Editor’s Note: The NLL Top 25 was voted on by the League’s Head Coaches and General Managers.
The faceoff has become an art form in lacrosse. There are whole academies that help young players practice their craft. Previously, the faceoff was just a thing that happened in the game – it was inevitable fans would experience one every few minutes, but there was no style to it. But we are now in an era where faceoffs matter because extra possessions matter when there is so much parity in the league. The players now tasked with winning those draws are some of the best in the world, and they win them with emphasis. Fans go crazy for a good faceoff win, it adds to the excitement and energy of the whole game.
The five men chosen in this category of the NLL Top 25 are all experts at the dot. Fans could probably guess the players who occupy spots one through four correctly (with some variation in the order depending on their preferences), but when it comes to the fifth spot, the choices are a little muddier.
Several players could fit into this spot – think veterans like Jay Thorimbert, Mike Messenger or Jeremy Thompson – but the league’s coaches and general managers have chosen to shine the spotlight on an up-and-coming faceoff-man in Vancouver.
Chris Willman
The 28-year-old Willman, from London, Ontario, began his NLL career with the Rochester Knighthawks during the 2019-20 season, getting into eight games before the pandemic canceled the season. In that time, he won 42% of his 104 faceoff attempts and has shown that brand of consistency ever since. After his second year with the Knighthawks, he signed with Calgary for the 2022-23 season, winning 49% of his draws in the regular season and 53% over four playoff games.
Last season, the graduate of Hobart and William Smith College played all 18 games for Vancouver, winning 45% of his faceoffs. He’s currently on the Warriors’ holdout list, but should he return, hewill be a big part of the team’s playoff push this season. In 50 career games, Willman has yet to score a goal, instead preferring to be a stay-at-home defender and let others handle the transition game.
The Albany FireWolves faceoff man comes in at number 4, and is the first of three consecutive American players on this list. Nardella, founder of The Faceoff Factory, eats, sleeps and breathes the art of the draw.
Like Willman, Nardella’s first season in the NLL was 2019-20. He was already an established field lacrosse player with an impressive resume built in the MLL, PLL and Rutgers University. On the Tewaaraton watch list in 2015, he was named Big Ten Specialist of the Year.
The 31-year-old from Cazenovia, NY, played 11 games with the New England Black Wolves that first season, winning 58% of his draws. That increased to 67% in 2021-22 with the team in Albany, but a torn ACL at camp with Team USA derailed his momentum and forced him to miss all but the season opener in 2022-23. After a year of rehab, in his return to the floor last season, he won 60% of the draws against the Las Vegas Desert Dogs in the season opener.
He finished last season fourth in faceoff win percentage at 68%, his best effort in four seasons.
TD Ierlan
The Toronto Rock faceoff specialist comes in at number three. The 26-year-old Ierlan is the youngest player in the top five and is entering his fourth season in the league after being chosen 30th overall in the 2022 Entry Draft.
He won 60% of faceoffs as a rookie, 62% as a sophomore and an impressive 72% last season, which put him in second place behind Jake Withers by only 2%. Over three seasons of playoffs (nine games), Ierlan has averaged 60% at the dot.
San Diego’s man at the dot comes in at number two, leading the American faceoff specialist contingent.
Baptiste eclipsed Jake Withers’ record for rookie faceoff wins the season after it was set, winning 68% of his draws in 2019 as a first-year Philadelphia Wing. He followed that up with his best performance, winning 73% in a limited 2022 season. Now with the San Diego Seals following a 2023 trade, Baptiste has shown improvement every season, last year winning 72% and finished third in the league. He hasn’t caught Withers yet, but it’s very possible. Watching the pair battle at the dot is a special experience.
The 28-year-old from Denville, NJ, dominates in field lacrosse. He’s been a PLL All-Star every year of the league’s existence and was its MVP in 2022. At the University of Denver, Baptiste set NCAA records for career faceoff wins with 1,158 and a winning percentage of 71.4 per cent (Ierlan later eclipsed those records as noted above). Baptiste was a four-time All-American and was twice a Tewaaraton finalist.
He is also one of the NLL’s best personalities and friendliest players, and uses his charisma to be an ambassador for the game and the faceoff position.
Jake Withers
At number one, to nobody’s surprise, is the aforementioned of the Halifax Thunderbirds. Withers has been Mr. Everything to the Thunderbirds throughout his career, and his potential has seemingly no limit. He’s finished first in faceoff win percentage for six seasons and there’s no reason to think that he won’t do so again. His worst season at the dot was his rookie year in 2018 when he still won 66% of the draws. His best season was 2022-23 when he won a whopping 79% of his draws.
Last season he won 360 of 485 draws for 74%, which means that for every four faceoffs in the game, he’s winning three. The Thunderbirds are getting the ball off the draw 75% of the time, giving them significant opportunities to run up the score on their opponents should they make the right moves.
The Peterborough, Ontario native scored seven goals last season, most if not all coming on his faceoff wins. He relies on his draw team, sure, but occasionally he’ll scoop the ball himself and go for a run. He has the lacrosse IQ to be able to smell out where his opponents are around him and then beat them to the goal with his quick first step.
With all that Withers is capable of, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him show up again in this Top 25.
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