Lacrosse fans in Edmonton, get ready – the National Lacrosse League is back. The League announced on Wednesday that the next edition of the NLL UnBOXed Series will take place at Rogers Place on Friday, January 16 with the host team Georgia Swarm taking on the Calgary Roughnecks.
This special showcase event continues the NLL’s effort to bring professional box lacrosse to passionate sports markets across North America, while celebrating the sport’s deep roots and growing presence in Western Canada. This will be the second instalment of the NLL UnBOXed Series; the first was in Montreal in February 2024 with the Toronto Rock winning 16-10 over the New York Riptide at Place Bell.
“The NLL UnBOXed Series is where our grassroots mission and the professional game truly meet,” said Dennis Bruzzi, Manager, Grassroots Operations for the NLL. “This event isn’t just about one night at Rogers Place. It represents the thousands of kids across North America now learning lacrosse and about the NLL for the first time through our school and community programs. Bringing this showcase to Edmonton allows us to connect both the professional game and the new lacrosse community that will help shape the next generation of players and fans.”
History in the making! 👏
NLL #UnBOXedSeries Edmonton | Friday, January 16 pic.twitter.com/30J6JS4hBt
— NLL (@NLL) October 22, 2025
The NLL has a storied history in Edmonton: before they moved to Saskatchewan, the Rush franchise played Rexall Place from 2006-2015. Their time in the City of Champions culminated in their first League title.
The Rush moved to Saskatchewan for the 2016 season, where they won the 2016 and 2018 titles, with many players remaining from their days in Edmonton.
The last game at Rexall Place is still remembered by fans and players alike. After beating Toronto in Game 1 of the best-of-three championship series 15-9 in Toronto, the Rush won a close Game 2 by an 11-10 score. Two late goals from Mark Matthews gave Edmonton a 5-4 lead at halftime. The game was tied 8-8 after the third, with no team ever leading by more than two goals. In the final quarter, Rob Hellyer and Matthews traded goals before Matthews put the Rush ahead with a jumper shot on the crease. Colin Doyle replied for Toronto, converting Stephan Leblanc’s cross-crease pass for a quick stick. Marty Dinsdale’s outside shot was the game-winner for Edmonton with 1:02 left to play. Matthews led that game with five goals and three assists.
While a number of prolific players from that historic game remain in the League, only Jeremy Thompson and Nick Rose (depending on free agency) will play in the return game – Thompson with the Swarm, and Rose with the Roughnecks. However, three members of the Roughnecks will be playing in front of their hometown fans – Bennett Smith and John Lintz hail from Edmonton, while Mathieu Gautier is from 30 minutes away in St. Albert.
The players are looking forward to checking out Rogers Place for the first time – the new home of the Edmonton Oilers replaced Rexall Place in 2016.
“We’ll have a great weekend in Edmonton,” said Swarm captain Jordan MacIntosh, one of the few members of the Swarm who played against Edmonton in its final year. “Getting back there is a great opportunity to play in a market that has passionate lacrosse fans who support their teams. Watching Oilers’ games, you can tell the fan base really gets behind their players and teams and getting lacrosse back in town would be great for the league.”
Things have changed in both the League and the city since 2015. Edmonton and its surrounding area have become a hotbed for lacrosse, with the number of teams in Alberta’s Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League growing each season at every level and providing more talent to the NLL. The Jr. A Edmonton Miners represented the RMLL in the 2022 and 2023 Minto Cups, while the Sr. B Miners are on an eight-year streak of representing at the President’s Cup.
“It’s been a while since being in Edmonton, but I am really looking forward to returning,” MacIntosh stated. “It was always a really fun trip to play in that game. The league has changed a lot; it’s gotten faster, and some of the young players coming up are hitting their strides earlier in their careers. I think the league has gotten more competitive and there is never an easy game across the league.”
It will be a good showcase for the fans between two competitive teams – Calgary finished sixth and Georgia seventh in 2025. In their only matchup last year, Calgary won 12-11 in overtime. Their last three meetings have all been games.
“Anytime you play Calgary, you know it’s going to be a tough battle. They are a fantastic organization which has had sustained success for a number of years. It should be a hard-fought game with a lot of action,” said MacIntosh.
There’s only one thing that fans will have to decide, and that’s which team to cheer for. Will Albertan pride win out with a crowd favouring the Roughnecks, or will the sports rivalry between Calgary and Edmonton bring a boost to the Swarm?
Said MacIntosh, a Canadian himself: “Come on! An Edmontonian can’t cheer for a team from Calgary!”
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Fans are encouraged to secure their seats early for this one-night-only event. Tickets will be available through Ticketmaster.
