He certainly was a busy man at the NLL trade deadline in March.
The Roughnecks were the final destination for Creighton Reid, who was initially traded from the Colorado Mammoth to the Buffalo Bandits before being flipped back out West.
Reid made the cross-country trip from Vancouver to Rochester, N.Y., for his first weekend with the Riggers. He got out on the floor with the team for the first time at practice on March 31, before getting onto the active roster for a game against the Knighthawks on April 1.
“The organization and these guys in the room made the transition as easy as it could be,” he said. “It’s always a change, but they were a super welcoming bunch of guys and it was a welcoming organization, so they made it real easy for me.”
He played all four of Calgary’s remaining games, helping them win three of those contests. During those games, he compiled three assists, 18 loose balls, and caused four turnovers.
During his previous 14 tilts with the Mammoth, Reid was a consistent offensive contributor from the back-end, finding the twine on three occasions and assisting on nine tallies.
When asked about his season performance, Reid wasn’t about to pump his own tires.
“I had a good year,” he said. “It’s hard to judge yourself. I’m not unhappy with how I played, but it’s hard to judge myself.”
But if he won’t do it, we will.
The eight-year veteran finished tied for second among all defenders with 12 assists and tied for fourth with 15 points. He also put up 68 loose balls and 19 caused turnovers, while playing strong defence against the top righties on a nightly basis.
That’s pretty impressive.
So it’s no wonder that Roughnecks GM Mike Board is hoping to keep him on board for the 2018 season.
“He’s not what you would call a rental player,” Board said to the media after trading for Reid. “He’s got years left in him and we hope to have him back next year and in the years beyond. It’s hard to find left-handed offensive guys and left-handed defensive guys in this league. When you get one, you want to lock them up for a while.”
As Board works on keeping the talented defender, Reid will be sharpening his skills while playing for the Maple Ridge Burrards of the Western Lacrosse Association this summer. There, he will play under Roughnecks defensive coach Rob Williams and alongside Riggers teammates Frank Scigliano, Riley Loewen, and Garrett McIntosh.
