The Maryland Whipsnakes have acquired LSM Matt Rees, a 2024 third round pick, and a 2025 third round pick from the Boston Cannons in exchange for defender Bryce Young and midfielder Connor Kirst.

Rees, a Baltimore native, reunites with his home city after picking up All-Star accolades last season with the Cannons. 

My initial reaction is that it is increasingly uncertain that Michael Ehrhardt will be a Whipsnake next year. The five-time Brodie Merrill Long-Stick Midfielder of the Year hinted at retirement at the end of this season, and I wouldn’t be shocked if it happened given this trade. If the Whipsnakes feel Ehrhardt is done, then bringing in a veteran like Rees to an LSM group alongside Colin Squires and Elijah Gash, who has immense upside but didn’t see game action in his rookie season, makes a ton of sense. While Rees is 30 and coming off a major knee injury, it feels like he could still make an impact on the field while helping the young LSM’s develop.

For the Boston Cannons, they pick up a solid close defender in Young and reunite two-way midfielder Connor Kirst with his brother and Cannons goalie Colin Kirst. In the near term, this trade will probably hurt the Whipsnakes next season given Young and Kirst’s roles and production on the team. Young, a starting close defender, was as steady as they came on the backline paired with Tim Muller and Matt Dunn while Kirst became a dynamic two-way midfielder at the next level due to his shooting ability.

Ultimately, I think the best part of the trade for the Whipsnakes is the third round draft picks. On paper, third round draft picks don’t sound super valuable, but they are. The 2024 and 2025 draft classes are shaping up to be some stacked draft classes as COVID year eligibility runs out for many across college lacrosse. The Whipsnakes should be able to get two high-quality players.

Stay tuned for a film study on Rees and who the Whipsnakes could potentially select with their 2024 draft picks.