EVERETT — The Washington Stealth made a splash with their first roster move of the offseason, trading all-star forward Luke Wiles to the Buffalo Bandits in exchange for two draft picks on Friday.
The deal is pending approval by the National Lacrosse League.
The Stealth receive a thir
d-round selection (23rd overall) in this year’s NLL Entry Draft, and a second-round pick in 2012.
Wiles’ home and his family situation were contributing factors in Stealth general manager Doug Locker’s decision to trade the right-handed forward to a team on the East coast. Wiles and his wife live in Philadelphia and the couple have a three-week old daughter.
“Luke has been an extremely valuable member of the Washington Stealth for the past two seasons,” Locker said in a press release. “However, a young family has made it necessary for him to play closer to home. On behalf of our organization, we thank Luke for his many contributions on and off the floor here in Washington and wish him all the best moving forward with his career in Buffalo.”
Locker and Wiles both said that the split was mutual. Wiles called the trade was “a business decision” for the Stealth and “a family decision for me.”
“For me, it’s very hard, I spent five years with these guys and these are guys that I have come to love,” Wiles said. “Moving forward, I have to look out for my family and stuff.”
While leaving the Stealth is difficult, Wiles sees an opportunity to contribute with his new team.
“In Buffalo, I see that I can compete for the top job on the right side,” Wiles said. “I feel like I can come in and be a horse on an offense that is very strong.”
Stealth coach Chris Hall said Wiles will be missed. He described Wiles as a tough player to play against.
“Goal scorers are tough to find in this league,” Hall said. “Luke is not easy to defend. He can beat you inside and he can beat you outside.”
It was difficult on both parties to part ways, but Hall and Locker believe that they have options to help replace Wiles. Forward Craig Conn should help pick up some of the offensive slack, but one of the more exciting players to help fill the void will be fan favorite Paul Rabil.
“We’ll miss him (Wiles), but I think, also, it’s time for Paul Rabil to play a little bit more offense now,” Hall said. “It’s kind of a natural progression for Paul to step up and play that role now that Luke is gone. I think Paul understands the game well now and understands what it takes and what he has to do.”
Locker said that having Rabil contribute more on offense will make the job for opposing defenders that much harder.
“It has got to be a nightmare to plan for because every time Paul has the ball in his stick he is a threat,” Locker said. “He is an extremely powerful threat for us.”
What benefit the trade yields for the Stealth remains to be seen.
“You never know if you are going to get the value you want until you utilize those (draft) picks,” Locker said.
Locker added that there are sometimes sleepers in the draft’s later round. For instance, Stealth goalkeeper Tyler Richards was drafted in the third round.
The Stealth don’t have any selections in the first or second round of the 2011 draft. They have two selections in the third round.
In two seasons with the Stealth, Wiles amassed 109 points (53 goals, 56 assists) in 31 regular season games. Wiles reached 60 points last season (29 goals, 31 assists) while helping the Stealth return to the NLL Champion’s Cup, where they lost 8-7 to the Toronto Rock.
Wiles won a championship with the Stealth in 2010 when Washington defeated Toronto 15-11. He scored four goals and dished off three assists in the 2010 playoffs.
“In terms of on the floor stuff, he was a very important part of the championship run of 2010,” Locker said.
Wiles also was instrumental in keeping the Stealth afloat last season after the team lost forward Jeff Zywicki to a knee injury for much of the season. Wiles’ offense in Zywicki’s absence was key to being named to his first all-star game.
In six NLL seasons, Wiles has accumulated 363 points (159 goals, 204 assists) in 91 regular season games. In addition with his time with the Stealth the past two seasons, Wiles also spent 21⁄2 seasons with the Stealth when the team was based in San Jose between 2006 and 2008. He currently ranks sixth in goals scored, seventh in assists and sixth in total points in franchise history. He has also played for the Philadelphia Wings and the Rock during his NLL career.
Parting with the Stealth is sweet sorrow, Wiles said.
“I want to thank Denise Watkins (Stealth owner) for allowing me to play in that organization and I want to wish the men all the best,” Wiles said. “Denise is the best owner I’ve played for to date, other professional athletes would be lucky to play for an owner like that.”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
