It’s no secret that Saskatchewan forward Austin Shanks has anchored himself as a key player and a major threat in the 2025 NLL Playoffs. Though he finished the regular season just outside of the Top 30 for points scored, in the Finals alone, Shanks has already amassed himself a hearty 16 points in two games (three goals and five assists in each game), and currently leads the League in postseason points and goals.
Sask Tel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, May 18, 2025
With just one game left to find a summer home for the 2025 NLL Cup, Shanks and his Rush are more than thankful for the enjoyable journey to Saturday’s Game 3, but are chomping at the bit for the end of the series. “I just want to get this trophy, I want to get the job done,” Shanks said, emphasizing the all-or-nothing nature of this weekend’s competition. “I want that championship and I want to bring a championship back to Saskatchewan.”
33 secures game 3 😤 pic.twitter.com/aD3gCI4ebE
— NLL (@NLL) May 19, 2025
But as any good athlete knows, the season is a marathon, not a sprint. To stay consistent, even the best of the best need to stay properly fueled to give them the right edge when the team calls upon them. During his Game 2 postgame interview with TSN sideline reporter Ashley Docking, Shanks was questioned about his seemingly boundless energy reserves, willfully revealing his secret sauce– a good ol’ fashioned locker room PB&J.
“I’ll have a PB&J in the locker room before the game, either right when I get there or a couple of hours before,” Shanks explained. “Just to have something in my stomach so I don’t get that feeling where you’re kind of hungry or your stomach’s upset.”
But preparing for a game as intense as Game 3 of the NLL Finals requires more than just a sandwich to get the proper nutrition and energy needed to play the full 60 minutes. According to Runner’s World, when preparing for a marathon, the participant should start consuming at least three grams of carbohydrate per pound of bodyweight during the five to seven days leading up in order to properly fuel their body before a race. “I’ll have a lot of food the day before, and then when I wake up on game day, I’ll have a really big breakfast, and then I basically shut it down from there.” Coupled with the right amount of hydration, Shanks’ heavy binge and light day-of allows him to stay light on his feet and burn bright.
Austin Shanks has been CLUTCH in the postseason.
With the season on the line, Shanksy put up 3 Goals and 5 Assists to lead the Rush to an 11-10 win over Buffalo and force Game 3.
👀 Shanks Highlights pic.twitter.com/m8f5Fk3zCx
— NLL (@NLL) May 19, 2025
Shanks’ locker room Pb&J’s, though now a key part of his process, were only made a permanent addition to the pregame rituals halfway through the season. “This has definitely been my favorite one, but I was never too sure how good it was for me, energy wise,” he said. “I wasn’t playing too hot mid year, and I said, ‘I’m gonna slow down the eating on game day again,’ and I had a pretty good game and then I just stuck through with it for the rest of the year.” Shanks also credits the idea that the human body is unable to fully absorb the energy from meals and snacks eaten shortly before intense activity for informing his switch in pregame methodology.
“I’ve always had energy and I’ve never felt tired, so it’s always just worked for me, just having that PB&J.”
For a professional athlete, practices, diets, and training are strictly regimented. However, the consistency in schedule and expectations in the day-to-day can help athletes focus better on practices, skill development and games. Despite his steadfast pregame rituals, Shanks’ patterns have changed over the course of his career, from his first start at Bellarmine University and Ohio State to his first Cup Run with the Rush. “I kind of get bored when I get into a routine and have the same thing happen over and over,” he laughed. “I do like a kind of organized chaos.”
The Saskatchewan Rush host the Buffalo Bandits at Sask Tel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, May 18, 2025
Shanks’ pregame habits, he said, are too methodical to be boiled down to plain old superstition, and instead act as a necessary cog in his organized chaos machine. “It just gets my mind set and gets me into the next level of focus and intensity, making sure I know I’m ready to go when that whistle blows.”
His pregame rituals have been fine-tuned over the course of a still-unfolding career built on hard work and consistency. Fueling his conversation-worthy playoff performance through proper dieting and nutrition was only the first step in his seemingly endless gameday prep. “Consistency is huge no matter what you’re doing, whether it’s in the gym or shooting after practice,” Shanks said. “I don’t leave the floor for a while after practice and I always make sure I leave the floor with a goal– just small things.”
But for the young athletes and future NLL stars watching and listening, Shanks urges them not to use his regimen as a bonafide blueprint to success. “What works for me, doesn’t work for the guy next to me,” he said. “Try all sorts of different things and see what works for you.” Finding the right balance in your diet, your training and your rest time, he said, are invaluable keys not only to championships, but lifelong success.
“Just work, work, work as hard as you can and good things will happen.”
The Finals have been absolute cinema! 🍿
One game left. One shot at the title. Game 3 is Saturday, May 24 at 4:30pm ET on ESPN2 & TSN.
Check out the full gallery of the best photos from Games 1 and 2: https://t.co/qzCzYJ9zX6 pic.twitter.com/Y7lEFOLDwE
— NLL (@NLL) May 22, 2025
