Hello: Connor Flynn

Detroit’s first known 2012 commitment is Rockford Goalie Connor Flynn. What do we know about him?

Connor Flynn (Photo via Rockford Lacrosse Shutterfly)

Relevant Articles

The vast majority of what we know about Flynn comes from one commitment article, from the Grand Rapids Press:

A three-year varsity player, Flynn owns Rockford’s records for saves in a game (23), winning percentage in a season (80 percent in 2011) and saves in a career (446)…

Rockford coach Pete Sims said Flynn was a great performer last season and looks forward to an encore next spring. “He’s probably one of the top goalies in the state of Michigan,” said Sims, whose Rams finished 9-7 last season. “He is very talented and very passionate about the game. If he continues his hard work ethic, he should be a great performer both on the field and in the classroom.”

He was a Second-Team All-State goalie in Division-1, but with both first-teamers graduating, he has a good chance of moving up as a senior – and even gunning for All-American honors.

GVSU Coach Tim Murray compliments Flynn’s game in the Rockford Independent:

“It was obvious from very early on that Connor was capable of playing at an extremely high level,” said Tim Murray, former Rockford varsity coach and current head coach of the men’s program at Grand Valley State University. “What separates Connor is his on-field intelligence and maturity.”

He’s a thick, if not tall dude, standing at 5-9 and 190 pounds. As you can tell by the photos, he’s left-handed, opening the door for all sorts of “hefty lefty” nicknames.

His defense is described as “improving” which seems like a nice way to say “not very good.” That certainly explains how he has to make 23 saves in a game, and definitely means he gets a significant portion of the credit for any strong defensive performances by the Rams.

Based on his sophomore highlight video (embedded below), he’s a ball-stopper as a goalie – and a pretty good one at that, filling up the goal to prevent opponents from scoring. However, he needs work on making clean saves when the opportunity presents itself, or rebound opportunities will turn into goals. In addition, there’s not a whole lot of footage showing his ability in the clearing game. When the talent he’s facing is all D-1 caliber, it’s going to be tougher to succeed without some work in those areas (and it’s important to note that he may have improved in those areas going into his junior year).

Other Interest

Photo via the Rockford Independent

Flynn is the first Ram ever to pledge to a D-1 school, so it’s safe to say that Rockford is not exactly a heavily-scouted area. In addition, the commitment article really makes it sound like Flynn was unlikely to select an out-of-state school.

With no word of other schools in consideration, it sounds like he was Detroit-bound all the way.

Teammates of Note

None, really. As mentioned above, he’s the first-ever Ram to commit to a D-1 school. A few former Rockford players have gone on to play MCLA lacrosse.

Video

Highlights:

The Upshot

Detroit’s roster has plenty of goalies, as AJ Levell will be a senior when Flynn hits campus, Danny Kransberger a junior, and incoming Damie Danseglio will be a sophomore or redshirt freshman. With a crowded depth chart in front of him, Flynn will probably have the luxury of redshirting as he gets used to college life and the speed of the college game.

Following that, the chance for playing time increases with a departing goalie in each season. It’ll take him some time to get used to a faster pace of play and better shooting (Rockford doesn’t exactly play a who’s-who of the nation’s best programs), and the clearing game is very important at the D-1 level. By the time he’s an upperclassman, however, he should be a solid-to-good starter between the pipes.