Stealth acquire Moleski

Published 10:02 pm Friday, August 13, 2010

EVERETT — The Washington Stealth are showing that a National Lacrosse League title defense doesn’t start with the season opener in January.

The team’s acquisitions through the off-season’s past two weeks proves the point.

Washington, which acquired former Orlando defenseman Chet Koneczny in last week’s dispersal draft, traded away its first-round pick in the 2011 NLL Entry Draft to the Calgary Roughnecks on Friday for left-handed defenseman Jeff Moleski.

Moleski, a reserve in the 2009 NLL All-Star game and considered by many to be one of the best defensemen in the entire league, is entering his seventh season of professional lacrosse — he played his first six seasons in Calgary.

“He’s a tremendous natural athlete and has been, arguably, one of the top defenders in the league in the last couple years,” said Stealth head coach Chris Hall, who coached Moleski for three years in Calgary. “I had the pleasure of coaching him when I was in Calgary so I know exactly what we’re getting.”

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound, Prince George, B.C., native won the 2009 Champion’s Cup with the Roughnecks and averages 81 loose balls per season. “We are thrilled to have acquired one of the top defenders in the NLL today, and feel that this move was a very important step for our franchise,” Stealth general manager Doug Locker said in a statement released by the team. “Jeff is an outstanding lacrosse player, a great leader and a terrific person and he is a perfect fit for our organization. We could not be more pleased.”

“We’ve got a young team as it is, and Jeff will do a number of things for us,” Hall said. “He plays man-down, he plays for the face-off team. He’s tough, he’s a great, quick, strong defender and he runs the ball hard down the floor … I think he’s really going to bring a lot to our organization.”

Moleski, a 28-year old who was a fourth-round pick by Calgary in 2003, had 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) while scooping up 97 loose balls in 16 games last season for the Roughnecks. The defenseman also brings playoff experience with a championship ring and appearances in eight postseason games (four goals, two assists, 33 loose balls).

With the 2011 NLL Entry Draft lining up to have the most star potential in recent years, why abandon a first-round pick to add to an already top-notch defensive unit?

“It just made real good sense for us, it’s known that we have one of the youngest rosters in the league as it is, and it made sense to flip that pick for a guy the caliber of Jeff,” Hall said.

Calgary might have become more willing to part ways with a premier defender because the team acquired 6-foot-5 defenseman Paul Dawson from the Boston Blazers earlier in the week. Calgary sent a fourth-round pick in 2011 to Boston for Dawson.

“The 2011 draft is going to be very strong and Calgary is going to get a heck-of-a-good player out of that (first-round pick),” Hall said.

Entering the off-season with a desire to strengthen the left-handed defender slot, the Stealth have added plenty of skill at the position in the past two weeks.

“Really, we’ve added three (players) when you think of it (Koneczny, Moleski, re-signing Travis Gillespie),” Hall said. “Our left-hand side back there with (Mike) Grimes and (Eric) Martin … it’s big, strong and fast with a lot of experience. I think we completed the task on that side.”

Moleski, a distribution mechanic for a B.C. gas company and father of two boys, seems ready to lend his stick to the Stealth defense.

“I’ve heard nothing but great things about the Stealth organization,” Moleski said in a statement released by the team. “I’m extremely happy to be there and look forward to defending the title.”

Stay up-to-date on the Stealth’s offseason; go to Mark Nelson’s blog at cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/heraldnet/stealthblog.