AUDL Reset: El-Salaam Returns To Seattle, NY Continues Reload

March 15, 2023
By Adam Ruffner

Khalif El-Salaam Rejoins Seattle, Cascades Announce Full Roster

The past two seasons have seen Khalif El-Salaam play impactful if part-time roles in San Diego and Atlanta, appearing in just 12 total games but still ready to show up big. Now heading into his fifth season in the AUDL, El-Salaam has elected to return to his hometown of Seattle and help push a young Cascades team to the next level. El-Salaam is coming off a 2022 summer in which he won gold with Team USA at the World Games; Seattle has not made the postseason since 2016.

The team’s lone all-star selection in 2019, El-Salaam was a two-way star for the ‘Scades in his first stint with the team. In 22 starts he averaged over three assists, two goals, and a block per game, and was one of Seattle's primary pullers for D-line rotations.

That kind of versatility will be vital for a Seattle squad without much of an identity following their third straight season with three or fewer wins. 2023 could prove differently as the team has re-added both El-Salaam and 2021 All-Rookie selection Garrett Martin, in addition to returning most of the core from last year’s roster. It will be the first time in several seasons that Seattle has retained their core from one season to the next.

Empire Continue To Reassemble O-line Core

On Monday the New York Empire announced the re-signings of the rest of their offensive core from last year’s title team, including Elliott Chartock, John Lithio, Solomon Rueschemeyer-Bailey, and Charles Weinberg. All four played essential roles in making the 2022 Empire O-line the most efficient unit ever.

Chartock trails only Pawel Janas in total throwing yards over the past two seasons. During last year’s playoffs, Chartock completed 155-of-157 of his total throws, and was an indispensable reset option for the Empire attack.

The steady progression of big receiver John Lithio has been a main reason for allowing New York the comfort of taking a two-time MVP (Ben Jagt) from the offensive line and shifting him into a defensive role. Lithio already has 90 goals in his first 27 starts as a pro, the highest per game scoring mark other than Jagt in team history. In addition to having two eight-goal games last season, Lithio finished four starts with 20 or more completions and no throwaways.

Rueschemeyer-Bailey has been at the heart of the Empire’s transformation into the most efficient offense. SRB is the most efficient offensive player in league history through his first two seasons of play, and has a ridiculous 60:1 completion-to-throwaway ratio with over 900 career touches.

A transfer from Minnesota, Weinberg is the perfect upfield hybrid option for the Empire system. He has the throws (26 assists, 211 completions in 2022) and receiving chops (163 receiving yards per game) to handle whichever tool the team needs in the moment.

Season Three In Boston For Ben Sadok

With 120 scores, 1033 completions, and over 12,000 yards of total offense in his first two seasons with Boston Glory, Benjamin Sadok is back for his third year with the team. It’s a big piece in the Boston team puzzle, especially with Sadok’s favorite targets Orion Cable, Ray Tetreault, and Tanner Halkyard back on board.

In addition to his impressive production numbers, Sadok has been one of the few constants in Boston’s lineup the past two seasons, starting in 23 of the team’s 24 possible games.

Full list of announced signings for 2023 season

Atlanta
Hayden Austin-Knab
Parker Bray
Justin Burnett
JP Burns
Trip Crowley
Karl Ekwurtzel
Michael Fairley
Christian Gaeta
Tannon Hedges ^
Brett Hulsmeyer
Matthew Knowles
Jeremy Langdon
Bobby Ley
Lukas McClamrock
Christian Olsen
Dean Ramsey
Tyler Randall
Bradley Seuntjens
Matt Smith
Trenton Spinks
Austin Taylor
Kennith Taylor
Max Thorne

Austin
Matthew Armour
Reese Bowman
Eric Brodbeck
Eric Carter
Mark Evans
Kyle Henke
Elliott Moore
Jake Radack
Jake Reinhardt
Tyler Reinhardt ^
Jacob Sames
Evan Swiatek
Mick Walter
Shane Worthington ^
Joey Wylie

Boston
Turner Allen
Chris Bartoli
Orion Cable
Simon Carapella *
Jay Clark ^
Gustav Haflin
Tanner Halkyard ^
Luca Harwood
Wyatt Hellman *
Rocco Linehan ^
Brendan McCann
Cole Moore
Benjamin Sadok
Ray Tetreault
Ivan Tran

Chicago
Eli Artemakis
Ross Barker
Jace Bruner
John Jones
Sam Kaminsky
Jerry Kelly
Asher Lantz
Reid Martin
Nick Pappas
Milan Rivas
Jack Shanahan
Andrew Sjogren ^

Colorado
Joe Anderson
Alex Atkins
Quinn Finer
Jay Froude
Jonathan Nethercutt
Cody Spicer
Calvin Stoughton *

Dallas
Emmanuel Bilolo
Myles Cooper
Connor DeLuna
Jason Hustad
Brandon Malecek
Kevin Richardson
Brooks Wallace
Alec Wilson Holliday
Mason Wuensch

DC
Rhys Bergeron
David Bloodgood
Christian Boxley
Garrett Braun ^
David Cranston
Moussa Dia
Thomas Edmonds ^
Alexandre Fall
Frederick Farah
Kris Harrison ^
Troy Holland
Cole Jurek ^
Jeremy Knopf
Jonny Malks
Joe Merrill ^
Tyler Monroe
Jacques Nissen
Gus Norrbom ^
Zach Norrbom
Andrew Roy ^
Jasper Tom
Luke Rehfuss
Steven Wartinbee
Jeff Wodatch

Detroit
Colin Beauregard *
Carson Chamberlain
Joseph Cubitt
Jack Havey
Jake Kenniv
Trevor Polisuk-Balfour
Aaron Schwieterman
Caleb Stanish
Bryan Walsh
Chris Walsh

Houston
Brendan Adams ^
Cam Albin *
Mark Baldauf *
Aaron Barcio *
Dane Bossert *
Matt Bennett ^
Connor Bryant *
Zachary Cotter ^
Martin Cruz *
Caleb Dixon *
Xavier Fuzat *
Francisco Gomez ^
Brian Gfroerer ^
Steven Kelly *
Ben Lewis ^
Brandon Lin *
Matt Lyle *
Elliot Sakach *
Jordan Salazar *
John Shelley *
Connor Ughetta ^
Jimmy Zuraw ^