Mammoth, Desert Dogs Execute Trade During 2022 Expansion Draft

Hosting and executing the third NLL Expansion Draft since 2019, the Las Vegas Desert Dogs selected forward Brett McIntyre to become a part of the team’s inaugural roster during Thursday’s draft. Immediately following the draft, however, Colorado elected to execute a trade, bringing McIntyre back to the championship squad in exchange for forward Sam Firth and defenseman Erik Turner.

Making 14 total selections throughout the evening, the Desert Dogs, and lacrosse world in its entirety, witnessed the young forward take the next step in his game during the team’s 2021-22 NLL championship campaign. Racking up 16 points (7g, 9a) in six career postseason appearances during his rookie campaign, McIntyre showcased his ability to get teammates involved while converting on his own and solidified a key role in Colorado’s right-handed depth chart. Enough so that the organization felt justified in sending two young prospects back to Las Vegas in re-acquiring the UMBC product.

Firth made his professional box debut during Game 2 of the NLL Finals and finished the postseason with two points (1g, 1a) in two postseason appearances. Fellow first-year regular Erik Turner registered eight points (2g, 6a) 51 loose balls and nine caused turnovers in 17 regular season games for the Mammoth, adding one goal (1g, 0a) in one playoff appearance.

The draft night trade scenario marks the third-consecutive Expansion Draft in which the Mammoth has sent a pair of players back to the expansion team in exchange for its initial selection, as Chris Wardle was selected in both the 2019 and 2021 NLL Expansion Drafts, only to be sent back to Colorado for a pair of players in each instance (2019: Julian Garritano, Mike Mallory 2021: Will Malcom, Jordan Trottier). Goaltender Steve Fryer was the last player to be selected from the Mammoth and actually part ways with the team, as the Rochester Knighthawks chose the veteran netminder in 2019 when Rochester and the New York Riptide shared Expansion Draft honors.

For a complete list of results and trades from Thursday’s 2022 NLL Expansion Draft, fans can visit the NLL’s draft tracker and results article and stay tuned to Mammoth and NLL social media channels.