Warriors Build on Momentum with Key Free Agent Signings
The Vancouver Warriors made a splash in free agency, adding key pieces to an already solid core with hopes of taking the next step towards an NLL championship.
The team announced the signing of forwards Curtis Dickson and Jesse King, along with defencemen Reece Callies and Shane Simpson.
Making it to the NLL semifinals last year was a big step for the organization, and Warriors’ Head Coach and GM Curt Malawsky’s focus in the offseason was to bring in players that could push the group even further. Now entering his third year behind the bench, he’s grateful that all four free agents chose Vancouver as their destination.
“Those guys have the experience, they’ve got the drive, and they know what it takes to be successful. You can't have enough guys that lay their bodies on the line when the games are on the line,” Malawsky said. “This group of men that we have here already and then adding these guys – I feel very fortunate and blessed to have this the opportunity.”
Malawsky, Dickson, King, Callies, and Simpson shared championship success in 2019. It was an experience Malawsky will never forget, and the players have been chasing another championship since. For each of them, Vancouver felt like the best place to make that happen.
“Everybody in this league knows how hard it is to win, and the four guys at the table, we knew that this was our best opportunity to get back and hoist that trophy again, that's what it boils down to, and that's going to be our main goal this year,” Dickson said.
Callies echoed that sentiment, saying that being part of this team made the decision an easy one.
“That was the ultimate decision for me that brought me here is being a part of this group and the chance to pursue that again,” Callies said.
For the B.C.-born Dickson (Port Coquitlam), Callies (Langley), and King (Vancouver Island), signing with Vancouver was a homecoming of sorts, while Simpson hails from Hamilton, Ontario. The signees felt welcomed right away, which is a testament to the character of the team and the culture the coaching staff has created.
King said there’s a lot of familiarity coming to the Warriors and is looking forward to the competitiveness of the roster, which gives him confidence heading into the season.
“From what he's [Malawsky’s] built and the previous experience we've had together, and the experience I've had with all these guys that are up here together, you know what you're coming into, how hard they're going to work, and what their commitment level is going to be. When you have that knowledge about what a team is going to be, it just makes things a lot easier,” King said.
“You can just come into a locker room and be yourself and feel like you're welcome and that made a big difference for us. Obviously, geographically being on the Island, it's extremely convenient as well, but it feels like home.”
Simpson is also excited to reunite with close friends and practice structure, although he joked that Malawsky’s practice plans at training camp are keeping everyone sharp.
“A few new drills in there that made my head spin,” he laughed.
“It's the locker room that I was looking for. Obviously, there's sacrifices that I'm having to make, that my family is going to have to make, to make up for this decision, and that’s something that Curt talked about this morning about sacrifice and doing greater good for the guy next to you,” Simpson said. “I couldn't pass up a chance to come back to some of my best friends, and ultimately, it's, it's the best chance that I have to win.”
With the addition of four seasoned leaders who know what it takes to win, the Warriors enter the new season with high expectations and a championship mindset. The group’s chemistry, familiarity, and shared drive will fuel them this season.