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10 Man Ride: Brent Adams to Atlas

By Joe Keegan

PLL Analyst

Apr 1, 2021

CLEAR! The ride is on. We’ve had a busy week since the Entry Draft. Brent Adams was traded to Atlas LC. 23 players were claimed off waivers on Tuesday night.

Waivers runs again on Friday (and every Tuesday and Friday until April 30th).

Let’s recap the week of moves and where clubs stand as they build their 30-man rosters for training camp.

1. Brent Adams traded to Atlas LC

Cannons LC traded Brent Adams to Atlas LC in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2022 College Draft.

That is a steal.

Adams is one of the few true two-way midfielders in the league. Year-over-year his teams trend positively in transition defense – a must for teams with championship hopes. His injury history, a Championship Series out of position, and the recent influx of talent may have hurt his market value. Make no mistake about it – if the Bulls get the best version of BA, then this is an absolute bargain.

Adams gives head coach Ben Rubeor another versatile midfielder. Bryan Costabile showed two-way chops as a rookie; bank on Joel Tinney seeing more time between the arcs as well. With one or two of those players at SSDM, Atlas has potential to push 4-on-3s and 5-on-4s. Even in 5-on-5 unsettled situations, Adams’ speed is too much to contain.

Rubeor has revamped this roster. He has four top-11 picks in his pocket. There’s serious potential to win now and to build a bright future.

2. Archers claim Latrell Harris

Waiver claims:

  • LSM Latrell Harris (Toronto Rock, NLL)
  • A Nate Solomon (Chesapeake Bayhawks)
  • G Nick Washuta (Denver Outlaws)

Roster size: 26

College Draft picks: 5th, 13th, 21st

We haven’t seen Harris play much field lacrosse, but he’s been playing in the NLL since graduating high school. He ran SSDM for Team Canada in 2018; now, he’s listed as an LSM. That versatility on the rope unit – along with Harris’s off-the-charts athleticism – makes him one of the more intriguing waiver wire pickups.

Attackman Davey Emala and LSM Michael Simon were both sent to the player pool, bringing the Archers’ roster to 26 players at the moment.

3. Atlas adds another Outlaw pole

Waiver claims:

  • A Mark Cockerton (Boston Cannons)
  • G JD Colarusso (UAlbany)
  • LSM Kyle Pless (Denver Outlaws)

Roster size: 25

College Draft picks: 1st, 8th, 10th, 11th, 17th, 26th

Kyle Pless will re-join his former Outlaw teammates Michael Rexrode and Andrew Newbold on Atlas LC. That unit played well in the MLL bubble; time will tell how it holds up against PLL offenses.

Mark Cockerton – who played for Rubeor with the Boston Cannons – is a great pickup. Of all the lefties in this class, Cockerton and Andrew Kew (more on him in a minute) are my two favorites.

Atlas has just enough room to bring six rookies to camp right now. Chris Mattes (Excused Inactive List) is one of the 25 players on the team; if he remains inactive and Rubeor uses all of his picks, Atlas would have 30 players.

4. Cannons claim nine (9) players! 

Waiver claims:

  • M Luke Anderson (Chesapeake Bayhawks)
  • D Holden Garlent (Chesapeake Bayhawks)
  • M Chris Hogan (Penn State)
  • D Scott Hooper (Boston Cannons)
  • A Shayne Jackson (Philadelphia Barrage)
  • LSM Chase Levesque (Chesapeake Bayhawks)
  • D Justin Pugal (Boston Cannons)
  • A John Uppgren (Boston Cannons)
  • A Bryce Wasserman (Boston Cannons)

Roster size: 30

College Draft picks: 9th, 25th

Quirk and his staff were the most active on the waiver wire (and after waivers processed). They put a premium on defensemen after learning Curtis Corley will be unavailable in 2021.

Garlent is a great find. He’s a walking arm pad advertisement. Levesque – college teammates with Reece Eddy – impressed as a rookie, too.

Quirk also brought back four members of their 2020 MLL Championship squad: Hooper, Pugal, Uppgren, and Wasserman. Culture matters to Quirk. Continuity and soft skills separate teams in a league where every team has talent.

Plus, those dudes can play. This assist by Uppgren is as slick as it gets.

5. Andrew Kew to Cannons LC 

Savvy move here: Redwoods LC head coach Nat St. Laurent put in a claim for Andrew Kew (Chesapeake Bayhawks) then dealt him to the Cannons for their third-round 2021 College Draft pick (24th overall).

Kew is a product of The Hill Academy – the school’s 10th graduate on a PLL roster now (joining Chris Cloutier, Clarke Petterson, Josh Currier, Dillon Ward, Ian MacKay, James Barclay, Ryan Lee, Bryan Cole, and Kyle Jackson).

He’s a big shooter who can finish from range or in tight with defenders draped all over him.

6. Chaos stays quiet

Waiver claims: none

Roster size: 25

College Draft picks: 6th, 14th, 15th, 19th, 22nd, 30th

Head coach Andy Towers grabbed Chase Fraser and Dalton Crossan on waivers prior to the Entry Draft. He was quiet this week, but could be making a move closer to camp. Chaos currently has 25 players on its roster – both Matt Rees and Johnny Surdick are on the Military List. If one cannot go, they can bring six rookies to camp; if neither can go, they’ll be dipping into the waiver pool.

7. Chrome claims Beville and Weyl

Waiver claims:

  • SSDM Ryan Beville (Connecticut Hammerheads)
  • D Greg Weyl (Connecticut Hammerheads)

Roster size: 26

College Draft picks: 3rd, 12th, 20th, 28th

Chrome needed defensive depth after losing LSM Reece Eddy, D Jake Pulver, and SSDM Sam Duggan in the Expansion Draft. 

They brought in Ryan Beville and Greg Weyl. Beville played for John Galloway at Jacksonville. Weyl has taken some tough matchups as a pro; he caused a ridiculous 44CT as a senior at Mercyhurst.

8. Redwoods claim Phipps

Waiver claims:

  • G Brian Phipps (Chesapeake Bayhawks)
  • A Andrew Kew (Chesapeake Bayhawks) (traded to Cannons LC)

Roster size: 27

College Draft picks: 4th, 24th, 29th, 32nd

Landing Phipps – the ultimate teammate – gives the Redwoods goalie depth with Jack Kelly’s future up in the air. Kelly is currently on the injured list; Matt Landis is on the military list.

Don't count on the Woods being too active on waivers. With 27 players and four draft picks, they have enough for training camp. Kelly's and Landis's statuses could bring them below. A draft day deal packaging picks to move up would, too. There's a lot of offseason left; you can never rule out a Redwoods trade.

9. Waterdogs add Matt Whitcher

Waiver claims:

  • M Matt Whitcher (Philadelphia Barrage)

Roster size: 27

College Draft picks: 2nd, 18th, 27th

Whitcher is a big, physical defensive midfielder. He complements Steve DeNapoli nicely on the rope unit.

The York product defends picks like a Whipsnake would. Oh, you want to pick here? Nah, how about you go over there. By pushing pickers around, Whitcher gives his teammate room to run under, and throws off the rhythm of the two-man game.

(Roster note: With Noah Richard on the military list and only three college picks, the Waterdogs could potentially add one more via waivers prior to camp.)

10. Back-to-back champs add a 4-time champ

Waiver claims:

  • M Matt Abbott (Chesapeake Bayhawks)
  • FO Kevin Reisman (Boston Cannons)
  • LSM Alex Spring (New York Lizards)

Roster size: 23

College Draft picks: 7th, 16th, 23rd, 31st

The reigning champs added four-time champion Matt Abbott and depth behind Joe Nardella and Michael Ehrhardt.

Keep an eye on the Whipsnakes during the next few waiver runs. They still need a backup goalie, and they have room to add a couple more players.

Thanks for reading!

Subscribe here to see the 10 Man Ride in your inbox every Thursday, submit any questions to me on Twitter (@joekeegs), and I’ll talk to you next week!

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