Paul Rabil is the prize for Wings as they open season

Thanks to a blockbuster six-player trade with Rochester last month, Rabil will lead the Wings as they open their National Lacrosse League season Friday night against the Buffalo Bandits at the Wells Fargo Center.

Rabil, 27, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound transition player, is regarded as lacrosse's best outdoor player, and his indoor game is improving.

"Paul's the face of field lacrosse, but he's relatively new to the indoor game and still learning it," said Johnny Mouradian, the Wings coach and general manager. "I drafted Paul when I was in San Jose, and it takes time for field players to get to really know the indoor game."

Mouradian noted that Casey Powell was an outdoor star who became an indoor MVP.

"There are so many different features indoors - the 30-second shot clock, and the dodging is short and sweet," said Mouradian, whose team will be captained by Brodie Merrill, a 20-goal scorer last season. "In field, there's no shot clock, so you have a lot more time and space to maneuver, and it's a very dodge-driven offense. You can create two-on-ones. In indoor, the dodge usually happens as part of a pick or screen to create the opportunity."

Rabil played just five NLL games for the Washington Stealth last year before he was traded to Edmonton and declined to report. He had a sensational field season with the Boston Cannons, winning the Major League Lacrosse scoring title with a league-record 72 points in 14 outdoor games.

He concurred that there is a "learning curve" in trying to master the NLL game.

"Especially with the type of player I am," said Rabil, who was traded to Rochester in July and to the Wings in December. "I make my living outdoors playing an athletic game, dodging and shooting from distance, using my quickness. In indoors, the shots don't exist that are there outdoors. No one shoots on the run in the alley indoors because the goalie fills up the net."

Rabil has played on championship teams in the NLL (Washington, 2010) and the NCAA (Johns Hopkins, 2005 and 2007). In college, he was named the nation's top midfielder, and he has been an MLL all-star every season since he was drafted first overall in 2008. That year, the NLL drafted him second overall.

"I've been working hard with good coaches to help me adapt to the indoor game and create these pockets of success I've had in the MLL," the NLL all-star said.

The Wings, coming off a 7-9 season in which they finished third in the East, are loaded with American players, and they will revolve around Rabil.

"He's the type of player who, no matter where he is, draws attention whether on defense because he can pick up the ball and drive down the floor or on offense because he's dynamic," said Mouradian, whose team lost its last six games last year, including a 14-13 decision to eventual champion Rochester in the first playoff round. "Teams have to pay attention whether he has the ball or not."

The Wings have some voids to fill - especially the loss of the Dawson brothers, Dan and Paul, who were sent to Rochester in the Rabil deal. The team will rely on more youth and athleticism.

Playing in Philadelphia "is like a trip up the street for me," said Rabil, who lives in Baltimore. "It gives me a great opportunity to get to the facility more than ever, take extra shots, work with my teammates, and have more practice time."

More time to become to the indoor game what Crosby is to the NHL.

"It's definitely exciting to be here," Rabil said. "When I was in Philly as an opponent, you could feel the energy and excitement in that building."

Contact Sam Carchidi at scarchidi@phillynews.com, or follow on Twitter @BroadStBull.