One of the longest-tenured players on a Call of Duty League team has been dropped.
The Toronto Ultra revealed that Benjamin “Bance” Bance will not have his team option exercised for the 2023 season, making him a free agent. Bance announced the news late on Sunday night, which was the last day that teams had to exercise team options for players on 1+1 contracts.
With his team option not being exercised, Bance becomes an unrestricted free agent, meaning he can sign with any team without any restrictions in place.
Toronto it’s been fun ✌🏻
Unrestricted F/A for the 2023 season
— Bance (@Bance) August 15, 2022
What is next for Bance and Toronto Ultra in the Call of Duty League
Bance had been on the Toronto Ultra roster since the team’s inception in 2019. He was on the starting roster for all three years, starting in Modern Warfare and ending this past season in Vanguard. Bance is widely considered the best EU Call of Duty player ever, and the highlight of his Ultra career was winning the Stage 2 Major in Black Ops Cold War.
In 2023, though, Bance will represent a new team for the first time since he played under Celtic FC Esports for the Black Ops 4 world championship. Surprisingly, no other member of the Toronto Ultra was made a free agent, as they all had team options for 2023. This could mean that the Ultra roster plus Bance’s replacement could be sticking together for 2023. However, the Ultra could also explore the trade market and buyouts for some of the current players.
It’s unknown what direction Toronto is moving in for next season at this point. The team does have amateur options, most notably Thomas “Scrappy” Ernst, who played on Toronto’s NA academy team in 2022. Scrappy is one of the most highly-regarded amateurs, and should see a promotion to the CDL this offseason. The Ultra also has some other intriguing amateurs they could promote, such as Hicksy.
As for Bance, he should be picked up by a CDL organization. Bance brings stable leadership and unselfish gameplay, two traits that are difficult to find in SMG players. It’s not currently known where Bance could end up in 2023, though.
CDL teams can begin to sign free agents to new contracts on Aug. 22, so we should hear official announcements starting then.
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