November 2009 Updates

Callum Crawford

Chad Culp

The Minnnesota Swarm completed a three team deal this week with the Colorado Mammoth and the Edmonton Rush:

• Swarm send Chad Culp to the Mammoth
• Mammoth send Ryan Powell to the Rush
• Rush send Callum Crawford to the Swarm

Callum Crawford will embark on his fifth NLL season in 2010 as a member of the Swarm. Crawford, a 6' 2" 195 lb. righthanded forwarded has been with San Jose, Calgary, Chicago and last year in Edmonton where he had his best season with 19 goals and 22 assists in 13 games.

Chad Culp was an original member of the Minnesota Swarm who has left the Swarm as their third leading scorer all-time in history. In his Swarm career, Culp scored 86 goals, 137 assists and 361 loose balls. In his seven years of NLL experience, Culp has 101 goals and 154 assists. Culp had six game winning goals including the winner in the Swarm's first ever win at home on February 25, 2005 against Rochester.

The Minnesota Swarm sent out an email to season ticket holders announcing that the December 5th pre-season against the Colorado Mammoth in Des Moines, Iowa has been cancelled by the Iowa Events Center which contains the Wells Fargo Arena where the game was supposed to be played. The IEC invited both teams to play at the Wells Fargo Arena but it appears that ticket sales were not going well. The reason for that probably is the apparent lack of promotion on the part of the IEC for a event that they were paying for.

The Swarm will instead be in Colorado practcing along with the Mammoth at their training camp facility. The two teams will have a scrimmage clsoed to the public that weekend. One speculated reason for the decision to go to Colorado that weekend is that the Swarm have been having trouble in finding an appropriate place in the Twin Cities to conduct practices.

The Swarm start training camp on November 27 in Six Nations, Ontario and will be there throughout that weekend. They may scrimmage against the Toronto Rock who are practicing in Six Nations that weekend also.

Scott Self

Kevin Croswell

Scott Self signed an one year contract Thursday with the Minnesota Swarm. The righthanded defenseman has had a much heralded career in the NLl and during the summer in Canada. He has won three Mann Cups with the Peterborough Lakers and has been a two time NLL All-Star. Self has played in 77 straight games going back to 2005. He has 30 goals and 91 assists in his nine year career and came to the Swarm on July 7 in the Ryan Ward trade. Self is well respected throughout the league and the teams he has been on in Arizona, Chicago and Edmonton have looked upon him as a team leader.

Kevin Croswell re-signed for two years with the Minnesota Swarm to battle for the number one spot in net for the team. Croswell will be entering his third NLL season after a breakthrough 2009 season which saw him go 3-4 with an 11.21 GAA and a .773 Save Precentage. Right now Croswell is probably the back up to Nick Patterson; however, Crozzy goes to camp with a new Head Coach in Mike Lines who may want to see how camp unfolds before he makes the decision on who will start the season against Calgary on January 10, 2009.

Zack Greer

Zack Greer signed a team history long three year contract today. The third overall pick in the 2009 Entry Draft, Gteer is being touted as the cornerstone of the Minnesota Swarm franchise for numerous years to come. Even before Greer has played a game in the blue and gold, Swarm owner Andy Arlotta has promoted him as the "Michael Jordan of Lacrosse" . Greer finished his college career at Duke then Bryant as the leading goal and point scorer in  NCAA history. The lefthanded forward recently was named as one of thirty players in the running to represent Canada at the 2010 World Field Lacrosse Championships. Even with his field lacrosse accolades, Greer grew up in Whitby, Ontario along side his brother Bill, who plays for the Orlando Titans, playing the indoor game throughout his youth at an extremely high level.

The Minnesota Swarm expect more out of Zack Greer than any player in team history. The expectations are extremely high already without a game in the bank yet the Swarm feel extremely confident that Greer can not only meet the challenge of their expectations but surpass those expectations to heights that have never before been evidenced in Swarm lacrosse. The first chance to see if the hype is real is on December 5th in Des Moines, Iowa when the Swarm take on the Colorado Mammoth in a preseason game at the Wells Fargo Arena.

Jay Thorimbert

Jay Thorimbert signed a two year contract today with the Minnesota Swarm. The righthanded forward maybe used in more of a transtion role as he starts his first season with the Swarm. Thorimbert was acquired on August 13, 2009 in a trade with the Boston Blazers. 2009 was his rookie year in the league as he was the main face off guy with the Blazers winning 217 of 372 draws. He also scored five goals and seven assists.

Ryan Benesch

Ryan Benesch signed a two year contract today with the Minnesota Swarm. The letthanded forward was acquired in the Ryan Ward trade from the Edmonton Rush on July 7, 2009. The 2007 NLL Rookie of the Year with the Toronto Rock scored seventeen goala and assisted on 27 in fourteen games in his only year with the Rush in 2009. Benesch was also the first overall pick in the 2006 Entry Draft by the San Jose Stealth but was traded in the gigantic Colin Doyle trade with Toronto right before the 2007 season.

Joe Cinosky

Joe Cinosky has been named to the 23-man 2010 United States Men's National Team that will travel to Manchester, England next July to win the gold in the 2010 World Field Lacrosse Championships. Cinosky will anchor the defense that will look to get back the gold they lost to Canada in the 2006 World Field Lacrosse Championships. Kevin Buchanan was one of the last cuts to draw the team to 23.