Little more than six months after their 2016 season ended in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, the Buffalo Bandits have begun training camp to try to find 24 players who can bring them back to the Champion’s Cup.
The Bandits’ coach, general manager and select players met the media on the first day of training camp Saturday as the team reported for physicals and meetings.
While the goals remain high and the roster looks a lot like last year’s, Bandits GM Steve Dietrich knows the team needed to get even better.
“Complacency is (the) next step to failure,” he told reporters Saturday. “So yeah, last year was great but we start all over again just like everybody else.
“Last year was almost a culmination for us,” he explained. “Things sort of went the right way for us but a lot of things didn’t go the right way for us. We didn’t luck into anything. I’m really excited about the group we have probably more than ever. I think we’re deeper, I think we have more scoring, I think our goaltending’s real good. I said this last year, but I think championship is what our goal has to be and I think it’s a realistic goal, I really do.”
The Bandits play two scrimmages Dec. 3 in Hagersville, Ontario against Rochester and New England. A week later, Buffalo hosts its annual “Open Practice” for the public Dec. 10 from 10 a.m. until noon, followed by an autograph session.
Rosters must be cut down by Dec. 15, before a final scrimmage at Toronto Dec. 17.
Buffalo’s training camp roster stands at 37 players competing for 24 spots (20 active, 4 practice squad). While the size of the rosters hasn’t changed, the NLL changed its rules to allow 17 runners and two goalies on game day after previously limiting to 16 and two.
Of those 37, 22 are returning from the 2016 Bandits. Buffalo has 16 offensive players, 18 defensive and three goalies. Of interest locally is 25-year-old Salamanca native Josh Becker, trying out as a left-handed shooting forward.
The players will work with coach Troy Cordingley and assistants Rich Kilgour and John Tavares while general manager Dietrich decides on the best combination of 24 Bandits.
“I think we all sat around the room after Saskatchewan beat us and realized that we need to be better on the left side,” Dietrich said. “I think we need to be more athletic on the left side. I think we have 9 or 10 maybe lefts vying for 3 or 4 spots so I think everybody’s got the idea that we need to be better on the left side. I like our right side, I like our defense and that being said, though, it’s going to be incredibly competitive.”
Buffalo returns almost all of a Champion’s Cup finalist team, with the exception of faceoff specialist Jay Thorimbert, a nine-year Bandit who signed with New England.
Cordingley insisted the rookies and Bandits newcomers will get a chance to crack the 24-man roster, despite the many veterans coming back the KeyBank Center Saturday.
“It doesn’t matter if they’ve played here last year or not or if they played in the league for the 10 years,” he told reporters. “It’s competition and our job as a coaching staff and management staff is to put the best team on the floor. We know what we have from guys last year but I know Steve has done a remarkable job of scouting and drafting and trading and doing things like that. He’s putting the numbers on the floor and making the competition, making the team better.”
(Salamanca Press sports editor Sam Wilson may be contacted at samwilsonsp@gmail.com)
