RIGGERS ADD GRIT
ROUGHNECKS OPEN SEASON FRIDAY
When the Calgary Roughnecks went looking for a little grit to add to their lineup, they saw the perfect candidate in Tor Reinholdt.
“I’ve been told that a few times, so I guess I am even if I don’t want to be,’’ chuckled Reinholdt, one of the newest members of the Roughnecks. “It’s kind of how I play. Gritty, get your nose dirty, aggressive … I wouldn’t say I have many friends on the floor.’’
That style of play earned kudos and a spot in the starting lineup as Calgary opens its 2014 National Lacrosse League regular season in Toronto against the Rock on Friday night. The 22-year-old Reinholdt, the team’s top draft pick in 2013, will rub shoulders with some of the most accomplished players in the NLL in the hopes of getting the fresh campaign off on the right foot.
“There were more eyes on you because there were less guys trying out,’’ the left-handed shooting transition player said of a successful training camp. “The older guys were checking out the new guys and they all had positive things to say to all of us. It really felt like a team. It was nice having a family atmosphere while you were trying out, which made it easier and a little less stressful.
“All the new guys that made it, we had three full scrimmages against NLL teams and that’s huge.’’
Reinholdt is one of a handful of young players who made the 20-man squad, including second, third and fourth picks Karsen Leung, Garrett McIntosh and Peter Dubenski.
“We knew what we needed to target: speed, athleticism, compete level and kids with big engines that can run for days, especially with the new NLL,’’ said head coach Curt Malawsky. “The rookies are character guys. More than once at camp a veteran came up to me and said ‘these rookies are good kids’. Coach (Bob) McMahon always says good people make good teams and that’s what we’re optimistic about: the growth of these kids under the tutelage of our veterans.
“We wanted to get a little bit more sandpaper and I really believe that compete level breeds compete level and our veterans have it. But it was nice to have a guy (Reinholdt) come in there, he got into a few guys’ faces and went after a job. He earned a spot on our team and that’s not an easy thing to do. He showed everybody that he’s here to win and he’s an ultimate team guy.’’
The 6-foot, 185-pounder out of Limestone College will move from Port Moody, B.C., to Calgary when the season starts as he attempts to become a consistent contributor to the cause.
“I just picked up some snow boots,’’ Reinholdt reported happily.
“The next goal for me,’’ he continued, “would probably be to somehow make my way onto the floor and help contribute to the team to win. That’s what it’s all about. Everyone’s on the team for a reason. Even if you’re not in the lineup, you’re at practice against the guys, making them better. No matter where you are on the team, you play a huge part. So my goal is to help out the team as much as we can to get us some wins and ultimately a championship.’’
Because that is, in essence, always the end game.
“Every year you go into the season and it’s championship or bust,’’ Malawsky said. “That’s obviously still our goal. We’ve always been a top team in this league and it’s hard to stay there. Things happen in cycles in sports all the time and we want to make sure we don’t come up empty-handed this year. We’re very excited and optimistic. We’ve identified some areas we needed to work on, we adjusted as a group and we’re going to come in (to Toronto) and make sure we put down the things we want to stick to.’’