The New York Atlas signed defenseman Eli Gobrecht through 2026 in a move that will bolster the reigning champions’ defense following Gavin Adler’s departure to the Philadelphia Waterdogs.
Gobrecht comes to New York after five years with Philly. He’s an eight-year veteran, a two-time All-Star and a two-time champion. He played in six games for the Waterdogs in 2025, moving to short-stick defensive midfield to fill a hole for a Philly defense that embraced a youth movement.
At 32, Gobrecht brings experience and savvy to an Atlas defense that has work to do.
“I’m a huge fan of Eli,” New York assistant coach and defensive coordinator Joe Cinosky said. “He brings a lot of veteran experience. He’s a very dynamic guy that can kind of help fill the void. … He’s just a guy that does his job. He’s a lunchpail guy.”
Gobrecht’s versatility was also appealing to New York. He’s played close defense, long-stick midfield and, most recently, SSDM. The Ithaca College product is a useful chess piece for Cinosky to move around.
“If he does have to pick up a shorty, he’s capable with it,” Cinosky said.
With Gobrecht coming on board, Brett Makar re-signed through 2027 and Michael Rexrode re-signed through 2028, the Atlas have done about as much as they can to solidify their defensive core after Adler left in player movement.
“We’re not looking to replace Gavin Adler,” Cinosky explained. “I think that’s going to be impossible to do, but we definitely want to find somebody that’s going to fit the schematics of what we’re gonna have to do.”
Adler dominated individual matchups for New York in 2025. The club recognizes it will likely have to play a different style of defense in 2026.
“I think this year we’re going to probably lean into more of the team defense side of it, less focus on matchups and make sure that we kind of dictate areas where we can get shots and see shots from,” Cinosky said. “I don’t think it’s going to be a one-for-one replacement. It’s going to be more of a committee. It’ll have to be more of a team concept.”
The next opportunity for the Atlas to add to their defense will be in the College Draft in the spring. Defensemen Will Schaller (Maryland), Bobby van Buren (Ohio State), Alex Ross (Penn State), Will Donovan (Notre Dame) and Billy Dwan (Syracuse) are all high-quality prospects who could go off the board in the first round.
“We’ve only got one Terp on the roster right now with Brett Makar,” Cinosky, a University of Maryland alum, said with a chuckle. “I think adding some more Terps down low is going to be a key focus. There are also a lot of other good Big Ten options out there, even if you look into the ACC. There are a couple big-time lefties out there that are going to be off the draft board a little earlier than some of the other positions.”
A group of long-poles including the newly signed Gobrecht, Makar and Rexrode, along with Tyler Carpenter, Michael Grace and an early 2026 draft pick, should give New York optimism about life after Adler. Grace and Carpenter are versatile young defenders who, Cinosky projects, will embrace expanded roles in 2026.
“If you want [Grace] to go play pole, he goes and scores two bombs and has a bunch of assists, and starts transition,” Cinosky said. “If you ask him to go down low and cover somebody, I mean, he absolutely erases them off the mat.”
While Carpenter has starred at LSM in his two-year career, winning the Brodie Merrill LSM of the Year Award as a rookie in 2024, Cinosky sees potential for him to float around in the future.
“Tyler Carpenter is another guy where he’s going to be asked to do a little bit more, where he may be playing down low a little bit as well as up top,” the defensive coordinator said.
The process of reconstructing the Atlas defense for 2026 is not over. But by adding Gobrecht, New York has the experience and adaptability that sets a solid floor ahead of its title defense next summer.
