Get your fill now while you can, NLL Fans! NLL Friday Night on TSN is back for another big start-of-weekend matchup between the #6 Toronto Rock and the #10 Halifax Thunderbirds. Halifax will be hosting the Rock for a second straight home outing after their Week 15 win over the Las Vegas Desert Dogs, their fifth victory of the season, and the win that has now brought them within two wins of a late playoff dash.
But if the March to May wasn’t enough excitement to begin with, the NLL’s March 9th Trade Deadline has shaken up the player makeup of the League, with familiar faces dressing in different colors for the first time this weekend. In a surprising turn of events, the Thunderbirds traded star defender Tyson Bell a first-round selection in the 2026 NLL Entry Draft to the Las Vegas Desert Dogs in exchange for the rights to righty forward Casey Wilson, currently on the Desert Dogs’ Draft List after being selected fourth overall in the 2025 Entry Draft. While the Thunderbirds’ defense still holds a strong backend with the retention of defender Graeme Hossack and the defensive-centric performance from faceoff specialist Jake Withers in his last several matchups, it will be interesting to see how a 5-7 Halifax bench operates without one of their defensive cornerstones in tow.
In their first game without Bell on the backend, the Thunderbirds are lined up against the 7-5 Toronto Rock, who have been on a winning tear for the better part of the last six weeks. Though a few key losses at crunch times, like their runs against Colorado and Buffalo in Weeks 12 and 14 have put them back on the catch-up in the League rankings, the Rock have been a constant offensive force this season. In Week 15’s upset win against the Vancouver Warriors, Toronto not only finished with a three-goal lead, but held upwards of a seven-goal lead at certain points thanks to multiple three-plus point performances by the Toronto frontend, as well as a 39-save evening by returning goaltender Nick Rose. Additionally, to bolster their defensive efforts headed into the final stretches of the season, the Rock have acquired defender Josh Jackson from Las Vegas ahead of the trade deadline.
Though Toronto’s seven wins so far have kept them well within the early playoff conversation, the number of .500 and -1 teams sitting below them on the leaderboard has still begun to set off a few early warning signals. An eighth win would put them in a much more comfortable position in the March to May, but with a boiling two-game win streak, the Thunderbirds’ mad dash to the Elite Eight might not stop with the Toronto Rock.
Halifax and Toronto kick off the weekend this Friday Night on TSN at 6:30PM ET, with streaming available on ESPN+, TSN+ and NLL+.
Philadelphia Wings forward Sam LeClair (92)
The Oshawa FireWolves and the Philadelphia Wings return to the Tribute Communities Center for the second game of their two-weekend series, trading home arenas this Saturday for a crucial lineup that could potentially eliminate either squad from playoff contention. Their previous meeting in Week 15 left a sour taste in the Wings’ mouth, as the FireWolves snuck away with a 13-12 victory to secure their third win of the season.
Though the Wings have been presented with a quick turnaround to get their win back against Oshawa, several of the moves made ahead of this week’s trade deadline have shaken up both squads’ rosters and thrown the outcome of their second meeting into question. Having made most of their big deals earlier in the season, the FireWolves made it through the trade deadline without making too many moves, sending defender Zachary Young to Las Vegas in exchange for a second-round selection in the 2026 NLL Entry Draft.
Philadelphia has by far seen the biggest set of moves ahead of the deadline, having traded an entire three-man offensive line out in the final hours, sending forwards Blaze Riorden to Rochester, Joe Resetarits to Buffalo, and Phil Caputo to Ottawa. While Philly snuck out of the trades with a second and third round pick in next year’s draft, as well as a second round pick in 2027, the manpower returns are to be seen this weekend, as the Wings also received forwards Lukas Nielsen from Buffalo and Travis Longboat from Ottawa. Longboat has spent the majority of his five-season career in the NLL, floating between teams, moving from the Riptide to the Swarm in his first two seasons before being moved to Albany, and then later traded to Ottawa partway through the 2024 season. Throughout his 46 games played, the righty forward has amassed 45 goals on 122 points, making him a good bet on the offensive end with his roughly one goal per game average. However, Longboat has spent the majority of the 2025 season on the Injured Reserve and has only appeared in three games so far.
Without three of their key offensive pieces, and with Michael Sowers still out for injury, the Wings will likely be activating both of their new pieces this weekend to compensate. With the FireWolves still fighting at full strength, it’s entirely possible for the Wings to be the first early elimination of the March to May.
The Wings and the FireWolves look to keep the dream alive this Friday at 7:00PM ET on ESPN+, NLL+ and TSN+.
Philadelphia Wings forward Joe Resetarits (15)
Closing out the first night of Week 16’s action, the Colorado Mammoth are taking a trip out east to KeyBank Center for a run-in with the reigning champs, the Buffalo Bandits. Buffalo has been on an unexpected, yet unsurprising, tear of victories in their last several matchups, finding an overtime upset against the #1 Saskatchewan Rush, as well as another five-goal victory over the Toronto Rock in their Week 14 doubleheader. Now sitting at .500 and in the seventh seat on the NLL leaderboard, the Bandits are now poised for another run-in with a top-four team.
While the Bandits have been heavily criticized for their quality of play and less-than-satisfactory roster moves in the offseason, the trade deadline presents Bandits fans with a few new additions that may very well put those rumors to rest and set Buffalo up for continued success in the March to May. On March 9th, the Buffalo Bandits announced two major moves ahead of the 3:00 PM deadline, trading a sixth-round selection in the 2026 NLL Entry Draft to Calgary in exchange for transition player Tyler Hendrycks, and forward Lukas Nielsen and a 2026 second-round selection to Philadelphia in exchange for forward Joe Resetarits. Now in his third season in the NLL and on his third team, Hendrycks has stood out as a reliable, high-IQ player on the backend and in transition despite his low minutes, having only played 18 career games. But with Buffalo’s need to strengthen their transition game due to injury, Hendrycks could be the Bandits’ missing piece across the midline. Similarly, Resetarits’ addition to Buffalo’s frontend could be the fill for the hole left by Cloutier and Fraser. In his past three seasons in Philadelphia, Resetarits started in all 54 games, scoring 119 goals on 327 points.
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Conversely, the visiting Colorado Mammoth stayed silent through the trade deadline, opting instead to stay content with their current winning lineup. In spite of that, the Mammoth have been subject to an uncharacteristic string of misplaced losses, most recently falling to the Ottawa Black Bears 10-5. Forward Andrew Kew was able to put up four goals to keep Colorado in the mix against Ottawa, but several miscues defensively and the clearly felt absence of Thomas Vela on the offensive end put Ottawa on top. Now tied at 9-4 with the Vancouver Warriors breathing down their neck, the Mammoth need to get back on the horse and back in the win column to finally clinch a playoff berth.
Colorado inches closer to the postseason this Friday night on ESPN+, TSN+ and NLL+. The first whistle blows at 7:30PM ET.
CALGARY, AB – FEBRUARY 15, 2026: The Calgary Roughnecks against the Georgia Swarm at Scotiabank Saddledome on Sunday. (Photo by Jenn Pierce/NLL)
Back in the Southeast, the #4 Georgia Swarm are well-rested and ready to go off their Week 15 bye game, as they get set to host the #3 Vancouver Warriors. While both squads have been anchored to the bottom of the League podium for the better part of half a season now, neither the Swarm nor the Warriors are in a position to give up a win at this stage in the year.
Though Georgia had the good fortune to head into this week fresh-faced after the bye and without any roster moves ahead of the trade deadline, they’re entering the weekend on a loss, having dropped the second game of their two-round series with the Philadelphia Wings 9-5 in Week 14. Though the Swarm started the second half trailing the Wings by a single goal, Philly goaltender Nick Damude held Georgia completely scoreless for the remaining 30 minutes of regulation, allowing Eric Fannel and Ben Kromer to tack on three additional goals, two of which were extra-man opportunities, to stretch their lead to four. To maintain their position in the Top 4, the Swarm will need to pull out all the stops and find a way to maintain offensive pressure in the second half as demonstrated in previous matchups.
While the Warriors’ cushy 9-4 record leaves them an entire win above the Swarm currently, being served their fourth loss by the Toronto Rock in Week 15 has put them in a precarious position. While a win this weekend would give Vancouver their tenth win and an extra step closer towards being the next team to clinch their postseason appearance, a loss would not only drop them to 9-5, but would also finally put the Swarm ahead at 9-4, dropping the Warriors from the third seat. With another step towards clinching on the line, neither team can afford to give up the win this weekend this close to the finish line.
The Warriors step out onto the turf at Gas South Arena this Saturday at 7:30PM ET on ESPN+, NLL+ and TSN+.
Denver, Colorado – February 14, 2025: Ottawa Black Bears at Colorado Mammoth at the Ball Arena in Denver Colorado, United States. (Photo by John Matthew Harrison/National Lacrosse League)
Talk about two squads popping up out of the woodwork! The Ottawa Black Bears and the Calgary Roughnecks are set to scrap for a ticket to the next stop, with the Roughnecks eyeing up the eighth seat while the Black Bears sit potentially a win away from breaking the top four.
Ottawa enters the weekend on a four-win streak, a new franchise record, after taking down the #2 Colorado Mammoth 10-5 in Week 15. Both the Black Bears and the Mammoth pushed through a low-scoring first half with Ottawa trailing by one headed into the third quarter, but captain Jeff Teat’s six-point second half (3G, 3A) and Rob Hellyer’s four assists put the Black Bears on top. Now with a shot at a fifth straight win this weekend against Calgary, the Black Bears have brought in Philly’s Phil Caputo and Las Vegas’ Justin Sykes to potentially put them ove the edge.
On the home bench, Calgary has begun to find some cohesive team success over the past few weeks, with last Sunday’s 14-7 matinee win being the first four-plus goal victory for the Roughnecks since their 15-11 win over San Diego in Week 6. Tyler Pace and Tanner Cook’s combined 14-point evening put the Roughnecks in position to pick up the win on the offensive end, but Aden Walsh’s 51 saves, backed by Justin Inacio’s 18 faceoff wins and the team’s focus on the ground game, kept the win within reach.
Calgary desperately needs another win to begin taking an eighth-place playoff run seriously, and though the Black Bears are a comfortable 8-5, with the Rock and the Bandits just a week or two away from flying by the rearview, they can’t afford to give up a game this early in the March to May.
Calgary takes on Ottawa on ESPN+, NLL+ and TSN+ this Saturday at 9:00PM ET.
Saturday night winds down in the great prairies of Saskatoon, as the #1 Saskatchewan Rush return to the weekend schedule from their well-earned bye week. SaskTel Centre is set to host the San Diego Seals for a St. Patrick’s Day festivus– or St. Rowdy’s Day for those that celebrate. Lucky for your Rush fans, you’ll already be dressed for the occasion.
The Rush are on an unexpected cold streak heading into the weekend, having dropped both games in their Week 14 doubleheader. Saskatchewan took on Buffalo early in the weekend and Rochester to close it out, dropping both games several minutes into overtime. Despite the unfortunate outcomes, the Rush were not without stellar individual performances, especially on the defensive end. Goaltender Frank Scigliano’s 37 saves against Buffalo, as well as Ryan Barnable and Matt Hossack’s five combined turnovers, kept the Rush defense on the attack and gave captain Ryan Keenan the room to even the score in the final bracket. The big story, however, came out of February 28th’s overtime loss to Rochester, in which young relief goaltender Thomas Kiazyk stopped 52 shots from the Knighthawks offense.
Even with two extra tallies in the loss column ahead of this weekend, the Rush are still sitting comfortably in first position at 10-3. However, this weekend, they’re faced with the dragonslayers, the San Diego Seals, who have built themselves a reputation over the past several seasons as blights on a winning team’s record. Though the Seals have been operating on a low note during their past several matchups, falling to the Mammoth by two and the Warriors by two in Week 14, San Diego held two of the top three teams in the League to a goal until the fourth quarter in both of their matchups. Their 6-6 record might not reflect immediate danger for unsuspecting Saskatchewan fans, but their position as eighth overall in the League rankings is not without merit.
The Seals look for a stroke of Irish luck against the Rush this Saturday at 9:00PM ET, and streaming on ESPN+, NLL+ and TSN+.
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The Knighthawks return for a bit of Sunday evening lacrosse, following suit with several of the teams around the League as they get set for a night of St. Patrick’s Day activities in Las Vegas. Rochester is looking to get back to .500 with a win this weekend, but with all the changes made to the bench ahead of this weekend, they might need more than just the luck o’ the Irish.
The biggest news is, of course, the Knighthawks acquisition of the hometown kid, Blaze Riorden, from the Philadelphia Wings. Originally drafted by Buffalo in 2016, Riorden has spent the majority of his eight-season career in Philadelphia. As a Wing, Riorden tallied 137 goals on 314 points and became a staple of Philadelphia’s frontend and leadership team, and will certainly bring that dedication back to his hometown team.
But as exciting as his acquisition has been for the Rochester fanbase, the coaching staff has seen an even more drastic change. On March 9, Knighthawks president and general manager Dan Carey announced that head coach Mike Hasen and assistant coach Pat O’Toole had been relieved of their duties without immediately naming their replacement. Subsequently, on March 10, the Knighthawks organization named former Rochester Knighthawks captain and Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Famer Randy Mearns as the interim head coach. Mearns led the original Knighthawks to four finals appearances and to their first League title in 1997, and has spent nearly 30 years coaching at the Division I level, molding familiar talents such as Knighthawks captain Dan Coates, Dan Carey himself, and the Buffalo Bandits’ goaltender Matt Vinc, as well as Halifax’s Austin Blumbergs, and Georgia’s Brett Dobson. Mearns has also coached multiple medal-winning rosters as head coach for Team Canada, including the 2014 World Championship gold medal team, and served as the general manager for the 2025 U20 Canadian team, which won gold at the World Lacrosse Championship.
Faced with a continuously star-studded roster on the Rochester bench, the Desert Dogs will need to put it back together after their Week 15 loss to Halifax dropped them further down the ranks. Though Las Vegas made it through the trade deadline with an exciting set of future draft picks, they traded away frequent defensive contributor Josh Jackson to Toronto, as well as the rights to a handful of other draft list players, but to supplement, they did pick up defenders Zachary Young from Oshawa and Tyson Bell ahead of the deadline. Over the course of his 12 games played in The Nest this season, Bell notched a respectable 66 loose balls and 19 caused turnovers, as well as seven blocks and three goals. In his nine games played in Oshawa this season, Young has only tallied seven loose balls and a block, but has been a major contributor to the FireWolves’ backend as a consistent, physical position defender.
Rochester has bolstered its already intimidating frontend, while the Desert Dogs have instead opted to add an extra layer of gridiron to their backend. With both teams similarly shaken up by their new additions, Week 16 is set to end on an explosive note.
Week 16 concludes this Sunday in Las Vegas at 6:00PM ET. Catch all the action on ESPN+, NLL+ and TSN+.
