The arsenal has been reloaded.

Additions

Grant Ament (NCAA Draft), Eli Gobrecht (Entry Draft), Jack Rapine (NCAA Draft), Christian Mazzone (Entry Draft)

Losses

Christian Cuccinello (Expansion Draft), Ben Mcintosh (Expansion Draft), Dan Eipp (Expansion Draft)

Dual Quarterback System

A void was left at the X attack position when Christian Cuccinello was selected by Waterdogs LC in the expansion draft. Cuccinello was the team leader in points created on initiations from X, but Coach Chris Bates addressed the need by selecting Grant Ament from Penn State with the Number One pick in the College Draft. The dominant Ament holds the NCAA record for most assists in a single season in history (96). The rookie comes with a pass-first mentality that mirrors his new teammate Tom Schreiber from up top. 

Schreiber was the quarterback of the offense last season. This year, “The scariest offense on paper” now has a quarterback below GLE. The dual passing threats above and below the goal are a nightmare for opposing defenses. Not to mention the best shooting tandem in the PLL flank the passers on the wings; Marcus Holman and Will Manny ranked first and second in assisted goals last season. No one is more excited to have Ament on the Archers' roster than these two sharpshooters. 

The Rich Get Richer

The league’s best defense got better this offseason. Archers LC ranked first in total score against per game (10.6) and total score against in settled situations per game (6.62). The club added Eli Gobrecht in the Entry draft and the defender has a proven track record of guarding the best dodgers in the world. Gobrecht has demonstrated that he can slow down the speedy Jordan Wolf and cover the likes of Rob Pannell. No matchup is too big for this guy. 

The club placed an emphasis on protecting their defensive core this offseason. The addition of Gobrecht has everyone excited except for the other six clubs. Coach Bates stated that Gobrecht is “Somebody that I think can be a cornerstone of our defense for a long time.” He was an under-the-radar pick that could be in the conversation for best defensive player in the world after the championship series. 

The Third Pair

Last year the offense featured a lethal two-man game between Schreiber and the now-departed Ben Mcintosh and the duo presented numerous problems for opposing teams in 2019. Who will be Schreiber’s pairs partner this year? The good news is that Coach Bates has options to get creative. The roster has 7 players that have experience playing attack. Maybe Bates experiments with bringing Ament or Holman out of the box to present matchup problems? A big/little two-man game with Ament and Schreiber seems like a recipe for copious goals.