2023-24 NLL Preview: Is the Clock Ticking on the Seals?

With the 2023-24 National Lacrosse League season set to begin Dec. 1-2, USA Lacrosse Magazine is going team by team in the days leading up to the opener. Today, we take a deep dive on the San Diego Seals.

SAN DIEGO SEALS

2022-23 Record: 14-4
Head Coach: Patrick Merrill, fifth season
Assistants: Jordan Hall, Cam Woods

Additions: Trevor Baptiste, T (San Diego); Kyle Jackson, F (Philadelphia); Mike Poulin, G (Georgia); Kyle Rubisch, D (Saskatchewan)
Departures: Kevin Crowley, F (Vancouver); Casey Jackson, F (Las Vegas); Mike McCannell, T (Philadelphia); Frank Scigliano, G (Saskatchewan)

STORYLINES TO WATCH

Is this the year the Seals finally get over the hump?

With the Buffalo Bandits securing their elusive championship last spring, San Diego might now be the team facing the most pressure to deliver. After quickly establishing themselves as a contender in the West, the Seals have failed to make an NLL Finals appearance despite finishing first in the Western Conference in each of the last two regular seasons.

Despite going 14-4 last season, a four-win improvement from the year prior, San Diego backslid in the postseason, falling to Colorado in the conference semifinals.

The clock is ticking on the Seals, who have brought in established veterans to surround 25-year-old former No. 1 pick Austin Staats. San Diego has already lost all-time great Brodie Merrill to retirement, and while Dane Dobbie and Curtis Dickson each produced over 100 points last season, it’s fair to wonder how much longer they can remain elite with both in the back end of their 30s.

Expectations remain high for San Diego, with the squad listed as the favorite to win the championship by Canadian sportsbook Coolbet.

Do the Seals have a title in them, or does general manager and head coach Patrick Merrill need to think about tinkering?

Does San Diego ride the young gun in goal or switch to the vet?

The Seals cleared the way for young Chris Origlieri to take over between the pipes when they sent Frank Scigliano to Saskatchewan on July 26. Scigliano played a majority of the team’s minutes last season, but Origlieri actually had better numbers with a 10.36 goals against average and a .773 save percentage in his second professional season.

Coming off a stellar summer in the Ontario Junior Lacrosse League — one which included a 5.95 goals against average with the Orangeville Northmen — Origlieri signed a massive five-year extension to stay in San Diego for the long haul.

“From the moment we drafted him, we felt like Chris could be a star in this league,” Patrick Merrill told NLL.com’s Adam Levi. “Over the first couple of years under Frank, he’s grown to the point where we think he’s ready to be the next starting goaltender of this team.”

Will he be able to handle starter’s minutes at the ripe age of 20? If he needs some support, he’ll have it in Mike Poulin. The 2012 Goalie of the Year stepped out of retirement following a trade from Georgia, giving San Diego a proven mentor. But will he be called in to play real minutes?