SUMMER SCOOP - FROM THE FRONT OFFICE WITH STEVE GOVETT

Q: What has been your main focus during the off-season?

A: We need to focus on getting our players healthy for next season. With the number of injuries last season we had to focus on coordinating a tremendous amount of surgeries, travel, rehabs, followups. It appears that all of our players will be returning prior to camp and will be 100% ready to go for next season.

Never before in this league have I have seen anything like it. We lost 77 man games to injury last season, considering that we only have 23 players and 16 games that amounts to every player out for an average of three games. Challenging to say the least. Our ability to battle through the season and make the playoffs is a true testament to the entire team from coaches all the way through our roster.

Carey is back to playing full time in Peterborough for the Lakers this summer and contributing significantly. Murray is looking great and has lost 20 pounds rehabbing his knee and has already started running. Gajic is finally feeling no pain after two years and has already begun to run. Leveque and Forsythe both had shoulder surgery and are expected to be 100% by training camp.

Jim Moss has fully recovered and is very ready to go. Shewchuk is recovering well from back surgery, a full return is also expected for him as well by training camp. Guze is back playing this summer after the broken thumb and Catton is taking the summer off to full heal his knee injury.

The next focus is to address our anemic offense from last season. We have plans to implement a new system for the offense that should provide for a more dynamic approach to scoring goals and creating shots.

We have an added focus on our transition play. We believe that by having some of our defensive assets back to full strength it will take some pressure off of the transition players to be able to focus on creating opportunities to create odd man situations in transition. We will be placing an increased significance on our speed this coming season and it should translate into more offensive opportunities.

I am also personally focused on executing the NLL All Star Series in Melbourne, Australia in October. I have been working on this project on behalf of the NLL for two years now and am very excited to be taking the lead on this historic event. Check out the Ocober event at www.nllallstarseries.com

We are all focused on wishing John Gallant and his fiancé Jesse a wonderful wedding in Vail later this month!

Q: Fill us in on scouting trips...What do they entail?

A: Scouting takes place all the time for the Mammoth, we are constantly watching film of college games and MLL games, television has provided us with tremendous outlets to find new players that are both American field players and Canadian box players playing in school.

Coach McMahon is in Orangeville, Ontario and watches a number of junior and senior lacrosse games, Coach Perrault coaches in the Coquitlam Junior system so he also sees a number of junior and senior players in British Columbia. I have visited British Columbia once already, I will be heading there again to see the WLA western semi finals and junior finals. I will be attending the Minto Cup in Brampton and the Mann Cup in BC.

Trips are usually focused on spending time with players during the day at lunch or coffee, then attending multiple games at night, meeting our scouts and coaches is usually done at games where time can be spent evaluating players while watching them play.

Q: What happened on dispersal draft day?

A: The dispersal draft was a huge opportunity for us, we went in hoping to acquire one solid right handed offensive player to help bolster our offense. We had our sights set on Cory Conway, a 6'2 22 year old talented offensive player with a cannon for a shot, he will play in this League for a very long time, but felt he would be selected prior to our pick.

Ryan Powell was second on our list and only because he is older at 31, but an amazing talent living in Portland, OR. Last, we felt if both of those players were gone we would select Rich Morgan a very versatile, big left hander that can do lots of things.

We felt that our transition game is solid with the return of Gajic and the return of several defenders from injury that allows us to free up Carlson, Prossner, Safarik, etc. to be able to focus on transition rather than staying at home to play defense because core defenders are hurt.

Q: Who was involved in the dispersal draft and what actually happened this year?

A: Several hours were spent on the phone with GMs around the League, lots of conversations as many teams were attempting to move parts around. We refused to move our draft picks in this entry draft but were set on trying to get both Conway and Powell. As it turns out, a phone call five minutes before the draft presented the best opportunity we had heard.

If Ryan Powell was available at the 10th spot in the dispersal draft New York would select him and we would trade Danowski to NY for Powell, they agreed. When the 5th pick came along and Cory Conway was available we were ecstatic, a player of his age and caliber there was very fortunate for the Mammoth and then when Powell was selected by NY at #10 we knew we had just cemented the deal.

Danowski was a better fit in NY. He refused to travel anymore and will be more at home with other American players that he is familiar with. Perhaps there he will learn the indoor game and find out that you have to go through the middle to be successful in the NLL.

RP wanted to play in the west and is familiar with the Denver market and will be a welcomed addition to the Mammoth. A great player that can create his own shot while having unbelievable floor vision with a scorers touch will help us tremendously.

Q: What excites you about your dispersal picks?

A: When David Morgan, 6'11 defender was available to us in the 2nd round, we didn't even hesitate. Although older than his two brothers he has the ability to defend a lot of space as well as serve as a protector of our talented offensive players should they start to get knocked around. Don't be surprised to see him out on the offensive if people try to intimidate us.

Dallas Eliuk is someone that I have known most of my life. It never hurts to have an asset on your retired list, you just never know, look at Gaitor and Stilley, we got something for nothing there. In fact I spoke with him today and he is starting to train again. Never hurts to have a Hall of Fame goaltender in your mix.

We couldn't be happier with this dispersal draft, we were able to add 3 solid players that will contribute to our roster with potential all star caliber without giving anything of significance in return.

Q: How is the entry draft looking this year what opportunities do you see?

A: The entry draft is certainly a great opportunity for us. With the dispersal going as well as it did it frees us up to do a lot of things in the entry draft. We have great flexibility to be able to go in many directions with our picks.

We are not strapped by having to get a specific replacement for any one player. We have two selections in the entry draft at #4 and #5, we are ensured of getting two very talented players with those picks, two players that will step in right away.

With Rochester at #1 and #2 and Minnesota at #3 there are some very logical choices for them to make, so we have focused on the players that will be available after those spots. Every player we have spoken with is ecstatic by the chance to step into the League with this great organization. This is a very rich draft for western Canadian talent and should prove to be one of the best ever, a very good time to have two picks here.

We are also very excited that Andrew Potter is finishing his junior career by leading the Ontario Junior lacrosse league in scoring with 125 points in 22 games. Here is a player that should be entering the draft this season but because he chose to come into the NLL early now has two years of NLL experience and would have been a top five pick in this year's draft. We already have him.

We have the opportunity to add two young guns, Potter and Conway to our offense this season, every one of these guys will be under 22 years old - what a bright future for the Mammoth with two more picks in next season's draft. The draft will be interesting for us and with a fairly deep draft this season we will be able to find some other opportunities in the later rounds.

Q: What can we expect for the 2010 season?

A: I anticipate that this team will be far different from last season. With the return of our injured players, the addition of our dispersal draft players and the excitement surrounding the entry draft depth, we stand to be a very different group next year. Our staff and coaches are very energized to get going this season, our expectations are extremely high right now and look forward to gaining a spot back a top the NLL.