The Boston Cannons have signed former Waterdogs faceoff specialist Zac Tucci to a two-year deal.

Coming into free agency, Boston did not have any faceoff specialists on its 25-man roster. Undrafted rookie long-stick midfielder Ethan Rall took the bulk of the faceoffs in 2023.. Rall went 6-for-107 (5.6%) at the stripe; the Cannons’ gameplan relied on Rall to ride back faceoff losses and cause turnovers. However, the 2024 rule updates prohibit a player from facing off with a long pole.

In comes Tucci, for a fresh start with a new club. 

The Bedford, N.H. native won 54.3% of his faceoffs at UNC. The Waterdogs scooped Tucci as an undrafted free agent following the 2022 College Draft.

Tucci played four games for the Waterdogs in his rookie season, going 47-for-109 (43%) as the backup to Jake Withers. In 2023, Tucci made just one appearance all season.

With limited chances in his first two seasons, Tucci now has the chance to solidify himself as a permanent fixture at the faceoff in this league with Boston. With free agent faceoff specialists like Connor Farrell, Max Adler, and Justin Inacio still available, it’s possible the Cannons sign one of them as well to compete with him for the starting role in training camp. 

There’s also plenty of talent in the upcoming graduating class: Luke Wierman (Maryland), Tommy Burke (Ohio State), and Jake Naso (Duke) could all compete for roles at the next level. 

The Cannons have all the makings of a championship team everywhere else on their roster. Will Tucci be the guy at the stripe for Boston?