NLL Insider Top 50: Jeff Zywicki #27

December 18th, 2009 by Paul Tutka

Jeff Zywicki, Washington Stealth

Last year, we had Jeff Zywicki ranked fifth in our National Lacrosse League Top 50, and trust us, it was well deserved based on the ‘08 season he spit out.

He was a legit MVP contender, trailed only Athan Iannucci’s record smashing 71-goals, led the Stealth in total points, sat fifth on the league leaderboard, and was a short-handed scoring monster with seven man-down goals, easily tops in the bigs. He did it all, and although Iannucci grabbed MVP honours, Zywicki’s season was definitely runner-up material, MVP favourite stuff during most other seasons. Last year however, the same could not be said.

Outside of his power-play digits, almost all of Zywicki’s offensive numbers took a hit, maybe the most disappointing, his goal total dropping from 48 to 32.

With that said though, there were still only 13 players in the entire league that bettered Zywicki’s goal, assist or point total, so while the MVP talk mighta dropped off in ‘09, he’s still considered one of the league’s top power forwards, whose tireless off-ball work doesn’t show up on the score-sheet, ditto for his heart.

So while his slightly below career best play during the Stealth’s season simply moved him down the depth charts in the NLL Insider’s Top 50, his spot on Team Canada was an entirely different story.

Considered a lock by many and an insanely important piece of Canada’s ‘06 World Championship winning side, Zywicki was left off the country’s short-list, a first round cut earlier this year when the nation’s final 30 in-the-running ball players were announced. Jaws around the country dropped, many still unhinged by the exclusion.

Zywicki remains unsigned heading into the year, rumours running rampant since the entry draft in September linking Zywicki to various trade speculation, seeing him potentially moved somewhere East.

So, was Zywicki’s ‘09 as stellar as his ‘08? Well, no, but that definitely doesn’t drop him off the pro game’s elite forward map. He’s still right up there.

But with only weeks before we flip our calendars one last time in ‘09…

Will Zywicki’s goal scoring pace terrorize the league again? Will Team Canada regret not keeping an ‘06 All-World attacker (and top tournament attacker) when they role into Manchester this upcoming summer? Will Zywicki remain with the Stealth come January?

Oh yeah, and maybe most importantly, will Zywicki throw any more yard sales this season…

# (last year)
28 (38) Brian Langtry, Colorado Mammoth
29 (44) Shawn Evans, Rochester Knighthawks
30 (41) Jeff Shattler, Calgary Roughnecks
31 (NR) Dane Dobbie, Calgary Roughnecks
32 (NR) Merrick Thomson, Philadelphia Wings
33 (NR) Daryl Veltman, Boston Blazers
34 (NR) Ian Hawksbee, Edmonton Rush
35 (NR) Phil Sanderson, Toronto Rock
36 (11) Ryan Cousins, Minnesota Swarm
37 (NR) Tyler Codron, Toronto Rock
38 (33) Luke Wiles, Washington Stealth
39 (47) Steve Toll, Rochester Knighthawks
40 (19) Blaine Manning, Toronto Rock
41 (37) Sean Pollock, Minnesota Swarm
42 (NR) Mike Carnegie, Calgary Roughnecks
43 (NR) Scott Stewart, Edmonton Rush
44 (NR) Kaleb Toth, Calgary Roughnecks
45 (NR) Matt Disher, Edmonton Rush
46 (23) Ryan Ward, Edmonton Rush
47 (NR) Kyle Ross, Boston Blazers
48 (NR) Matt King, Calgary Roughnecks
49 (NR) Mac Allen, Rochester Knighthawks
50 (NR) Nick Inch, Minnesota Swarm