After an abrupt end to his 2024-25 season, Zed Williams has finally made his way back through the Rocky Mountains to his home state of New York to begin his first season as a Rochester Knighthawk under new Seneca Nation ownership. After his trade from the Colorado Mammoth during the offseason, Williams now enters his seventh year in the League in familiar territory with more familiar faces.
“The guys have been awesome, the coaching staff has been awesome, Dan Carey’s been awesome,” said Wiliams. “I’m just happy to be a part of the group, and every time there’s a practice, session, or even just those practice days by myself, I just try to get better and that’s how I’ve always approached things.”
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As a longtime local resident of Williamsville, New York, the Knighthawks’ home turf, the Blue Cross Arena, is only an hour away from Williams’ front door. As if the homecoming wasn’t exciting enough already, the Knighthawks’ new ownership has made it all the more. As a member of the Seneca Nation’s Wolf Clan, the opportunity to play under the Nation’s ownership with the Knighthawks crest on his chest was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up, especially given the intimate nature of his relationship with the President of the Seneca Nation, J. Conrad Seneca.
But more than anything, the opportunity to play in his own background and in front of his family was the final sell for Williams’ return to the East Coast.
“It was just time for me to come home and actually make my family a part of it,” said Williams. “For so many years, they would come out to one, maybe two games max, but now for them to be actually a part of it was like a big present.”
ZED making it look EASY#TuskUp pic.twitter.com/eYGcetKXwJ
— Colorado Mammoth (@MammothLax) March 24, 2024
Williams’ 2024 season was cut short after an injury to his Achilles tendon in February, which would prevent him from finishing what would be his last season with Colorado, as well as starting his first season with the PLL’s Philadelphia Waterdogs during the summer. But despite this major setback, Williams told Inside Lacrosse that his injury “rejuvenated his hunger to be the best.”
“Until things are taken away from you, you always take them for granted,” said Williams, explaining that even at the highest levels of play, complacency can still creep into the back of the mind of even the hardest-working players. “I don’t take lacrosse for granted, because I try to come to every practice and really play hard, but when things actually happen to you, you can respond in two ways and I’m just trying to respond the right way.”
“Since I got hurt, I’ve had amazing support from my wife, my kids and my family, so I tried to make sure I was doing my part to do everything I could to get back to playing the game.”
Some legendary Zed moments! Rochester is getting a good one. pic.twitter.com/E4U66ZlcsA
— Colorado Mammoth (@MammothLax) August 21, 2025
While on the road to recovery, the support from his family would unfortunately become more indispensable than ever. On September 5th, Williams’ 20-year-old stepson, Noah Snyder, was killed in a drunk driving accident. The accident also claimed the life of teammate Scott Michaud, 19, and injured three other Marquette University lacrosse players. Though the driver of the other vehicle, 41-year-old Amandria Brunner, has since been charged with two counts of homicide, the news was a shock to the lacrosse world, and especially to the Williams family.
“I still haven’t accepted it, and to be honest, I’m still trying to figure things out,” Williams admitted. “You think you have an idea on life, and you preach a lot about how to do things the right way, and even when you do everything the right way, you can still be cut short.”
Amidst the tragedy, Williams was forced to take a step back and reevaluate his connection to the game of lacrosse and the reasons he suits up every day. Though his journey to acceptance is only just beginning, the Medicine Game has helped him find small comforts during his family’s time of crisis and stay connected to Noah through their shared love of the game.
“He loved lacrosse; it was definitely in his DNA and his blood, it was who he was, so one thing I’m definitely going to lean on is just playing the game,” said Williams. “The game of lacrosse is what I know Noah believed in, and it’s what I’ve always believed in, and it was something that made us so close.”
To aid Williams in honoring Noah’s memory, the Knighthawks organization developed commemorative stickers to be worn by each of the players on their helmets. The stickers depict Noah’s jersey number over a set of orange wings flying over an east-bound arrow, with the words, “43 Forever.”
“I’m just trying to make sure that I do my part to always make him proud until I see him again, and I’m going to see him again one day, and that’s what gives me hope.”
Now in Week 4, he’ll finally run out under the Saturday Night Lights at Blue Cross Arena for their home opener against the Philadelphia Wings.
100 games. Countless battles. One milestone moment. Congrats on 100 career games, Zed #builttohunt #NLL #100careergames pic.twitter.com/pZHVcAQZXo
— Rochester Knighthawks (@RocKnighthawks) December 14, 2025
The two teams have already had the opportunity to size each other up during the preseason, as the Knighthawks snatched up a 12-8 exhibition win in the early weeks of training camp. The visiting Wings, however, have also started their season on a high note, narrowly sneaking out of their Week 3 home and season opener against Williams’ former team, the Colorado Mammoth, with an 8-7 victory.
“I’m just trying to mentally prepare myself and make sure my feet are ready to go, and my stick is ready to go,” said Williams. “I know with me, like, the more reps I get, the better I get. I’m just trying to make sure I tackle the weekend and that I’m ready for that first game. I have a lot to prove, not only to myself, but to my kids and my family, and to Noah too. I’m just excited for it.”
Rochester hosts its first home game of the season on Saturday, December 20 at 7:00 PM ET. Don’t miss the StubHub NLL Faceoff as the Knighthawks welcome the Wings to town. Watch on ESPN+, NLL+ and TSN+.
