Roughnecks trade up to net offensive punch at NLL Draft

The Roughnecks acquired the fifth overall pick from the San Diego Seals.

The Calgary Roughnecks needed more punch.

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So on draft night, they traded up and took two swings before most National Lacrosse League teams had taken one.

The Roughnecks acquired the fifth overall pick from the San Diego Seals, surrendering No. 10 and its 2027 first-rounder, then used the selection on NCAA Syracuse Orange forward Joey Spallina.

It was an aggressive price for an aggressive solution.

The Roughnecks finished 6-12 last season and failed to make the playoffs. They won three of their final four games, but too many nights required the defence and goaltending to make up for a lack of offence.

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So GM Mike Board entered the six-round draft looking for offence that could help immediately.

Spallina arrives with plenty of it. He produced 143 goals and 333 points across 71 games with Syracuse, earned second-team all-American honours and became one of seven players in program history to record at least 100 goals and 100 assists. He also helped the United States win silver at the 2024 World Box Lacrosse Championship.

The trade gave Board and the Riggers the opportunity to secure that résumé before waiting only two more picks to select NCAA Princeton Tigers forward Chad Palumbo with the seventh overall selection.

Palumbo scored 102 goals and 163 points in 53 games for the Tigers. The Newton, Mass., product was named first-team all-Ivy League as a senior.

“It couldn’t have gone any better for us,” Board said. “We filled some needs, and the two guys we got early in the first round can come in and play right away and add to our offence.”

The key words there are “right away.”

Spallina and Palumbo give the Calgary crew two polished offensive options rather than another long-term lottery ticket.

Moving a 2027 first-round selection made the Spallina deal a sizeable gamble, but standing still at No. 10 risked watching the desired firepower disappear from the draft board.

After loading up front, the Roughnecks spent the rest of the evening building the back end. Their final five picks were defenders, beginning with a local national champion.

Calgary-born Zach Moen went 14th overall after helping the Okotoks Jr. A Raiders capture the 2026 Minto Cup — the first Alberta-based team to win Canada’s junior-A box lacrosse championship. Moen recorded eight points and 30 penalty minutes in 13 RMJALL games and also attended the University of Ottawa.

The Roughnecks then selected Kaden Kublinskas, Luke Soenen, Alex Ross and Zach Vanderwal, adding defensive depth from junior, university and professional field-lacrosse programs.

The draft doesn’t guarantee a quick turnaround. Training camp will determine who is ready for the NLL’s speed and physical punishment.

But the Roughnecks identified their most pressing need and refused to wait for help to reach them.

They traded up, grabbed two scorers and spent the rest of the night finding people to stop everybody else.

Stay tuned for how that turns out.

From the source [email protected] www.x.com/ToddSaelhofPM

2026 CALGARY ROUGHNECKS DRAFT RECAP Round 1, No. 5 — Joey Spallina, forward; Maryland Whipsnakes (PLL), Syracuse University (NCAA) Round 1, No. 7 — Chad Palumbo, forward; Carolina Chaos (PLL), Princeton University (NCAA) Round 1, No. 14 — Zach Moen, defender; Okotoks Raiders (RMJALL), University of Ottawa (CUFLA) Round 2, No. 31 — Kaden Kublinskas, defender; Brampton Excelsiors (OJALL), Laurier University (CUFLA) Round 4, No. 45 — Luke Soenen, defender; Calgary Mounties (RMJALL), Simon Fraser University (MCLA) Round 4, No. 51 — Alex Ross, defender; New York Atlas (PLL), Penn State University (NCAA) Round 5, No. 54 — Zach Vanderwal, defender; Port Coquitlam Saints (BCJALL) (2/2)

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