Colorado Mammoth Message Board

Hey Steve,

Just wanted to congratulate you and your team on the year so far. You guys are really setting yourself up nicely for a strong playoff run. I hope we can do it again!
I just wanted to say what a great job you've done bringing in rookies that can step right in. Last year, we all know the kind of season Carey had. This year, I think you guys have brought in some great talent in Shewchuck, Bloom and Gagic. I was surprised to read that both Gagic and Bloom were free agents. I don't know much about the game, but I was wondering how these guys are available in a time of expansion?
Also, getting Shewchuck in the 2nd round looks like a steal.
This shows you how great of a team you have to have 1st year players step in like this.

Good luck Steve, keep making us proud!

GO MAMMOTH,

Glen and Anne Hartley

Thank you for your very kind words. There is a lot of season left and we are just trying to focus on our next game and not worry about the playoffs until they are upon us.

You are correct, we are very happy with our crop of young players this year. Again, it is always our focus to fill roles. This past off-season we again focused our attention on the left handed offensive players in the draft. Sometimes you draft 4 guys to fill one spot, let them fight it out in camp and see who comes up with the goods. Jamie Shewchuk has been great in the early going this season and has continued to improve every game and practice.

The reason Jamie was available in the second round, probably had to do with his size, but mostly because other people were trying to fulfill other types of players on their roster. Many teams were looking for more veteran leadership and are reluctant to bring in an unproven commodity, we felt that our locker room chemistry was strong enough with our core of guys that we could take some chances this year. Jamie had a great junior career but his size was questionable, he has proven so far that this isn't an issue for him to contribute.

Nenad Gajic was drafted two years ago by San Jose, but was playing college hockey in Omaha, Nebraska and never reported to the team. In the NLL you retain the rights of a player for two years after the draft and then they become free agents that can sign anywhere they want. Once his two years had expired Nenad informed us that he might be interested in leaving college hockey and playing professional lacrosse.

He has been a great player in the summer leagues in Canada and is a very intelligent lacrosse player, far beyond his years. Nenad was highly sought after by many teams in the NLL and he ultimately decided to play for the Mammoth. An excellent pick up for us, that will be here a very long time come.

Jason Bloom was a bit of a surprise in the draft. We had him slated to go early in the draft and we never considered he would even be available to us. We were busy addressing other needs, ie. lefty offensive players, that as he began to drop off the list we thought we could get him after the draft as a "walk on" free agent.

Once Jason went undrafted, he was my first call the day after the draft with an invitation to camp. I am fairly sure that he wasn't drafted because he is currently living in Pensa Cola, FL finishing his masters degree. Other teams thought it would be too difficult to fly him in from Florida. Not so for us, we immediately recognized his tremendous athletic ability. Veterans in camp referred to him as "the horse". He is in great shape and will continue to be a very good player into the future.

I think the most important thing about all three of these guys is the quality of their character. Each of them is a great person from wonderful families. When you add quality individuals to the chemistry of your locker room like these young guys along with Carey, Taylor, Cornfield, Leveque and Burkholder you can rarely go wrong. It never hurts when they have great talent as well!!

SG

hey Steve-
Along the same lines, I was wondering about Gary Bining. I was pretty impressed with him over training camp, so I was surprised to see him go. I don't doubt your decision for a second (because you HAVE been playing longer than I've been alive). I'd just like to learn more about the team's needs and how some of the players have fulfilled them.
-Dani

First let me start off with saying that I love Gary Bining and the way he plays. I have watched him for many years as a young Burnaby Junior player and have had my eyes on drafting the talented left hander for many years.

With the 13th pick in this year's draft we were looking at replacing Chris Gill, as he was lost in the expansion draft. Gary's skill set was pretty much what we were looking for and felt he would be the best offensive left hander available when we drafted at #13.

When faced with a decision between Bining and Shewchuk we went with Bining first for a couple of reasons. 1 Gary was a little older and had some experience playing at a higher level in Senior lacrosse in the WLA and in the NCAA. Players that play in the NCAA sometimes have a different perspective on the game and life. Something we look for in a player because they have played box lacrosse their entire life but have experience living and playing in the US at school for 4 years.

Jamie Shewchuk was a junior player with great points at that level, but you just never know if it will translate at the professional level. We wanted both players but decided that Bining's history and career might make him more marketable to other teams. Ultimately we decided to take him first and felt that Shewy would be available with our second round pick.

Both are undersized, Gary shorter in stature and not very heavy, Shewchuk tall enough but lighter than we would want for this level. What we found in camp was that Gary was struggling to find his way into the middle, defenders were able to easily move him out of scoring position and made it very difficult for him to get anyone else open because his picks were ineffective on bigger defenders. His scoring opportunities were limited to outside shots.

Shewchuk puts himself in great position and his size doesn't seem to be a factor. He is an excellent shooter inside and has great floor vision. He has never been afraid to go in the middle and take the punishment that it takes to get the job done.

Cornfield and Taylor became available as time went on, both are great role players in our offense. Their size allows them to set great picks and they can both score if given the opportunity. Our goal is to fill roles with all our players, we must find the right guy to play in the individual spots, each possess a unique skill that they can bring to the table. Gary's philosophy is all about roles and "buying in", everyone subscribes to that philosophy from GM through the staff to the players to the equipment manager. Success comes from when the mixture works together seamlessly. Here's hoping that it works that way, sometimes it doesn't.

Unfortunately we had to make the ultimate decision to release Gary as we felt that he wasn't right for the mix that we were looking for. I truly beleive that he can play in this league and will get a shot at some point. He is a tremendous competitor and a wonderful person from a great family. He has aspirations to become a doctor and we wish him the best in his future. One day maybe the fit might be different.

SG