2024 NLL Player Rankings: Goalie of the Year
While The Lax Mag’s National Lacrosse League Player Rankings typically orders the league’s Top 30 players from #1 to #30 since soon after the league’s opening weekend and right up to the end of the regular season, now that we’re in playoff mode, we’re shifting focus to our NLL year-end awards.
Specifically, who our rankings system (more on that here) says should win all of the NLL’s most important end-of-season honours (our award-winning history here), although expect an extra one from the league this year.
Goalie of the Year
Every year, The Lax Mag’s Goalie of the Year breakdown touches on more topics than any other award’s analysis since tendies kind of get scrambled into our weekly Top 30 all season. While goalies are included in our every-game star rating (more on that here), their statistical study obviously differs from every other position’s data we delve into.
Before we jump into our Top 5 goalies of 2024 (like we’ve done previously for rookies, transition players and defensemen), here are the starting shot stoppers that ranked highest in the various goalie numbers we use to calculate our year-long NLL Player Rankings, plus today’s GOTY pick.
Matt Vinc, Buffalo Bandits (Photo: Scott Cordaro)
Goals Against Average
Once the gold standard of how goalies were ranked, goals against average is often looked at today as more of a team or defensive unit stat, but still, your stopper plays an important role in that, right? Nick Rose’s 9.18 this year is the fourth lowest GAA for a starter in NLL history. In fact, Rose’s GAA over the past three seasons rank second (9.03 last year), third (9.05 in 2022) and of course the previously mentioned all-time fourth. The only starting goalie with a better single-season GAA: Aaron Bold (8.73 in 2014). Of note, Chris Orilieri’s 9.79 this year is the 17th lowest GAA of all time.
1. Nick Rose (9.18)
2. Chris Origlieri (9.79)
3. Doug Jamieson (10.12)
4. Christian Del Bianco (10.65)
5. Warren Hill (10.85)
Save Percentage
Rose’s .812 save percentage is the highest he’s ever achieved in a full regular season (Rose and other goalies ended the incomplete 2020 COVID season with all-time highs, but obviously with an asterisk next to those numbers) and was just .001 behind Kenny Montour’s .813 record set back in 2009. It was also slightly better than last year’s GOTY (and MVP) Christian Del Bianco’s season-ending save percentage in 2023 (.810).
1. Nick Rose (.812)
2. Doug Jamieson (.800)
3. Nick Damude (.799)
4. Christian Del Bianco (.795)
5. Chris Origlieri (.793)
Brett Dobson, Georgia Swarm (Photo: Trevor MacMillan)
Wins
Like GAA but even more so, wins are very much a team number that tendies get credited with. How important is a team’s record when it comes to garnering NLL GOTY votes? Very. Since the awards first year in 2001, the team in first place or tied for first place saw their starting stopper win GOTY ten times. In 21 of the previous 22 seasons, the GOTY has played for a playoff-qualifying team, and has done no worse than his team finishing fifth (second place on average). The only instance of a non-playoff goalie winning the award? Bob Watson in 2008 when the Toronto Rock finished eighth in the NLL and only sixth in the seven team East Division, not nearly enough to get into the playoffs back then.
1. Nick Rose (15)
2. Chris Origlieri (13)
T3. Doug Jamieson (11)
T3. Matt Vinc (11)
5. Brett Dobson (10)
GSAA
Earlier this season, we reviewed GSAA and what it means in the NLL, but here’s a quick explanation from NBC Sports:
“Goals Saved Above Average is calculated by the league’s average save percentage with the number of shots a goalie has had. The resulting number is the average goals a goalie in whatever league you’re evaluating would’ve surrendered if they took the same number of shots as the goalie you’re evaluating.
Then, this number can be evaluated against the number of goals given up by the goalie in question, finally resulting in a plus / minus number, GSAA.”
Again, Rose easily led the league here.
1. Nick Rose (29.41)
2. Nick Damude (18.63)
3. Doug Jamieson (18.54)
4. Christian Del Bianco (16.17
5. Chris Origlieri (12.09)
Frank Scigliano, Saskatchewan Rush (Photo: Steve Hiscock)
Points
Goalie points were a big stat conversation starter last year because Christian Del Bianco was slinging better than maybe any goalie past or present. Well, future too, because Del Bianco matched last season’s 19A this year.
1. Christian Del Bianco (19A)
2. Doug Jamieson (1G, 8A)
3. Nick Rose (1G, 7A)
T4. Landon Kells (7A)
T4. Franck Scigliano (7A)
Save/Minute & 60 Minutes
This is a stat The Lax Mag has tracked the last three seasons, looking at which goalies thrive most when seeing a high amount of activity (so, a lot of SOGs). It often highlights goalies that might not get the same consistent defensive effort in front of them in comparison to teams with league-leading defensive units (so their GAA, wins and other areas are lacking as a result). Adding up the saves a goalie has made and simply dividing them by GPs provides a massively misleading number since some goalies play less then four full quarter (60 minutes if they remain in their crease all game, less if they get yanked) and some more (OT). Saves per minute and per 60 minutes gives you a far greater glimpse into what each individual netminder deals with on a nightly basis over a full season.
Like he did again this year, Philadelphia’s Zach Higgins usually finishes really high here. No goalie has seen more shots of made more saves than Higgins over the past three seasons. Higgins finished sixth in our GOTY rankings, missing out on the Top 5 largely due to his positioning in many of the previous stats we mentioned. Higgins was our fifth ranked goalie in our preseason Top 100.
The highest individual saves per full single game (so 60 minutes or more) average came courtesy of Nick Damude, who made 59 stops on 69 shots on March 1 in an OT loss to the San Diego Seals, resulting in .93 saves per minute. It was also the most shots and saves made in a single game by any goalie this year.
1. Zach Higgins 0.74 & 44.43
2. Nick Damude 0.73 & 43.92
3. Christian Del Bianco 0.69 & 41.37
4. Matt Vinc 0.677 & 40.64
5. Doug Jamieson 0.676 & 40.61
So, now that we’re done reviewing the goalies that place the highest in some of the key criteria we examine when rankings them within our NLL Player Rankings, here are this year’s Top 5 NLL goalies of 2024.
Nick Damude, Panther City Lacrosse Club
5. Nick Damude
Age: 25
Team: Panther City Lacrosse Club
Seasons: 4
From: Fonthill, ON
GAA: 11.04 (6th)
SV%: .799 (3rd)
W: 9 (T6th)
GSAA: 18.63 (2nd)
PTS: 1G, 4A (T9th)
SV/Min & 60: 0.73 & 43.92 (2nd)
Damude excelled in individual player stats, and was even a bit above average in digits often tied into team and/or defensive unit success. This was easily Damude’s best season in the NLL so far, and his uptrending numbers indicate he’s only going to get better. We obviously didn’t include in our analysis because it didn’t happen during the regular season, but Damude’s performance in Panther City’s playoff quarterfinals loss to San Diego was one of the best goalie performances all year (62:49 minutes played, 63 shots faced, 54 saves amde, 8.60 GAA, .857SV%).
Chris Origlieri, San Diego Seals (Photo: Jake Whiting)
4. Chris Origlieri
Age: 21
Team: San Diego Seals
Seasons: 3
From: Orangeville, ON
GAA: 9.79 (2nd)
SV%: .793 (5th)
W: 13 (2nd)
GSAA: 12.09 (5th)
PTS: 6A (T7th)
SV/Min & 60: 0.62 & 37.42 (13th)
As noted in our Defensive Player of the Year analysis, the Seals were one of the best this year at limiting shots on goal, and some of that is reflected in Origlieri’s numbers above, especially in saves per 60 seconds and 60 minutes. Still, Origlieri’s influence & impact on the game at such a young age is truly remarkable. Nominated as a finalist for the NLL’s GOTY, it likely won’t be long until Origlieri bags the league’s top backstop prize.
Christian Del Bianco, Calgary Roughnecks (Photo: Steve Hiscock)
3. Christian Del Bianco
Age: 26
Team: Calgary Roughnecks
Seasons: 8
From: Coquitlam, BC
GAA: 10.65 (4th)
SV%: .795 (4th)
W: 8 (T8th)
GSAA: 16.17 (4th)
PTS: 19A (1st)
SV/Min & 60: 0.69 & 40.64 (3rd)
The only stopper stat that Christian Del Bianco doesn’t rank Top 5 inis wins, and as we’ve mentioned many times in our various goaltender analysis posts, it’s a stupid stat to hang on a goalie, whether it’s good or bad. It also proves that the NLL’s award voters tie team success into this individual player award, which again, makes little to no sense. This year Del Bianco played more minutes, saw more shots, made more saves, saw a slight decline in GAA & SV%, and matched his point total from last year when he was voted both GOTY and MVP. This year, a similar stat line didn’t even get him an NLL finalist position at the league level. Del Bianco ranked in our Top 30 all season, sitting as high as 16th, often our second or third ranked goalie behind only the next two netminding names below.
Doug Jamieson, Albany FireWolves (Photo: WM Photography)
2. Doug Jamieson
Age: 27
Team: Albany FireWolves
Seasons: 7
From: Ohsweken, ON
GAA: 10.12 (3rd)
SV%: .800 (2nd)
W: 11 (T3rd)
GSAA: 18.54 (3rd)
PTS: 1G, 8A (2nd)
SV/Min & 60: 0.676 & 40.61 (5th)
Jamieson is the only goalie to rank Top 5 in all the stats we reviewed today, although never number one in any one category. While Albany’s athletic two-way game and surprise season from their youngsters up front were key components to this year’s almost record-setting success, Jamieson has been equal if not more important to the FireWolves unreal regular season run that has now extended deep into the playoffs. While his incomplete 2020 GOTY digits were a bit sharper, Jamieson posted his best full-season stats in 2024, which included shaving 2.66 off his GAA, increasing his save percentage by three percent, and of course adding eight more wins to his W-L record from a year ago. In most seasons, what Jamieson did in 2024 would likely be enough to get him another GOTY, but…
Nick Rose, Toronto Rock
1. Nick Rose
Age: 36
Team: Toronto Rock
Seasons: 14
From: Orangeville, ON
GAA: 9.18 (1st)
SV%: .812 (1st)
W: 15 (1st)
GSAA: 29.31 (1st)
PTS: 1G, 7A (3rd)
SV/Min & 60: 0.659 & 39.56 (9th)
For those within the league & media that took part in the NLL’s award voting, if you picked Christian Del Bianco as your GOTY & MVP last year, Nick Rose 100% had to be your top ballot choice in both categories this year, or your logic doesn’t add up. Earlier this year we compared Rose’s early season results to the GOTY/MVP seasons Del Bianco (2023) and Steve Dietrich (2006) had - still the league’s only two goalie MVPs (although with the recent rate at which goalies are being nominated for MVP, that’s bound to change). Rose was ahead of them then, and expanded on that lead in most cases since. Like Toronto Rock legend Bob Watson before him, Rose often gets, “Well he has a league-leading defense in front of him, that’s why his stats are so good.” Just like when it came Watson, it’s a bunch of bullshit. Over the past three seasons specifically, but especially this year, Rose has played the best lacrosse of his career, has made the most memorable saves of his career, and has secured victories because of those stops at a higher rate than ever before. Yes, Toronto has a damn fine defensive unit, it’s why we ranked their defenders #1 and #2 in the NLL this year. But for those that study his stats weekly from December 1 to today and actually watch him play to appreciate the overall impact he has on the Rock roster, you’d also come to the same conclusion we did: Nick Rose is hands down 2024’s NLL Goalie of the Year. It league voters agree with us (and they have him up for MVP as well, so logic would say they do, but often lacrosse logic is something else entirely), it would be Rose’s first GOTY award over his 14 seasons in the league.