2024 Record and Result: 2-8, Missed Playoffs
Draft Selections: 1.1, 2.1, 3.1, 4.1, plus Whipsnakes 2nd round pick
Notable Free Agents:
Jake Carraway, A/M
Zach Currier, M
Matt DeLuca, G
Charlie Hayes, SSDM
Jake Higgins, SSDM
Connor Kelly, M
Kieran McArdle, A
Ben Randall, D
Ryland Rees, LSM
Jake Richard, SSDM
Chris Sabia, D
Christian Scarpello, SSDM
Alec Stathakis, FO
Matt Whitcher, SSDM
SEASON RECAP
The Waterdogs closed the season on a win, but finished with the worst record in the league, and had to spend a couple weeks playing out the season as they were eliminated early from playoff contention. It was the first year for new Head Coach and GM Bill Tierney, along with his staff. This is not the result that fans have been used to from the Waterdogs over the past two years. Two years ago, the Dogs were PLL Champions. Last year, they were just a few inches away from repeating, and were also a finalist in the PLL Championship Series. The fall has been precipitous and surprising.
In the early goings, the Waterdogs frankly felt unlucky. They lost in week one by a goal, and opposing goalie Brett Dobson made a ridiculous 23 saves on the day. They lose their two games over homecoming weekend. The first saw Cannons faceoff man Zac Tucci hit a two pointer from the logo as time expired, a miracle of a shot, and the second saw Kieran McArdle fail to score in overtime on a doorstep shot he hits 99 times out of 100. They were without a faceoff specialist early in the year as they waited for Alec Stathakis to finish school, and some critics pointed to this decision as a reason for the losses, although it was probably much more complicated than that. As the year went on, the tide never turned. They lost three OT games and five total one goal games over the course of the season. Late in the year, they looked like an offense without confidence. The proverbial “players gripping their stick too tight”, it was as if they were waiting for the other shoe to drop whenever positive things happened. At times, the offense deferred too much to Michael Sowers and Kieran McArdle, hoping they would create magic out of nowhere. After drafting Matt Brandau in the first round, they weren’t able to find a role for him to be consistently impactful in the offense. 2nd round pick Kenny Brower missed the season due to injury, and 4th round pick Michael Boehm only played in one game. 3rd round pick, Marcus Hudgins, became a regular starter on defense.
The defensive unit was solid. Middle of the league in scores allowed and SAA, with the league’s second best penalty kill. The SSDM unit remains one of the better groups in the league. Liam Byrnes missed time late with an injury, and his absence was felt as a help defender and an organizer. Hudgins established himself as a clear starter in the PLL, great both in coverage and off the ground. Ben Randall is quietly still one of the best close defenders in the PLL, and will be the top defender on the free agent market this offseason. The Dogs spent time with both Dillon Ward and Matt DeLuca in goal, and both finished the year over 50% saves, but there were certainly some rough games in net along the way. This unit still held the Chaos to six, they had excellent stretches against some of the best PLL offenses. Their average game score this year was a loss, 12.3 to 11.1, and that they lost a lot of games in the margins. But as Bill Parcells said, you are what your record says you are, and this year, the Dogs finished at the bottom of the standings.
OFFSEASON PLAN:
When he joined the team, Tierney talked about getting younger on the defensive end, and he tried to address that in the draft. He added Hudgins, a clear draft hit, and Kenny Brower is still a well regarded prospect who missed this year due to injury but could be a help next year. The changes may be coming on the offense for this team,
Thomas McConvey has another year on his deal, but he clearly fell out of favor with the Dogs. He played in just two games this year, both in June, and didn’t register a point. McConvey is in just his second year as a pro, showing flashes outdoors last year while turning in an outstanding rookie campaign indoors. The skills are there, but the gameday rosters this year suggest that McConvey might not be part of the long term plan. It’s tough to sell low on a player, but there could be a trade market for McConvey as midfielders with his skill set are often in demand. If the offense looks to get younger elsewhere, acquiring picks in the upcoming draft with players like McConvey could be an approach worth evaluating.
The offense could see some changes too. McArdle is a hall of fame attackman, but he’s now over a decade into his pro career and a free agent to be. If it’s time to start remaking the offense, McArdle may be more inclined to sign elsewhere in search of a championship. Getting something for him at the trade deadline would have signaled the rebound was underway, but that didn’t happen. Other veterans like Connor Kelly and Zach Currier could be in the same boat. Retaining some number of veteran winners is key for a locker room, but just who and how many is the question.
The Waterdogs pick first overall, with CJ Kirst being the clear top prospect available. A rebuilt attack with Kirst and Sowers is a great foundation for an offense. It could only be improved if the Dogs can find a way to better utilize last year’s first round pick, Matt Brandau. Carter Page was added after the season, a hard shooting righty who has the second most goals in school history at St Joe’s as in highly regarded as an indoor pro as well.
The Dogs offseason comes down really to one decision. Were we frankly just unlucky in 2024, losing on bad bounces and in one goal games that we usually win? Or was this year the first sign of a club descending from two years of success as it starts to age? If it’s the latter, it’s time to be aggressive about getting younger through the draft and finding the next generation of talent, building around Sowers and this year’s first round pick on offense. If it’s the former, bring this squad back, resign as much of that free agent list as you can, and see if this roster can flip to script on close games in 2025 and make one more run.
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