NLL Player Rankings: Week 11
After the first six weeks of the 2022-23 National Lacrosse League season are complete, The Lax Mag will publish our weekly NLL Player Rankings, examining the league’s Top 30 players from Week 1 right up until the end of the regular season.
The rankings are based on our star-rating system (individual game analysis) and overall statistical positioning (full season analysis). For a full breakdown of how both areas are ordered, click here.
Although his Buffalo Bandits had a bye, Dhane Smith is still our #1, last year’s MVP on track to register record-breaking (his own records btw) assist and point totals for a team that has relied on him even more than they did just a season ago. His resume, again, is very much reading most valuable.
But, he’s not the only one.
Jeff Teat, who last week we noted was by far the most relied on offensive player in the NLL (and still is after Week 11), is averaging more points per game than even Smith is. Teat actually leads the league in points per (8.13) and is now tied with Connor Fields for goals in a game too (3.50). Ranked 18th coming out of Week 7, no player has climbed our leaderboard faster than Teat over the last month.
Smith, Teat and the five others we mentioned a few weeks ago (Robert Church, Wes Berg, Will Malcom, Andrew Kew and Mitch Jones) are all still on pace to finish the year with at least 30 goals, 60 assists and 90 loose balls. We’ve mentioned it many times before, but that stat line is rarity to register, few players able to maintain the per-game numbers needed to finish with those end-of-season digits. With that said, Tom Schreiber has officially entered the exclusive 30-60-90 Club chat, his 12-assist effort in the Toronto Rock’s 22-14 win over the New York Riptide a few weeks ago bumping his helpers-per-game count to put him on pace for over 60. See what stats those elite eight on-pace players are trending towards presently…
30-60-90 Club Contenders: 2023
Projected Goals/Assists/Loose Balls (Max Games Played)
Dhane Smith, Buffalo Bandits
38/106/102 (18)
Jeff Teat, New York Riptide
63/83/92 (18)
Robert Church, Saskatchewan Rush
51/62/93 (18)
Wes Berg, San Diego Seals
33/77/108 (18)
Will Malcom, Panther City Lacrosse Club
42/70/112 (18)
Andrew Kew, Georgia Swarm
33/72/108 (18)
Mitch Jones, Philadelphia Wings
31/67/112 (19)
Tom Schreiber, Toronto Rock
54/68/118 (18)
Many of the above forwards are also putting in quality minutes on the other side of centre when back-tracking to slow down the opposition’s offensive press, staying on the floor, and often putting in another O shift too. Josh Byrne, who slipped out of our Top 10 while riding the Bandits’ IR, had been one of the best back-checkers this year. Lyle Thompson, who had an outrageous goal-saving stick check last week against the Rock, always excels here too. In addition to their usually sky-high point totals, most of the above names are also considered some of the sport’s most complete and versatile forward-first players.
Jeff Teat, New York Riptide (Photo: Christian Bender)
Christian Del Bianco has easily entered not only the Goalie of the Year debate but most definitely the MVP convo too, his performance this past weekend in two high-quality wins for the Calgary Roughnecks pushing him into our Top 10 for the first time this year. When it comes to crease consistency, Del Bianco and Toronto’s Nick Rose are by far this year’s top two goaltenders, both backstops near or at the tippy top of the tendy stat charts and also owning our highest star-rating sums (click here for more on that) for goalies in 2023.
Tyler Pace is back in the Top 30 and our only new name this week. His 7 goals in two critical conference games helped Calgary go 2-0 during Week 11, the Roughnecks now behind only the San Diego Seals (who they’ve also already beaten) in the West. On track for a 12-win season, that total would match a franchise record for Ws, previously achieved in 2014, a season Calgary also went to the NLL Finals. Pace (#28) and Del Bianco (#8), in addition to Zach Currier (#13), Jesse King (#24) and a threatening team transition (which Del Bianco typically sparks via his awesome outlet), make the Roughnecks a legit Cup contender. So, again, how will the Roughnecks get by without Curtis Dickson in Calgary? Seemingly just fine, and in comparison to last year, arguably even better. Sitting 6-3 so far this season, Calgary was 3-6 after nine in 2022.
Curtis Dickson, San Diego Seals (Photo: Mike McGinnis)
With that said, we’ve still got Dickson in our Top 5, the Seals’ sniper standing out in San Diego’s loaded offense, and that’s not from mooching assists either. Dickson’s 3.14 goals per game is only topped by Fields and Teat (both at 3.50), plus he also leads our start-rating system (again, click here for more on our calculations) on San Diego’s stacked roster. Only two players have remained in TLM’s Top 5 since our opening edition: Fields and Dickson. Never named an MVP or even a finalist (go check, crazy right?), Dickson is making a case to finally get most-valuable mentions come June.
NLL Player Rankings: Week 11
TW. (LW) Player, Team, Position
1. (1) Dhane Smith, Buffalo, F
2. (2) Connor Fields, Rochester, F
3. (7) Jeff Teat, New York, F
4. (3) Curtis Dickson, San Diego, F
5. (5) Nick Rose, Toronto, G
6. (8) Tom Schreiber, Toronto, F
7. (6) Kyle Rubisch, Saskatchewan, D
8. (11) Christian Del Bianco, Calgary, G
9. (4) Robert Church, Saskatchewan, F
10. (9) Dane Dobbie, San Diego, F
11. (10) Josh Byrne, Buffalo, F
12. (14) Mitch de Snoo, Toronto, D
13. (16) Zach Currier, Calgary, T
14. (17) Will Malcom, Panther City, F
15. (13) Wes Berg, San Diego, F
16. (20) Rylan Hartley, Rochester, G
17. (12) Mark Matthews, Saskatchewan, F
18. (18) Randy Staats, Halifax, F
19. (22) Matt Vinc, Buffalo, G
20. (19) Graeme Hossack, Halifax, D
21. (23) Reid Bowering, Vancouver, D
22. (24) Brad Kri, Toronto, D
23. (15) Dillon Ward, Colorado, G
24. (25) Jesse King, Calgary, F
25. (21) Jake Withers, Halifax, D
26. (26) Rob Hellyer, Las Vegas, F
27. (27) Joe Resetarits, Philadelphia, F
28. (NR) Tyler Pace, Calgary, F
29. (28) Steve Priolo, Buffalo, D
30. (29) Lyle Thompson, Georgia, F