November 1, 2025 • 7 mins
Welcome back to Crease Monsters! This week, we're celebrating legends and looking ahead to the next generation taking over the game.
In this episode:
- Paul Rabil's Double Hall of Fame Induction: The icon himself gets inducted into not one, but TWO Hall of Fames in 2024-2025. We break down his legendary career — from Hopkins championships to founding the PLL while still playing, plus the 656-point all-time record that may never be broken.
- PLL Rookie Revolution: TJ Malone's 37-point rookie season set the bar high. Now we're looking at who's next, including Princeton's all-time leading scorer heading to Boston and why the PLL is the league where rookies actually make an impact from day one.
- NLL Trade Alert: Connor Robertson is heading to San Diego! We discuss what this veteran scorer brings to the Seals and how Colorado's rebuilding strategy through the draft could pay off big.
- Gear Review: New Balance Freeze cleats — the ultimate grip for face-off specialists. We talk narrow fit, traction, comfort, and why these are solid 9.5/10 cleats if they fit your foot.
Click here to watch a video of this episode.
Creators & Guests
- Parker Bottcher - Host
🎧 Tune in for Hall of Fame celebrations, rookie breakouts, and the gear that keeps you locked in at the X.
🔥 Stay hungry, stay humble.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Parker Bottcher (00:00):
Hey. I'm Parker Bottcher, and this is Crease
Monsters, the podcast where wetalk all things lacrosse. Fuck
epic highlights, gear reviews,game predictions, and, of
course, some special guests.Whether you're stringing up a
new pocket, gearing up for gameday, or just chilling between
practices, this is your go tospot for all things lacrosse.
(00:21):
And if you haven't already, hitthat follow button wherever
you're listening, and let's getinto it.
Say, if you're not crushing yourcandy right now while listening,
you're doing it wrong. Hope youguys had a good Halloween.
Alright. We got a stackedepisode today. We're gonna talk
about hall of fame legends,rookie breakouts in the PLL, and
(00:42):
a huge NLL trade, and, ofcourse, our weekly year review.
Let's get into it. First up, wegotta talk about the man, the
myth, the legend. So you haven'talready heard, Rabel was
officially introduced, not one,but two hall of fames this year.
First, the USA Lacrosse NationalHall of Fame. That ceremony was
(01:03):
back in January class of 2024,and then the Professional
Lacrosse Hall of Fame class of2025.
I mean, come on. This guyliterally rewriting rewriting
what it means to be a lacrosseicon. Let's break down why Rabel
is the guy four time allAmerican at John Hopkins, won
(01:27):
two national championshipsthere. Then he goes pro,
absolutely dominates 656 careerpoints, which is the all time
record for professional fieldlacrosse. Two time MLL MVP,
three time offensive player ofthe year, and cofounded the PLL
(01:49):
with his brother, Michael,whilst he was still playing.
Like, imagine being so good atlacrosse that you are like, I'm
gonna make my own league forfun. Insane. And there is
something I didn't know until Iwas reading this about Rabel. He
actually wanted to quit lacrossewhen he was first started as a
(02:11):
kid. His mom made him stick withit.
Shout out to all momseverywhere. And honestly, where
would we be without them? So,yeah, huge congrats to Paul
Rable. Absolutely deserved. Andhonestly, it's wild that he's
still so young.
The dude retired in 2021, andhe's already in two hall of
(02:31):
fames. Already, that's the kindof legacy we're all trying to
build out here. Alright. Let'sshift gears and talk about the
future of lacrosse, PLL rookies.The last season, 2024, TJ Malone
absolutely dominated as arookie.
And this guy came out in and putup 37 points and thirty and
(02:54):
nineteen goals and 18 assiststied for third in the entire
league. Not third among rookies,third among the league. He won
rookie of the year, and,honestly, it was not even close.
Waterdogs knew what they weredoing when they drafted this
dude. But now we're lookingahead to the season, and there
are some names to watch.
(03:16):
Maxkey out there of Princeton.He's playing for Boston. These
guys all time leading goalscorer in Princeton history.
Left handed sniper, and Cannon'sdesperately needed a lefty
shooter, and they got one.Experts say saying he could be a
rookie of the year contender.
(03:38):
And then you got guys from lastyear like Brennan O'Neil, rookie
class, who are taking that nextstep. O'Neil had a breakout
moment in 2020 early twentytwenty four when he had dropped
seven goals, won in game, helpedDenver win, like, bro, seven
(03:58):
goals, that's video gamenumbers. The thing I love about
the PLL is rookies can actuallymake an immediate impact. Like,
it's not some other leagueswhere you're riding the bench
for two years. These guys comein and ball out, which makes the
league so much more fun towatch.
Okay. Let's jump over to the NFLfor a sec because there's some
(04:21):
big trade that just went down.The Colorado Mammoth trade
forward Conor Robertson to theSan Diego seals in exchange for
a conditional first round pickin the twenty twenty six injury
draft. Now if you don't knowConnor Robertson Let me fill you
in. This guy has been a goalconsistent goalscorer for
(04:43):
Colorado back in the twentytwenty one, twenty two season.
Robertson put up 71 points, 42goals, 29 assists. That tied him
with six in the six NLL goals inthe year. Curtis Dixon, aka
Superman. So, yeah, he tied withCurtis Dixon. So, yeah, he can
(05:03):
score.
The interesting thing here isSan Diego proven offensive
weapon. The seals are clearlytrying to make a push, and
Robertson brings that veteranpresent. And scoring ability for
Colorado is huge for a buildingarea. The trades are always
(05:24):
fascinating because the leagueis always so tight knit.
Everyone knows everybody.
So when a guy like Robertsonmoves and shifts the whole
dynamic of both teams, San Diegojust got a whole lot more
dangerous. And Colorado isbeating that on the draft, so to
(05:47):
reload. I'll be watching to seehow Robertson fits into that San
Diego offense. Could be thepiece they were missing.
Alright.
Time for everyone's favoritepart, gear review. This week, I
wanna talk about somethingdoesn't get enough love, cleats,
especially the New BalanceFreezes. Here's the deal. They
can make or break your game. Youneed a lot of traction, but you
(06:08):
also need that mobility andcushioning.
It's balance. Last season, Iactually swapped over to turf
shoes after a recommendation.But back to cleats for me. I
like the extra grip in a faceoff. These Freezes nail it.
The grip, they look good. Theyare comfortable. They are a
narrow cleat. Probably not goodfor those bigfoot players, but I
(06:31):
like them. Overall rating, I'mgiving this a solid 9.5 out of
10.
I would definitely recommendthese if you're looking for
cleats and you have a narrowfoot. Alright. That's gonna do
it for today this week'sepisode. Crease sponsors, quick
wrap. Paul Rabel is doing adouble hall of famer and
absolute feel rookies changingthe game.
(06:53):
Conor Robertson is heading toSan Diego. And if you need new
cleats, we got you covered. Hopeyou had a good hap Halloween,
everyone. Stay safe out there,and eat some candy and go play
lacrosse. Remember, stay hungry,stay humble, and Alright.
That's it for this episode.Thanks for hanging out. And if
(07:13):
you liked this episode, hit thatfollow button so you don't miss
what's coming out next. You cancatch extra clips, gear reviews,
and more content on Instagram,YouTube, and just search at
Crease Monsters. Until nexttime, share it, save it, string
it up.
We are just getting started.
Hey. I'm Parker Bottcher, and this is Crease
Monsters, the podcast where wetalk all things lacrosse. Fuck
epic highlights, gear reviews,game predictions, and, of
course, some special guests.Whether you're stringing up a
new pocket, gearing up for gameday, or just chilling between
practices, this is your go tospot for all things lacrosse.
(00:21):
And if you haven't already, hitthat follow button wherever
you're listening, and let's getinto it.
Say, if you're not crushing yourcandy right now while listening,
you're doing it wrong. Hope youguys had a good Halloween.
Alright. We got a stackedepisode today. We're gonna talk
about hall of fame legends,rookie breakouts in the PLL, and
(00:42):
a huge NLL trade, and, ofcourse, our weekly year review.
Let's get into it. First up, wegotta talk about the man, the
myth, the legend. So you haven'talready heard, Rabel was
officially introduced, not one,but two hall of fames this year.
First, the USA Lacrosse NationalHall of Fame. That ceremony was
(01:03):
back in January class of 2024,and then the Professional
Lacrosse Hall of Fame class of2025.
I mean, come on. This guyliterally rewriting rewriting
what it means to be a lacrosseicon. Let's break down why Rabel
is the guy four time allAmerican at John Hopkins, won
(01:27):
two national championshipsthere. Then he goes pro,
absolutely dominates 656 careerpoints, which is the all time
record for professional fieldlacrosse. Two time MLL MVP,
three time offensive player ofthe year, and cofounded the PLL
(01:49):
with his brother, Michael,whilst he was still playing.
Like, imagine being so good atlacrosse that you are like, I'm
gonna make my own league forfun. Insane. And there is
something I didn't know until Iwas reading this about Rabel. He
actually wanted to quit lacrossewhen he was first started as a
(02:11):
kid. His mom made him stick withit.
Shout out to all momseverywhere. And honestly, where
would we be without them? So,yeah, huge congrats to Paul
Rable. Absolutely deserved. Andhonestly, it's wild that he's
still so young.
The dude retired in 2021, andhe's already in two hall of
(02:31):
fames. Already, that's the kindof legacy we're all trying to
build out here. Alright. Let'sshift gears and talk about the
future of lacrosse, PLL rookies.The last season, 2024, TJ Malone
absolutely dominated as arookie.
And this guy came out in and putup 37 points and thirty and
(02:54):
nineteen goals and 18 assiststied for third in the entire
league. Not third among rookies,third among the league. He won
rookie of the year, and,honestly, it was not even close.
Waterdogs knew what they weredoing when they drafted this
dude. But now we're lookingahead to the season, and there
are some names to watch.
(03:16):
Maxkey out there of Princeton.He's playing for Boston. These
guys all time leading goalscorer in Princeton history.
Left handed sniper, and Cannon'sdesperately needed a lefty
shooter, and they got one.Experts say saying he could be a
rookie of the year contender.
(03:38):
And then you got guys from lastyear like Brennan O'Neil, rookie
class, who are taking that nextstep. O'Neil had a breakout
moment in 2020 early twentytwenty four when he had dropped
seven goals, won in game, helpedDenver win, like, bro, seven
(03:58):
goals, that's video gamenumbers. The thing I love about
the PLL is rookies can actuallymake an immediate impact. Like,
it's not some other leagueswhere you're riding the bench
for two years. These guys comein and ball out, which makes the
league so much more fun towatch.
Okay. Let's jump over to the NFLfor a sec because there's some
(04:21):
big trade that just went down.The Colorado Mammoth trade
forward Conor Robertson to theSan Diego seals in exchange for
a conditional first round pickin the twenty twenty six injury
draft. Now if you don't knowConnor Robertson Let me fill you
in. This guy has been a goalconsistent goalscorer for
(04:43):
Colorado back in the twentytwenty one, twenty two season.
Robertson put up 71 points, 42goals, 29 assists. That tied him
with six in the six NLL goals inthe year. Curtis Dixon, aka
Superman. So, yeah, he tied withCurtis Dixon. So, yeah, he can
(05:03):
score.
The interesting thing here isSan Diego proven offensive
weapon. The seals are clearlytrying to make a push, and
Robertson brings that veteranpresent. And scoring ability for
Colorado is huge for a buildingarea. The trades are always
(05:24):
fascinating because the leagueis always so tight knit.
Everyone knows everybody.
So when a guy like Robertsonmoves and shifts the whole
dynamic of both teams, San Diegojust got a whole lot more
dangerous. And Colorado isbeating that on the draft, so to
(05:47):
reload. I'll be watching to seehow Robertson fits into that San
Diego offense. Could be thepiece they were missing.
Alright.
Time for everyone's favoritepart, gear review. This week, I
wanna talk about somethingdoesn't get enough love, cleats,
especially the New BalanceFreezes. Here's the deal. They
can make or break your game. Youneed a lot of traction, but you
(06:08):
also need that mobility andcushioning.
It's balance. Last season, Iactually swapped over to turf
shoes after a recommendation.But back to cleats for me. I
like the extra grip in a faceoff. These Freezes nail it.
The grip, they look good. Theyare comfortable. They are a
narrow cleat. Probably not goodfor those bigfoot players, but I
(06:31):
like them. Overall rating, I'mgiving this a solid 9.5 out of
10.
I would definitely recommendthese if you're looking for
cleats and you have a narrowfoot. Alright. That's gonna do
it for today this week'sepisode. Crease sponsors, quick
wrap. Paul Rabel is doing adouble hall of famer and
absolute feel rookies changingthe game.
(06:53):
Conor Robertson is heading toSan Diego. And if you need new
cleats, we got you covered. Hopeyou had a good hap Halloween,
everyone. Stay safe out there,and eat some candy and go play
lacrosse. Remember, stay hungry,stay humble, and Alright.
That's it for this episode.Thanks for hanging out. And if
(07:13):
you liked this episode, hit thatfollow button so you don't miss
what's coming out next. You cancatch extra clips, gear reviews,
and more content on Instagram,YouTube, and just search at
Crease Monsters. Until nexttime, share it, save it, string
it up.
We are just getting started.
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