DENVER – When you think about the Colorado Mammoth as a unit over the past decade or so, certain guys who have been here for quite some time typically come to mind.
While we’ve already shown some love to some of the guys in that group, a la Eli McLaughlin, Jordan Gilles, Robert Hope and beyond, we’re dedicating the offseason’s final “Looking Back” to some of the team’s veteran pillars as the roster picture for the upcoming 2024-25 season continues to shift.
Guys who may not have enjoyed career-best figures last season, but were instrumental, nonetheless. We’re talking about guys like Josh Sullivan, Joey Cupido, Zed Williams, Connor Robinson and company. Quality contributors who gave their all, despite dealing with respective injuries and beyond.
That list (numerically, of course!) begins with one of team’s longtime defenseman in Josh Sullivan, who drew into nine regular season games after missing the first half of the season due to an upper-body injury. Eventually producing one point (0g, 1a), 13 loose balls, two caused turnovers and four blocked shots as one of the unit’s established veterans, Sullivan got his wheels going as the season progressed.
Typically greeted by the LOUD HOUSE mic man “Big Rob” with a big “SULLLLLYYYY” when he clears the ball past mid-turf, the slick-haired back-ender unfortunately completed his eighth season with Colorado on the team’s Injured Reserve List after suffering a lower-body injury late in the season.
Warren Jeffrey, better known as “Moose” in the Mile High City, hasn’t been with Colorado quite as long as Sullivan has, but it sure feels like it, as the big-bodied defenseman has been a regular in the team’s rotation since being drafted in the first round (sixth overall) during the 2019 NLL Entry Draft.
Recording a career-high seven points (1g, 6a), which includes a new personal-best six helpers, Jeffrey wasn’t much of a threat in transition, as the stay at home D-guy’s efforts are better exerted being a physical menace near goaltender Dillon Ward’s crease. Yet, he’s never been afraid to push the pace when leaking toward midfield, as he’s chipped in a few key goals over the year, including a few huge ones during the team’s consecutive trips to the NLL Finals (2021-22, 2022-23).
Ending the year with 68 loose balls, 17 caused turnovers (tied with Jordan Gilles for the team’s second-best total), 17 blocked shots (second to Robert Hope, who led the league with 28) and 25 penalty minutes, as one of the team’s known enforcing options (second to Jordan Gilles, who managed 31), Moose remained a key role for Head Coach Pat Coyle and Defensive Coordinator Dan MacRae once again.
Zed Williams has been here one less season than Jeffrey, originally acquired ahead of the team’s NLL Championship-capturing campaign, but it sure feels like he’s been filling nets rocking the Mammoth crest for a bit longer, doesn’t it?
Never afraid of some physical play, regularly backing down his defenseman for a post-up look or taking on a three, sometimes even four vs. one during a penalty kill, Williams is the definition of resilient when it comes to staying composed and confident in his game.
Finishing the season ranked third overall in team scoring with 55 points (30g, 25a), the total represents Williams’ second-best offensive performance to date, trailing only the 71 points (37g, 34a) from the 2022-23 go. Adding 75 loose balls (the most amongst forwards and fourth-most amongst all teammates), three caused turnovers and one blocked shots, Williams continues to be known for his flashy finishes and dominant approach.
Whether it’s flinging a behind-the-back pass, flying across the crease for a quality dive effort or drawing the attention of several defenders before dishing a dime, Williams can do it all, and very much as one of the team’s crucial contributors.
Yes, most seasons All-Pro netminder Dillon Ward would’ve earned his own “Looking Back” article, but the reality is that Ward and his surrounding defensive unit didn’t display their typical “lock down” defensive mindset last season. Eventually turning in a 4-9 record before missing the end of the season due to injury, the down campaign isn’t on Ward, alone.
He, for the most part, turned in several spectacular showcases throughout the season, typically standing on his head in attempting to keep the Mammoth in most games. But in a year where his O-Unit averaged just 10.72 goals per-game, there’s not much he could do on that end of the floor, short occasionally tossing a turf-length ball in hoping to spark a transition tally.
Chipping in seven assists (0g, 7a) throughout 15 regular season games played, he worked well with fellow veteran goaltender Tyler Carlson in holding down starting duties before getting banged up in April. Still able to defend a respectable .757 save percentage and 12.32 goals-against average during the up and down season, Ward was responsible for several of the squad’s victories last season. Just 1-4 as a team in one and two-goal games, Ward would’ve been up for All-Pro consideration once again had the scoring power been a little more potent in 2023-24.
(Missing fellow All-Pro Ryan Lee for the entire season will do that to a scoring attack, though.)
Joey Cupido has a unique way of connecting with his guys. A leader in the locker room and on the turf, the 12-year veteran and Mammoth assistant captain has been comfortably representing Colorado for more than a decade as one of the team’s top transition threats.
Coming off a pretty significant lower-body injury suffered during the 2022-23 season, “Lightning” most recently recorded nine points (2g, 7a), 50 loose balls, 11 caused turnovers and four blocked shots during 15 regular season appearances with the Mammoth. Very much one of the faces and hearts of the squad, he sometimes serves as the unit’s fourth coach, as he’s always involved with Pat Coyle’s defensive planning efforts in-season.
A fan favorite, no doubt, he’s one of the team’s longest tenured athletes in franchise history, currently ranked second in the record books with 169 regular season games played, second with 921 loose balls and first with 214 caused turnovers.
How many other squads had five guys post 55+ points last season? Not many. With Tyson Gibson and Connor Kelly taking steps forward in their respective games while soaking up some of the team’s shot-taking responsibilities, “C-ROB” embraced more of a support role alongside fellow lefty Eli McLaughlin, who led the team in scoring. That didn’t keep Connor Robinson off the scoresheet, though, as he eventually turned in 55 points (18g, 37a) in tying both Gibson and Williams for the third-most points last year.
Notching a new personal-best 37 assists while adding in 63 loose balls, two caused turnovers and 11 penalty minutes, Robinson was often utilized as a bit of a decoy after lighting the league up from distance the past two seasons (recording 41 and 35 goals, respectively). Working to create space for “Liger” most nights, he still pulled up and let it fly plenty, treating LOUD HOUSE fans to his “Magic Man” showcases. It wasn’t his best season, but it was far from his worst, and he’ll very much look to bounce back after dealing with some nagging injuries throughout the campaign.
Mammoth fans can stay tuned to coloradomammoth.com and Colorado Mammoth social media channels throughout the summer stretch as the team continues to craft its roster for the upcoming 2024-25 NLL campaign.
And with the 2024 NLL Entry Draft quickly approaching this fall, there’s plenty of reasons to stay in-tune with the burgundy and black squad!
