A new team begins preparing for a new season today as the Washington Stealth opens training camp for its 2010 National Lacrosse League campaign.
The Stealth, which played in San Jose last season, relocated to Everett in June. The team plays 16 games from January to April, including eight home games at Comcast Arena.
According to Stealth head coach Chris Hall, anticipation for the team and season is building.
“I’ve had the opportunity to be in the Everett area for a little while now, and the excitement that we’ve been welcomed with and the enthusiasm of the lacrosse community and all the other people in the community has been very special for me,” said Hall, a native of nearby Victoria, B.C.
“It’s great to see the support that’s been given to the organization and the team,” he said. “There seems to be a lot of excitement so far.”
Because the Stealth is not an expansion team, fans can expect a competitive squad right from the start. Roughly half the players on the Stealth’s approximately 35-man training-camp roster were with the team a year ago.
And so was Hall, who began the 2009 season as a Stealth assistant coach and was promoted to head coach midway through the year.
One of the team’s top players and a likely fan favorite will be forward Colin Doyle, who led the NLL in scoring a year ago.
“It’s probably rare when a new franchise comes to a city with a scoring leader in tow,” Hall said. “Colin Doyle is obviously one of the finest lacrosse players anywhere in the world, and (watching him) is going to be a real treat for fans.”
Another standout is Paul Rabil, a three-time collegiate All-American at Johns Hopkins University who is an NLL rookie. He is, Hall said, “an incredible athlete.”
Hall has made recent public appearances to promote the team, and “I don’t think there’s been anybody (in the audience) who didn’t know who Paul Rabil was,” he said.
With players such as Doyle and Rabil, the Stealth “come to the table with some superstars right off the bat,” Hall said. Fans in Everett “will be seeing the best of the best.”
The Stealth will use three training camp weekends in December and early January to evaluate new additions to the roster and to put the team’s offensive and defensive strategies in place.
“Training camp is relatively short,” Hall said, “so there’s not much time to implement a lot of stuff.” New players, he added, will face “a steep learning curve.”
The Stealth made other news earlier this week when president and general manager Johnny Mouradian, who had been with the team for six seasons, announced his resignation. He will remain with the team in an advisory role for about six months.
Because of the organizational changes, Hall said, the team is working overtime on its remaining player contracts “so we can bring all those things to a conclusion and get the guys here” for training camp.
Public welcome
The Washington Stealth opens its preseason training camp today with two practices at Comcast Arena in Everett. The sessions are from 8:30-10:30 a.m. and 5-7 p.m. The public is invited and there is no admission fee.
The National Lacrosse League team opens its regular season Jan. 9 at home against the Colorado Mammoth.
For ticket information, call 1-877-697-5849 or visit the team’s Web site at www.stealthlax.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
