Tip of the Tower
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Toronto Rock acquire Adam Jones from Saskatchewan

By Austin Owens

391776 02: (FILE PHOTO) The CN Tower and the Skydome highlight the Toronto skyline in his undated file photo. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) meets in Moscow July 13, 2001 to decide between front runners Beijing, Paris and Toronto for the site of the 2008 summer Olympics. (Photo by Carlo Allegri/Getty Images)
391776 02: (FILE PHOTO) The CN Tower and the Skydome highlight the Toronto skyline in his undated file photo. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) meets in Moscow July 13, 2001 to decide between front runners Beijing, Paris and Toronto for the site of the 2008 summer Olympics. (Photo by Carlo Allegri/Getty Images) /
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After returning to the playoffs again last season, the Toronto Rock have bolstered their offence ahead of the 2018 campaign.

The Toronto Rock have made their first move of the offseason, and it’s a big one. The team acquired Adam Jones from the Saskatchewan Rush on Tuesday.

In exchange, the Rush will receive the Rock’s first-round picks in both 2018 and 2019.

It appears as though the mini-rebuild is over for the team. After a quick-fire offseason in 2016 that saw them make several low-risk, high-reward moves, the Rock look set to go for it once again.

In Jones, the team is getting one of the premier left-handed scorers in the NLL over the past five years.

The Owen Sound, Ontario native was taken third overall in the 2011 NLL Draft by the Colorado Mammoth. In his first season, Jones finished with 76 points, good for third on the team in scoring.

Jones had his best season in 2015, where he had 51 goals and 93 points in 16 games for the Mammoth.

He has been a big fan of the “Sock Trick”, scoring six goals in a game twice during the 2016 season.

He also is no stranger to the “sock trick” in summer lacrosse either. Jones won game one of the Major Series Lacrosse Finals for the Peterborough Lakers in 2016, with his sixth goal of the game.

Jones was traded from Colorado to Saskatchewan last season for Zach Greer and a pick. He finished with the lowest point total of his career (57), but that can be credited to getting fewer touches on an already stacked Rush offence.

Jones had missed four games during the 2016 NLL season due to work commitments in Ontario, so the move to Toronto comes as a logical one for both sides.

What does this mean for the other players on the Rock?

The first thing to get out of the way is the Rock’s offence just got much better. Putting one of the leagues top talents with Rob Hellyer (former MVP candidate), Brett Hickey (former 50 goal scorer), and Tom Schreiber (2017 NLL Rookie of the Year) will only benefit the team in the long run.

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The left-handed side is going to be the most affected by this deal. Jones will likely play in the spot that has been occupied by Stephan Leblanc for the last few seasons. There is a chance that with Jones coming in, Leblanc could be moved to make room for other lefties that showed promise over the last year.

Then, there are those younger players who stepped up last year for the Rock. Turner Evans, Reid Reinholdt, and Kieran McArdle all made big strides last year, with the latter two having the most surprising seasons as offseason signings that made the team.

It is more than likely the Rock move one of their pieces up front, to make room for other forwards on the roster. They could part with a forward, get a defender back and be better off for it, if they play their cards right.

The Rock don’t need to hit a home run if they are acquiring someone. They just need a player who can come in and play their role to help the team win.

Next: Can the Jays get back to contending in 2018?

Free Agency in the National Lacrosse League begins on August 1, when teams are able to speak with both restricted and unrestricted free agents. This will be followed by the 2018 NLL Draft on September 18, at the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre in Oakville, Ontario. 

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