There is a potential trend on the horizon of the sport of ultimate. As strategies fluctuate and the sport gains traction, refines rules, and attracts younger talent, a new generation of players will overtake the game and define the shift. The potential these players are bringing comes in the form of hybrid talent and utility roles.
The utility player in ultimate is coming soon, if it isn’t here already.
While ultimate already has hybrid players, utility players bring an elevated value to a team. Just as baseball, football, and even hockey are already familiar with the role of the utility player, ultimate can benefit from these super-hybrids, whose talents can be plugged in just about anywhere with equal success.
Defining Utility Players
Evan Lepler eloquently describes the talents of hybrid players in his article during the AUDL’s Hybrid Week:
“Of course, positions have always been malleable, never more than today. Even as ultimate roles have become more specialized, everyone is a hybrid. At the highest level, if you can’t throw, cut, and defend, you’re probably best suited to work the stat-keeping iPad on the sideline.
Consequently, we’ve embraced the term hybrid as a catch-all for players who often initiate from downfield, utilizing their quickness and speed to begin the possession.”
We tend to agree with Lepler’s analysis (in most cases, really). The difference in hybrid vs. utility players comes in their role: hybrid players are generally more offensive-aligned, and are used as cutters on defensive turns. Utility players are much more than that. These athletes can throw, cut, catch, and apply defensive pressure. More than that, they can be put in nearly any situation in a game and see equal success, offense or defense.
Utility players are the gap players.
While these qualities may not always be true every season for every utility player, they provide general guidelines to define what a utility player means:
They find themselves on an equal spread of O-lines and D-lines.
They generate 10+ in each of the big 3 categories (blocks, goals, and assists) each season
Their throwing and receiving yards are balanced
They don’t necessarily lead a team’s line, but they are prominently featured as players teams rely on every point
Again, these qualities are by no means a comprehensive checklist, but we are using this to guide our discussion in this context.
Aren't Utility Players Just Hybrids?
Well, yes, but actually no.
I’m a baseball guy, so I’ll use a baseball analogy. Utility players in that sport will typically play a designated position throughout the season. Maybe they’re usually playing first base. However, it is never surprising to see them randomly slotted into the left fielder role or third base one game, either. They might have a string of games where the team is playing around with some new pieces or are trying a new DH out, shifting the utility player around the diamond.
Hybrid players might be used on offense to catch a disc and on defense to, well, catch a disc. Utility players on offense have the goal of catching a disc, while that same player on defense actively makes their goal blocking the disc, and then subsequently throwing it for an assist.
Hybrid players in ultimate are two-way. Utility players are nuanced and multi-talented. It is hard to say "he's a cutter" or "she is a defender," for true utility stars.
Great examples of utility players in ultimate include:
Paul Krenik
Abe Coffin
Bryan Vohnoutka
Rocco Linehan
Gordon Larson
Using utility players can really pay off for a team’s strategy, but they come with their drawbacks, too. As strategies evolve and player talent grows and develops, utility players seem to be suddenly extremely valuable and necessary, and I think the Wind Chill in particular can really benefit from this development.
The Benefits of Utility Players
The benefits of having utility players on your roster are seemingly obvious: they can play whenever and wherever you need. In a fast-paced game that trades offensive and defensive possessions live, players need to be able to force turnovers, throw, and catch all on the same point.
Utility players are simply going to be better at this than your average "hybrid" player.
Their skills are a mile wide, and they are naturally athletic. Paul Krenik, for example, picked up ultimate after having played baseball for years. He could easily transfer his speed, layouts, and throwing skills to ultimate without having to think about it.
These athletes are made to adjust on the fly and help keep the team afloat in the case of a huge momentum shift. Whether they are helping secure a break point or working to prevent one, utility players are going to make all the difference in the outcome of the point and the game.
Utility players in ultimate are, in fact, essential for a team. It is nearly impossible to win a game without a break point, and utility players are going to be at the center of those turns and goals. They’ll aid in cutter continuation, step up for a handler dump, and get discs back in big ways.
They are also incredibly valuable as support systems for teams facing injury or a temporary lack of talent.
With a reliable, consistent player able to step into a role that is typically designated for a specialist, a team can be a bit more confident in case of emergency. They can trust utility players to execute with ease. Injury-prone teams (like the Twins and, in 2022, the Wind Chill) benefit from the competence, talent, and non-specific roles they play among a lineup.
Teams like Minnesota are seeing the value already in these kinds of athletes, who will be the key to the team’s success this year.
The Benefits of Specialty Players
Just as with baseball, having excessive amounts of utility players in your lineup can be detrimental to your team.
If everyone can play everywhere, it is hard to decide who should play anywhere. Being a mile wide and an inch deep in talent can cause chaos in a team’s strategy. That’s where specialty players come in.
Specialty players — those who are going to be the go-to handler, cutter, or defender — are the building blocks of any given lineup. You’d be hard pressed to find a specialty player going out of their designated role, unless the specific situation calls for a dramatic walk-off win, for example.
Players like Tony Poletto, Josh Klane, Quinn Snider, Brandon Matis, and Jimmy Kittlesen are your Wind Chill specialty players who step onto the field with a very specific objective in mind and a skill to execute. They are essential in leading their given lines, and teams rely on them to be leaders and playmakers.
Specialty players are designed to break records, stand out as playmakers, and be anchors that provide cohesion and chemistry.
If teams integrate too many utility players, they'll experience a sort of patchwork lineup, leading to a lack of chemistry. Because utility players may be plugged into a different role every game, set lines may not get a chance to get to know their style as well as the regulars, for example. The temporary role is helpful in short increments, but can lead to disjointed chemistry among lines.
The Role of the Utility Player
It has often been argued among the Wind Chill Talk team that offense wins games, or that defense is more important to secure a dub. While I do still maintain my position that defense gives teams an edge, I acknowledge that offense is the name of the game currently.
And the nature of ultimate demands that both of these aspects are well-supported and formidable. That’s where utility players come in.
Bridging the gap between offense and defense is a secret that teams are still looking to unlock, and it is becoming more common to shift full-on offensive players to defensive lines.
With utility players doing that kind of heavy lifting, specialty players can maintain their value among a team’s lineup and fill their roles as designed.
Jeph Novak is a writer for Wind Chill Talk who can be verbose and overly analogous to baseball. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram, and subscribe to Wind Chill Talk for the latest news, interviews and opinions this season.