Coming off his best year in the National Lacrosse League, Corey Small is itching to get going on the Victoria Shamrocks’ regular season.
The popular Shamrocks sniper is coming off a campaign in which he recorded 37 goals and 47 assists for 84 points in 18 games for the Vancouver Stealth, who were eliminated from NLL playoff contention last weekend. Small finished 16th in league scoring and had three game-winners for the Langley-based club.
Small’s previous best was 32 goals and 43 assists for 75 points between Vancouver and Edmonton the year previous. His career NLL totals in 97 games are 156 goals and 216 assists for 372 points.
He also tallied in every single game this year for the Stealth as he continues his goal-scoring prowess, along with Rhys Duch, who had 48 goals and 63 assists for 111 points — good for fifth in the NLL — with the Stealth.
The two are staples on the Shamrocks’ roster, and although Duch will take time to recover, Small has already been training with the defending Mann Cup champions.
He’s more than ready for the Western Lacrosse Association league opener on May 20th at home against the Nanaimo Timbermen. The Mann Cup banner will be raised that night on a special evening in which many fans will expect Small to be wearing the ‘C’ as team captain, replacing retired Scott Ranger.
Small was the most valuable player in the 2015 Mann Cup playoffs and led the WLA in points with 79 in the regular season.
“He’s become one of the integral leaders on this team. I think Smallsy is a guy that is dedicated to this team. He knows that it’s a special culture and he’s a huge part of it,” said Shamrocks head coach Bob Heyes. “If you draw up what you want in a Victoria Shamrock, he’s it.
“He’s a guy who you can measure everyone else against. He’s a guy who is here all the time, always positive and doesn’t let the emotions get to him on the floor. But when you see him get fired up on the floor, he’s a all business.”
As he was in the Game 6 victory over Peterborough, which clinched the Mann Cup victory.
“If you wanted to put a poster out on what makes up a Shamrock that would be Corey Small,” said Heyes.
And Small cherishes every game he plays in the green and white.
“I’m excited. We should have a pretty big target on our back, as always. I’m looking forward to being back out here with the guys,” said Small, now 29.
“It’s going to be something amazing, for the players as well as the fans,” he said of opening night, which should pack The Q Centre. “I think everyone knows that Victoria has the most die-hard fans in the WLA and our success is driven, a lot, off the support we have in the community and off the fan base.
“We’re looking forward to it. It was a long time coming for a lot of guys that had been playing on the team and for the fans — being 10 years since the last time we had won one. It will be a special night for sure with everyone there.”
And he continues to be the consummate pro, never placing himself ahead of team.
“I had my best year, actually, the most points I’ve had in the NLL. I don’t know why that is, but it was a pretty good year for myself, as far as personal goals are concerned. But you would sacrifice that for the greater success of the team,” he said of his year with the Stealth. “Unfortunately, the two didn’t go hand-in-hand this year. It’s the nature of the beast sometimes.”
