August 22, 2024
By Daniel Cohen
The best of the best. Franchise staples, MVP candidates, and first-time Championship Weekend appearances headline the final watchlist of the 2024 UFA season.
Lukas Ambrose, Seattle Cascades
I know we all feel like he’s a lock for Defensive Player of the Year, and rightfully so, but I’d like to formally enter Lukas Ambrose’s name into the league MVP conversation. The reigning Rookie of the Year is the first player since 2017 to surpass 30 blocks in a season, and he’s also the first player in UFA history to lead the league in blocks in back-to-back seasons. And while of course the Seattle Cascades added multiple key contributors to the D-line this year, no player has consistently had as big of an impact as Ambrose on both sides of the disc; in addition to his league-leading 31 blocks, the Cascades have scored on 60.9 percent of possessions when Ambrose has been on the field (team high, minimum 100 possessions); MVP frontrunner Jeff Babbitt has an individual offensive efficiency rate of 54 percent, by comparison. Expect Ambrose to add another big game or two to his resume this weekend in Salt Lake City.
Will Brandt, Minnesota Wind Chill
22-year-old Will Brandt looked surprisingly comfortable at Championship Weekend last year (then just 21 years old), as evidenced by his 60-yard game-tying assist with 17 seconds left in regulation against Salt Lake in the semifinals. Brandt parlayed that game into his best pro season yet; so far he’s tossed a career-high 32 assists in eight games and has racked up over 3,000 total yards this year for the first time ever. He’s been a huge asset in the red zone—Minnesota has converted 82.7 percent of their red zone possessions this year, their highest rate since the league started tracking red zone stats in 2021—and he consistently uses his size and reach better than most to break opposing marks. Returning to the spotlight this weekend, Brandt will look to quarterback Minnesota’s offense against a tough DC defense looking to make their mark at Championship Weekend.
Thomas Edmonds, DC Breeze
If the efficiency numbers hold through Championship Weekend, the DC Breeze could become the first team ever to finish with both O-line and D-line conversion rates above 60 percent for a full season. Thomas Edmonds has played a huge role in making this Breeze defense just as efficient as their offense. Among all players that played at least 90 percent of their points on D-line in the regular season, Edmonds ranked first in assists (22), scores (31), completions (164), plus/minus (+35), and throwing yards (1,333). He’s the best D-line quarterback in the league and prior to DC’s playoff game against Boston (a team that boasts the second-best O-line defense in the league), the Breeze D-line had converted a ridiculous 87 percent of their break opportunities (34-of-39) over their final three regular season games. If he can keep this unit on track throughout the weekend and convert like they’ve been able to, Edmonds could be the difference-maker that secures the trophy for DC.
Anders Juengst, Carolina Flyers
Fourth-year Flyers vet Anders Juengst is coming in hot to his fourth career Championship Weekend game. He topped 300 receiving yards in both playoff games this year—he previously hadn’t topped 300 receiving yards in a game since 2021—and had his most completions ever in a playoff game against Atlanta (37). Tied for fifth in the league (including playoffs) with 44 goals this year, ‘Front Cone’ Juengst is back, and his superior quickness and talent in the red zone was on full display two weeks ago when racked up nine total scores on just 20 points played. He’s been the go-to finisher for the Flyers all season, and he possesses the right combination of patience and throwing ability to rotate into the backfield when needed. With 13 scores in three prior Championship Weekend games, expect Juengst to find the end zone plenty in a first-time matchup against Seattle.
Allan Laviolette, Carolina Flyers
Carolina will once again be without starting handler Alexander Wilcox this weekend, which means Allan Laviolette likely has another busy night ahead of him. Without Wilcox in the lineup in the South Division Championship Game, Laviolette joined teammate Elijah Long in the backfield as a featured O-line handler and looked like the perfect complement; the duo combined for 10 assists and 600 throwing yards while completing 107-of-109 throws. Laviolette’s 51 completions marked a new single-game career high—he typically operates more downfield as an initiating hybrid—and now is coming off his two highest usage games of the season (he had a then-season high 41 completions against Austin). It’ll be worth watching whether the Flyers look to get their deep game going against Seattle after the team attempted just four hucks against Atlanta; the Cascades have allowed 8.4 huck completions per game this year, seventh most, so Laviolette may have more of a green light in the semis than he did against Atlanta.
Rowan McDonnell, DC Breeze (Pictured)
Take a look at DC’s franchise records. There is one name and one name only that appears on the “Regular Season Career” and “Playoff Career” Breeze records, and that is Rowan McDonnell. This is their franchise player, the 2018 league MVP, and the guy who’s played more games in a Breeze uniform than anyone else. He’s poured his blood, sweat and tears into this organization and in his eighth pro season, he’s set to make his first ever Championship Weekend appearance with a Breeze squad coming in as the favorites to win it all. Rowan was exactly what DC needed in the East Division Championship Game against Boston—he didn’t try to do too much, and turned in a perfect 36-of-36, two-assist throwing performance. His stabilizing presence and patience is going to be needed once again this weekend, as Minnesota forces teams to complete the second-most throws per game (296.2) in the league.
Zeppelin Raunig, Seattle Cascades
After adding another three goals to his season total against Salt Lake in the West Division Championship Game, Zeppelin Raunig officially has his first 50-goal season. This third-year breakout looks even more impressive when you factor in his throwaway numbers; Raunig has just two throwaways this season on 160 throws. His 98.1 percent completion rate is a career high, and it’s felt like he’s taken a significant step forward in his development each year he’s been with the team. As the top field-stretcher on the O-line, Raunig has a knack for punctuating possessions with big plays and fueling momentum swings for Seattle. He’s been a massive energy guy for this Cascades team that always looks like it’s having more fun than anyone else in the league, and they’re going to need every ounce of passion this weekend if they want to continue—and maybe even complete—their Cinderella Story.
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