After the first several weeks of the 2023-24 National Lacrosse League season are complete, The Lax Mag will publish a weekly NLL Player Ranking, examining the league’s Top 30 players from Week 1 right up until the end of the regular season.

TLM’s Top 30 NLL Player Rankings have nothing to do with reputations, career resumes, success in past seasons, whether we know a player personally, recognizing deserving players who’ve previously been passed over, player popularity, the size of their social media following, whether you slide into their DMs, or who others around the league tell us should get hype.

Our rankings, which only take into consideration a player’s performance for the current regular season, will be calculated using both our star-rating system after each game, but also a player’s season-long statistical position (based on per-game average, not full-season totals) across the league. Only players who have played two-thirds of their team’s games will qualify.

Click here for an even more in-depth description of our scoring system.

Dhane Smith, Buffalo Bandits (Photo: Carter Bender)

Mark Steenhuis’ single-game record for points in a game (17 on February 14, 2009) has had a couple of contenders come close this season: Callum Crawford (14) and Connor Fields (14).

Since Steenhuis set that record in a Buffalo Bandits' 25-10 win over the Toronto Rock 15 years ago, only two players have bettered Crawford’s & Fields’ 14 (Garrett Billings had 15 with Toronto in 2012 and Tom Schreiber buried the same sum with the Rock last year).

While single-game records have been safe so far this season, how are the season-long ones looking?

In this week’s NLL Player Rankings post, we examine which NLL sing-season records are likely to remain and which ones have players on pace to break them.

Goals

Dhane Smith (Buffalo) 72 (2016)
Athan Iannucci (Philadelphia) 71 (2008)
Gary Gait (Colorado) 61 (2003)
Curtis Dickson (Calgary) 61 (2016)
Gary Gait (Baltimore) 57 (1998)

As we highlighted on Instagram this week, just three players presently are averaging a hat-trick or (slightly) more per game: Ryan Smith (3.10), Jeff Teat (3.08) and Austin Staats (3.00). That goal-scoring rate won’t be nearly enough to catch most of the names above, but would get all three into Top 10 all-time territory.

The pre-2014 seasons above were all done before the league went to an 18-game schedule like we still have today. Had Gary Gait played an 18-game season in 1998 with the Baltimore Thunder, his average would have seen him finish with 86 goals.

Assists

Dhane Smith (Buffalo) 96 (2023)
Dhane Smith (Buffalo) 94 (2022)
Ryan Lee (Colorado) 85 (2022)
Mark Matthews (Saskatchewan) 84 (2018)
Three tied with 83 assists

Dhane Smith has set a new record the previous two seasons, and he may do it again for a third straight year. Averaging 5.55 assists per game right now, Smith is on pace to hit 100 helpers in 2024.

Las Vegas Desert Dogs co-owner Wayne Gretzky, who spent some time in the NHL, owns eleven of the top twelve assists in a single season totals. Ontario Junior Lacrosse League record holder for most points in a game, Adam Oates (Etobicoke Eclipse), has the 15th highest assists in one season sum.

Dhane Smith, 2016 NLL MVP (Photo: Graig Abel)

Points

Dhane Smith (Buffalo) 137 (2016)
Jeff Teat (New York) 136 (2023)
Dhane Smith (Buffalo) 135 (2022)
Dhane Smith (Buffalo) 132 (2023)
Shawn Evans (Calgary) 130 (2015)

Smith was two points shy of matching his own record two years ago. He was voted NLL MVP. Last year, Jeff Teat was a single goal or assist away from tying Smith. He was not voted MVP. Will anyone do it this year? Maybe.

Right now, Rochester Knighthawks forward Connor Fields is on pace to finish with 133 points, which would put him well within reach. Another 14-game performance like he had last week wouldn’t hurt that points-record push either. Between his almost record-setting points pace and absurd ball retention stats for a forward (see our 30-60-90 Club post for more on that), you’d think he’d be high on everyone’s MVP watch list. Oddly, he hasn’t been.

Connor Fields, Rochester Knighthawks (Photo: Micheline Veluvolu)

Loose Balls

Jay Thorimbert (Buffalo) 246 (2015)
Geoff Snider (Philadelphia) 245 (2010)
Geoff Smith (Philadelphia) 244 (2008)
Jake Withers (Halifax) 238 (2023)
Zach Currier (Calgary) 237 (2022)

Had Jake Withers got all 18 games in last year (he played in 17), Jay Thorimbert’s 246 loosies were likely slipping to second on the all-time LB list. Withers, who has ranked no lower than 13 in our weekly Top 30 this year, is again, on pace for record-smashing success. Averaging an unheard of 17.25 LB per outing, at that preposterous pace, Withers would finish the season with 311 loose balls. The next closest to Withers this year, Rochester’s Joe Post, scoops six fewer grounders per game.

Face-off Wins

Trevor Baptiste (Philadelphia) 362 (2019)
Jake Withers (Halifax) 360 (2023)
Jay Thorimbert (Buffalo) 338 (2015)
Bobby Snider (Washington) 319 (2012)
Jake Withers (Halifax) 319 (2022)

Again, if he was able to play a full season last year, Withers would have owned this record too. And again, he’s easily on pace to do it this year. Withers is averaging 21.08 FOWs a night, which would put him at almost 380 for the year. He’ll get Trevor Baptiste this weekend, and still sees TD Ierlan and Post.

Jake Withers, Halifax Thunderbirds (Photo: Trevor MacMillan)

Caused Turnovers

Zach Currier (Calgary) 62 (2022)
Kyle Rubisch (Edmonton) 61 (2014)
Ryan Dilks (Saskatchewan) 51 (2016)
Graeme Hossack (Halifax) 49 (2023)
Kyle Rubisch (Saskatchewan) 45 (2019)

Whether you refer to them as caused or forced turnovers (the league flip flops between the two), Currier’s record is most likely safe. Right now, Vancouver’s Ryan Dilks is averaging more CTs a game (2.45) than anyone else, but is likely to hit the mid-40 mark at best.

Saves

Anthony Cosmo (Buffalo) 752 (2014)
Matt Vinc (Buffalo) 747 (2022)
Matt Vinc (Buffalo) 742 (2023)
Zach Higgins (Philadelphia) 729 (2023)
Christian Del Bianco (Calgary) 716 (2019)

As we highlighted in this year’s Top 100 (#38 if you want to scroll to his spot), since 2010, no goalie in the game has seen as many shots or made as many saves as Zach Higgins. Well, it’s happening again, because Higgins is easily on pace to break Anthony Cosmo’s decade-long saves record if the Philadelphia Wings continue to let him get peppered at the rate he has been so far this season. Higgins is making 43.60 saves per game this year. No other goalie is averaging even 40 right now. While Panther City’s Nick Damude has the most saves in a single start this year (59), Higgins finds his name on that stat’s Top 15 five different times. If things continue as they are, Higgins is set to end the season with 785 saves, almost a game’s worth of saves more than the current record held by Coz.

Zach Higgins, Philadelphia Wings (Photo: Heather Barry)

Rookies

Goals: Paul Gait (Detroit) 47 (1991)
Assists: Jeff Teat (New York) 71 (2022)
Points: Jeff Teat (New York) 108 (2022)
Loose Balls: Brodie Merrill (Portland) & Reid Bowering (Vancouver) 214 (2006 & 2022)
Caused Turnovers: Reid Bowering (Vancouver) 34

We’re going to group these together since it’s Albany FireWolves rookie forward Alex Simmons leads more than half of them. Does he have a chance at topping any of the offensive totals above?

His per game averages spread over the remaining seven games Albany has left would see him finish six goals away from Paul Gait, twelve helpers shy of Teat and eight points from Teat’s 108. He’s within reach, but will require some big nights over the next several weeks. During the FireWolves 0-2 run after that surprising 6-0 start, Simmons saw a significant slowdown in his overall offensive production, but is back up during the team’s recent 3-0 streak.

Who leads al rookies in loosies/game? Well, not a defender. Simmons’ front-door teammate Tye Kurtz does, averaging 6.27 LBs per game. That would leave Kurtz with 113 at the end of the year, which is an impressive total for a forward, a rookie at that, but well below what Brodie Merrill & Reid Bowering did.

Record-holder Bowering’s Vancouver teammate Owen Grant leads all rookies with 1.55 CT/GP, which puts him on pace to finish six behind Bowering’s 34 from a few seasons ago.

Alex Simmons, Albany FireWolves (Photo: Asher Greene)

Turnovers

Mitch Jones (Vancouver/Philadelphia) 100 (2023)
Jeff Teat (New York) 97 (2023)
Mark Matthews (Saskatchewan) 88 (2016)
Curtis Dickson (Calgary) 82 (2015)
Lyle Thompson (Georgia) 82 (2023)

One stat we track that negatively impacts a players positioning in our weekly Top 30 is turnovers, although actually benefits the players that give the ball away less frequently too.

Last year, both Mitch Jones & Jeff Teat broke Mark Matthews’ record for most giveaways in a season, Jones doing it in 19 games thanks to the midseason swap that sent him from Vancouver to Philadelphia. Will those 100 from a year ago be topped? Unlikely.

Going into Week 15, Dhane Smith leads the league with 4.45 TOs a game. Connor Kelly (4.36), Chris Boushy (4.27), Teat (4.25), Jones (4.10) and Jesse King (4.00) are the only others in the NLL right now turning over the ball four times or more per outing.

Here is this week’s updated NLL Top 30.

NLL Top 30: Week 15

TW. (LW) Player, Team (Position)

1. (3) Connor Fields, Rochester (F)
2. (2) Josh Byrne, Buffalo (F)
3. (1) Nick Rose, Toronto (G)
4. (4) Jeff Teat, New York (F)
5. (6) Dhane Smith, Buffalo (F)
6. (5) Jesse King, Calgary (F)
7. (7) Wes Berg, San Diego (F)
8. (9) Ryan Smith, Rochester (F)
9. (11) Austin Staats, San Diego (F)
10. (8) Mitch Jones, Philadelphia (F)
11. (10) Callum Crawford, Panther City (F)
12. (13) Alex Simmons, Albany (F)
13. (12) Jake Withers, Halifax (D)
14. (14) Mitch de Snoo, Toronto (D)
15. (17) Lyle Thompson, Georgia (F)
16. (19) Clarke Petterson, Halifax (F)
17. (15) Chris Origlieri, San Diego (G)
18. (16) Christian Del Bianco, Calgary (G)
19. (21) Will Malcom, Panther City (F)
20. (22) Doug Jamieson, Albany (G)
21. (18) Matt Gilray, Rochester (T)
22. (20) Zach Manns, Saskatchewan (F)
23. (24) Brad Kri, Toronto (D)
24. (25) Eli McLaughlin, Colorado (F)
25. (27) Graeme Hossack, Halifax (D)
26. (23) Steve Priolo, Buffalo (D)
27. (NR) Zach Higgins, Philadelphia (G)
28. (28) Joe Resetarits, Philadelphia (F)
29. (29) Robert Church, Saskatchewan (F)
30. (NR) Mark Matthews, Toronto (F)