Manns setting career highs halfway through the season
Mar 5, 2024To say Zach Manns career has changed since coming to the prairies would be an understatement.
Often overlooked in the Toronto Rock system, a trade to Saskatchewan on July 10th would change the Victoria product's lacrosse career.
Since breaking into the National Lacrosse League in 2020, the shifty forward's career highs were 18 goals (2022), 25 assists (2023) and 39 points (2022).
At the mid-way point of the 2024 season with the Rush, Manns has eclipsed all three of those totals. Through nine games, Manns has 20 goals, 26 assists and 46 points, trailing only Robert Church who has 49 points.
Now, when Derek Keenan and company acquired the summer ball sniper, they had a vision in mind of what he could become. After a Senior A season where he put up 44 goals, 45 assists and 89 points, he's now on pace to exceed his MVP season at the pro ranks.
When you dive into the numbers, the stats become even more impressive. Of Zach Manns' 20 goals, only two have been on the powerplay. Per Cooper Perkins LaxMetrics, Manns has a Most Outstanding Player (MOP) score of 74.77, the 8th best ranking in the league. But that's not where it stops, his offensive rating (similar to the NFL's QB Rating) is the 3rd highest in the league at 193.61 per LaxMetrics.
So whether you saw it coming or you didn't, there's no denying Zach Manns has been one of the biggest breakout players in the National Lacrosse League, and the surface is just being scratched.