed and I feel like I’m in a great situation there.”
At 5-foot-9, 187 pounds, Mellen is built more like an attackman than a long pole on the back end. Mellen built his game around being a disruptive force capable of blowing up the opposition’s attack schemes and clearing the zone.
“I define my game as solid footwork and really good angles on defense,” said Mellen. “I play good position defense and when you have position down, takeaways just come along with that.
“To play good defense takes good body position and good footwork. That’s when you get the takeaways, from good poke checks and being a disruptor.”