IL Indoor

The Mammoth are carrying just one true rookie on their roster in 2008, and that’s Dylan Llord.

Colorado selected Nathan Sanderson at the No. 26 spot in this year’s Entry Draft and in the next round they picked up Dylan Llord. The two forwards battled it out in camp for one spot on the team and Dylan won out.

“Dylan Llord came to camp with all the tools that make a successful NLL player,” said Colorado GM Steve Govett. “He has an outstanding stick with a great shot, from both outside and inside, and was always around the loose balls. We have heard it been said that he might be the next Craig Conn out of St. Catharines. His game is multi dimensional…”

As I noted in my Rookie Report today, however, it’s still a long road for those young guys to crack the line-up even if they impress at camp. While mature players like Jordan Hall, Merrick Thomson and Craig Point are having immediate impacts, most rookies are just trying to catch up with the speed of the pro game.

Dylan’s worked hard to earn himself a roster spot and he’s trying to take in as much as he can to become a regular in this league.

What was your mindset going into your first NLL camp?
Basically, just play my game and go from there. Not try to do too much.

And you essentially beat out Nathan Sanderson for a spot on the team. What was your relationship like with him?
I knew him ‘cause I played against him growing up and everything. It was good. We were just pushing each other and we were happy for each other, saying “good shot” and stuff like that. Really just trying to encourage one another. We knew there wasn’t a lot of room and we were pretty much like “may the best man win”… We were just going at it all out, trying to crack the squad. Nathan Sanderson signed with Toronto immediately after getting cut from Colorado, and he too is still looking to get into game action.

Now that you’ve had a few practices, are you starting to become accustomed to the pro game or is it still another step up?
I always feel like I’m learning more… I’m still just trying to adjust to the speed and strength of a lot of the guys. In Junior there are a couple guys that are strong, but in the NLL every guy’s strong. It’s just faster, and the guys are a lot smarter out there.

That’s the same thing Calgary’s rookie Dane Dobbie told me… So what’s the biggest adjustment you’re having to make?
Definitely the speed of the game is the biggest difference I’ve noticed so far…

Is there anything in particular you’ve learned?
Guys are just always saying that you’ve always got to keep your head up. There’s always something that can happen within a split-second; a guy can be open and you need to get it to him… Basically always have your head up and always have your stick ready to throw the ball. You don’t want to beat someone and have your stick down when there’s someone that’s wide-open that can get a shot away. You always want to be able to move the ball as quick as possible.

Tell us the feeling in the dressing room after two home wins?
The atmosphere is good. All the guys and the whole team is really tight. Everyone gets along really well… There’s a good feeling going on right now. You know, when you win it’s always a good feeling.

So what do you do during games as a healthy scratch?
Basically just try to watch the guys on our right-side and see what they’re doing. Like see where they’re beating the goalies, where they’re moving, where they’re picking and just trying to learn and watch as much as I can really.

I noted earlier we’ve been heard it been said your game is similar to Conn’s. Who do you model your game after and what can fans expect to see from you once you do crack the line-up?
I don’t know if I model my game after anyone. I think I just try to do what’s best for the team. Whatever I can do to help the team win. I don’t know ‘cause Craig Conn is really the ultimate power-forward. I did watch him when he was playing Junior in St. Catharines, so I guess I learned a lot of things from him. But coming up you want to be your own player.

Finally, what are you taking from this whole experience?
I’m just trying to take in as much as I can get. I’m trying to pick the brains of guys like Gavin Prout, Langtry and Wulder… just trying to pick their brains on what they see, why they’re doing that and why they’re doing this. Just asking, asking and asking… I just hope they don’t get too annoyed with me, but I’m just trying to learn from them. All three of the guys have been open. Even the guys on the left-side. I relate more to the righties because they’re going through all of the stuff I need to, but all of them are showing me so much stuff.

Is there a specific tip you’ve taken away? You noted always keeping your head up and stick in a position to make a play, what else?
I don’t know if there’s one particular thing… I guess Gavin Prout’s pretty big on the pick-and-rolls, and the way Jason Wulder sets picks is just so sneaky and his picks are so efficient. He always gets done what he needs to do.

Good stuff. Well, keep working hard and good luck if you get in.
Thanks a lot.

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