Inside Training Camp: Philadelphia Wings

The Philadelphia Wings hit the reset button.

After missing the playoffs the last two seasons and never making it past the quarterfinals since rejoining the league in 2019, the organization needed a change.

Paul Day stepped back from head coaching duties to focus solely on being the team’s general manager. Assistant coach Ian Rubel was promoted to head coach, Tracey Kelusky was brought back to be associate head coach and offensive coach and the Wings added NLL Hall of Famer Pat McCready as defensive coach. Rob Taylor also joined the bench staff as a video coach.

Several veteran players moved on – Ben McIntosh signed with San Diego, Ian Llord and Chad Tutton went to Rochester, and goaltender Zach Higgins was traded to Ottawa.

Those holes were easily filled – the Wings added seven players from the Panther City franchise, through the dispersal draft and crafty trading. Paul Day had the easiest pick in the entry draft, taking American field lacrosse talent Brennan O’Neill in the top spot.

Thus with several new faces, training camp began this past weekend in Downingtown, PA at the United Sports Center. The Wings held an open practice, with many fans coming out to watch the team and meet their favorite players. Fans were treated to yard games, airbrush tattoos and face paint, food, and the opportunity to buy team swag.

O’Neill was one of the most sought-after players at the open practice as fans clamored to be one of the first to welcome him to the team.

“It’s definitely cool for them to take me in already,” O’Neill said. “Obviously, people could have their doubts just because I’m not your typical draft pick, but I really appreciate the support that they showed me on my first day playing for this organization.”

O’Neill hasn’t played box lacrosse since high school, so he was shaking off four years of rust on Saturday.

“A lot of it was similar to drills I’d done in the past but I really needed a refresher,” he explained. “You have to be in a different type of shape than [you are for] field. It’s a lot of quick lateral movements and it’s physically taxing, so sometimes you don’t even realize how much you’re running.”

When he was drafted, the perception was that O’Neill had never played box lacrosse, so was an unknown entity. Actually, O’Neill has been playing box since fifth grade.

“You don’t start with box lacrosse on Long Island, but you definitely have opportunities to play it. A few years into my lacrosse journey I picked it up,” he said, crediting the Canadian players at local colleges with influencing him. “They showed us how it could help our field game, too.”

Head coach Ian Rubel was looking forward to seeing O’Neill in action.