The offseason typically features roster changes as free agency begins. In the National Lacrosse League, players who have met the necessary service-time requirements and are no longer under contract may sign with any club that best meets their financial, personal, and competitive objectives.
There are many reasons a player may move on from their current club: seeking a new challenge, finding a better fit within another team’s system, or reuniting with former teammates and friends. Similarly, undrafted players or those released from their contracts may also sign wherever they see the best opportunity.
Here are the top storylines from the last few weeks of free agent frenzy and how they will impact the league this season.
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Chase Fraser. Chris Cloutier. Mitch Jones.
The Desert Dogs still need to address their goaltending, but priority number one for them this offseason was adding more firepower to their offense and speed to their transition. By adding Fraser and Cloutier from the Bandits and Jones from the Wings, they add 197 points and now boast their best offensive lineup since they debuted in Vegas. The trio will complement Jack Hannah, Jonathan Donville and Sean Westley as one of the most powerful forward groups in the League.
Additionally, Fraser and Jones can run in transition along with newly signed Tony Malcom, Connor Kirst, Adam Poitras and Brandon Goodwin. The Desert Dogs are going to be a fast and sneaky team this season.
In terms of goaltending, Justin Geddie and Landon Kells finished 26th and 27th, respectively, in save percentage last year and had GAAs of 13.34 and 14.28. They have added rookie Caleb Kahn this year, and signed free agent Alexis Buque, but Buque last played two years ago and he never put up impressive numbers in the NLL.
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The Vancouver Warriors made the biggest splash this offseason, luring away Curtis Dickson, Jesse King and Reece Callies from the Calgary Roughnecks. Transition specialist Shane Simpson also signed with the club, after having spent last season with Las Vegas and Philadelphia a trade from the Roughnecks.
Vancouver finished fourth with an 11-7 record and made their first playoff appearance since 2017. There was hope and excitement in the locker room and amongst fans, and the addition of three powerhouse hometown players moves the club even further ahead as favourites to compete for a title.
Dickson and King join an already lethal Warriors’ offence that includes Keegan Bal, Ryan Martel, Adam Charalambides and Marcus Klarich. Callies joins defensive stalwarts Matt Beers, Brett Mydske and Jeff Cornwall on the back end. With Christian Del Bianco in goal, expect the Warriors to lead the league in goals for/goals against.
The Warriors now have six members of the 2019 championship Calgary Roughnecks, including their coaching staff. Can lightning strike for these players again, this time in the Lower Mainland?
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Goaltender Matt Vinc continues to defy the gods of age. The 43-year-old just signed on for his 20th NLL season as he returns to the Buffalo Bandits in search of a fourth consecutive title. He already accomplished the feat with the Peterborough Lakers of Major Series Lacrosse, winning four Canadian national championships in a row (2017-2022), so it’s only fitting that he does it with his pro team, too. And why stop at four? He’s in the best shape of his life. With Vinc in net, the Bandits are nearly unstoppable. Their coach, John Tavares, played until he was 47, so why couldn’t Vinc?
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Some might say that Nick Rose’s return to the Toronto Rock was inevitable. Rose played seven games for the Calgary Roughnecks last season after the Rock, who were struggling, traded him to recoup some assets for the future. But everybody knew that Rose was a free agent after the season, and the ink wasn’t even dry on the trade before fans began speculating that Rose was basically a loan. Rose and the Rock are synonymous, and it’s been that way since 2012. It should be that way until Rose decides his time in the League is at an end. The Rock had an uncharacteristically poor season in 2024-25, and Rose’s leadership will be counted on to help right the ship as they bring in a number of young draft picks.
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Over the last several years, the Georgia Swarm and Halifax Thunderbirds have featured the highest number of Indigenous players in the League, with the Thompson brothers highlighting the Swarm, while the Thunderbirds’ core is made up of players from Six Nations and owned by Curt Styres. Each team has dedicated itself to providing an inclusive environment and ensuring its fans are educated about the Medicine Game and celebrate its origins.
This season, longtime Swarm member Brendan Bomberry, of Six Nations, chose to leave the Atlanta suburbs for Canada’s East Coast to join his friends on the Thunderbirds. Bomberry is a member of the Six Nations Chiefs, the reigning Mann Cup champion team, and joins six of his Chiefs teammates in Halifax, where their winning culture is built into the team’s identity. Bomberry will play a supporting role and help spread the ball around as he joins Cody Jamieson, Randy Staats, Thomas Hoggarth, Mike Robinson, Clarke Petterson and Dawson Theede as the team’s key offensive threats.
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In his 15th NLL season, veteran defender Kyle Rubisch will finally get to play in front of friends and family. After stops in Boston, Edmonton, Saskatoon and San Diego, the 37-year-old from Brampton, Ontario, has chosen to join the new Oshawa FireWolves for their inaugural season. Rubisch currently lives next door in Whitby, where he previously played for the Brooklin Lacrosse Club in the MSL. Only an hour separates Oshawa and Brampton, located on either side of the GTA, so the trip for friends and family is easily done.
The three-time NLL champion and four-time Defensive Player of the Year has long been considered one of the most solid defenders in the game and will provide much-needed guidance for a corps of very young defensemen on a team that struggled last season.
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Veteran players Rob Hellyer and Corey Small swapped coasts recently, with Hellyer moving from San Diego to the Ottawa Black Bears and Small going from Toronto to San Diego. Toronto loses a great player in this situation; San Diego breaks even and Ottawa gains.
Small, returning to a West Coast team for the first time since his stint with the Vancouver Stealth, should replace Hellyer’s production for the Seals. Except for shooting from the opposite side of the floor, their playing style is similar – they both prefer to use their smaller frames to lob the ball in from distance. Hellyer, who had moved out to San Diego when he signed there but is now living back in Ontario, is a great passer and will both get the ball to Jeff Teat and convert his passes for more scoring chances.
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Goaltender Tyler Carlson pulled a Mike Poulin this offseason and unretired to help a club in need. Although Carlson was never officially placed on the League’s retired list, the 37-year-old talked about the 2023-24 season being his last and then did not sign with any team last season.
After Ottawa sent Cameron Dunkerley to the Seals, they needed a backup goaltender with experience to complement Zach Higgins. Higgins’ former Minnesota Swarm teammate Carlson fits in perfectly. Carlson, who played under new Black Bears bench boss Dan MacRae in Colorado, has four championship titles to his name and is consistently named as one of the best teammates in the League. With Dillon Ward injured for part of the 2023-24 season, Carlson saw 284 minutes of playing time for the Mammoth, where he earned a GAA of 12.00 and had a .751 save percentage.
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While many players chose to play for new teams this year, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the players who chose to sign new deals with teams they have been with for years, where they are beloved by fans. Steve Priolo, Kyle Buchanan and Paul Dawson re-upped with Buffalo so they can chase their 4-peat with Vinc. Ryan Dilks, Jeff Cornwall and Matt Beers are sticking around Vancouver to help the Warriors get to that NLL Final. There was much speculation that Joe Resetarits, who finished fourth in League scoring last year, would sign with the Bandits for a chance at a championship in front of his hometown fans, but instead, he chose to stay in Philadelphia for another season. Billy Hostrawser is sticking around with the Toronto Rock, and Ian Llord, entering his 19th season, will stay with the Rochester Knighthawks, where he won two championships (2013/2014). These players have found communities where they thrive and will continue to do so for another season, at least.
The regular season opens with NLL Friday Night on TSN as the Toronto Rock take on the Oshawa FireWolves on Friday, Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
