A completely different outlook for this Philadelphia Wings team as they revamp their roster with major changes done through the course of the off-season. Starting off with Paul Day stepping down as the Wings head coach to focus solely on the General Manager role. One of his major moves was to move on from goaltender Zach Higgins, sending him to the Ottawa Black Bears in exchange for forward Phil Caputo, defenseman Liam Patten and a 2027 first round pick. Plus picking up goaltender Nick Damude in the Panther City Dispersal Draft. Now with Damude and Deacan Knott playing at the goalie position its going be very interesting to see what these guys can do.
The Overhaul
Picking up a number of pieces from Panther City, including transition player Tony Malcom who had 9 goals and 14 assists last season. The Wings also picked up Tim Manning and Connor Sellars. Paul Day definitely looking to bring some of that success over to the city of Brotherly Love. Paul Day also kept some impact players during free agency in Scott Dominey, Sam LeClair, and Alex Pace. Not too long ago was the NLL draft and Philadelphia Wings had the first overall draft pick, selecting the best offensive weapon in Brennan O’Neill from Duke University. He led Duke with 54 goals and 27 assists last season. He’s an absolute playmaker who also had an opportunity to play field for Denver in the PLL, making a huge splash with 17 goals and 8 assists, while leading the league in shots and being a finalist for the PLL’s Rookie of the Year award. As a homegrown Philly kid, I know Philadelphia will be excited for someone who’s not going to hold back from shooting the ball.
My Aftermath
After getting one whole season of Mitch Jones, I thought for sure this was going to be a playoff team but things didn’t come close to panning out that way. But now I’m really highly optimistic with this Wings team. Paul Day now stepping down from head coach and just focusing on the GM role is going to be huge. Plus signing familiar faces to be part of the coaching staff his going to be a plus for this city. Like signing Ian Rubel. Ian Rubel was the Philadelphia Wings Defensive coach back in 2018. Now in the head coaching role, I am very interested to see how that’s going to play out. NLL Hall-of-Famer Pat McCready also joins as an assistant head coach – I am curious to see what he brings to the table. The Philadelphia Wings’ opening game on December 1st will featured on ESPN 2. That’s huge for both the city and the lacrosse community at large to see what this revamped Wings team has to offer.
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