NLL Player Rankings: Week 17
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.
After Week 17, there have been 2,381 goals scored this season. Not shockingly, most have been netted in an even-strength situation, power-play goals next and short-handed ones third.
How goals have been scored so far
Which players do most of their scoring in each of the above three goal-scoring situations?
The Lax Mag looked at the Top 50 goal scorers so far this season (so, players with at least 18 total goals scored after 17 weeks) and determined which ones have scored most of their goals in even-strength, power-play or short-handed situations this year.
Thomas Hoggarth, Rochester Knighthawks (Photo: Micheline Veluvolu)
Even-Strength Goals
Wes Berg scored 76% of his goals even strength last year, which is a bit above average for top shooters & scorers. Well, this year he leads the league with 92% of his goals scored evened up, while San Diego teammates Curtis Dickson & Dane Dobbie are producing at a higher rate on special teams (more on them in a sec).
Jeff Teat, who leads the league with 49 total goals, a number that has already passed last season’s year-end leaders, has done a slightly above average amount of his goal scoring when everyone is on the floor (85.71%).
Last year, Lyle Thompson (87%), Joe Resetarits (85%) and Tom Schreiber (72%) co-led the league with 47 goals apiece. Although Schreiber just misses our Top 10 below, he’s seen a significant switch in his ESG% this year (84.21%). Schreiber’s 2022 ES:PP:SH goal ratio (%) finished at 75:23:2, this year transitioning to 84:11:5. His 11PPGs for the Toronto Rock last year were the most he’s ever had in a single season, and the highest a Rock player has produced since Brett Hickey had 16 in 2017, Schreiber’s rookie season.
Highest
Wes Berg, San Diego (23/25) 92.00%
Randy Staats, Halifax (22/24) 91.67%
Thomas Hoggarth, Rochester (20/22) 90.91%
Shayne Jackson, Georgia (19/21) 90.48%
Jonathan Donville, Panther City (18/20) 90.00%
Chris Boushy, Halifax (27/30) 90.00%
Eric Fannell, Halifax (22/25) 88.00%
Will Malcom, Panther City (27/31) 87.10%
Jeff Teat, New York (42/49) 85.71%
Dhane Smith, Buffalo (24/28) 85.71%
Lowest
Patrick Dodds, Panther City (10/18) 55.56%
Ryan Smith, Rochester (17/28) 60.71%
Curtis Dickson, San Diego (22/36) 61.11%
Dane Dobbie, San Diego (21/34) 61.76%
Connor Kearnan, New York (15/24) 62.50%
Connor Kelly, Albany (14/22) 63.64%
Andrew Kew, Georgia (21/32) 65.63%
Haiden Dickson, Calgary (12/18) 66.67%
Mark Matthews, Saskatchewan (12/18) 66.67%
Zack Greer, Las Vegas (17/25) 68.00%
Wes Berg, San Diego Seals
Power-Play Goals
Although many names remain the same as the ones above, new ones, who see as much as a third of their goal production come courtesy of the PP, pop up here. Keep in mind, the 411 PPGs that are in the original pie chart above, account for only 17% of all goals across the league at the end of March.
Highest
Patrick Dodds, Panther City (8/18) 44.44%
Ryan Smith, Rochester (11/28) 39.29%
Connor Kearnan, New York (9/24) 37.50%
Mark Matthews, Saskatchewan (6/18) 33.33%
Dane Dobbie, San Diego (11/34) 32.35%
Zack Greer, Las Vegas (8/25) 32.00%
Andrew Kew, Georgia (10/32) 31.25%
Mitch Jones, Philadelphia (10/33) 30.30%
Clarke Petterson, Halifax (6/20) 30.00%
Keegan Bal, Vancouver (9/32) 28.13%
Lowest
Wes Berg, San Diego (1/25) 4.00%
Randy Staats, Halifax (2/24) 8.33%
Thomas Hoggarth, Rochester (2/22) 9.09%
Shayne Jackson, Georgia (2/21) 9.52%
Chris Boushy, Halifax (3/30) 10.00%
Jonathan Donville, Panther City (2/20) 10.00%
Tom Schreiber, Toronto (4/38) 10.53%
Eric Fannell, Halifax (3/25) 12.00%
Jeff Teat, New York (6/49) 12.24%
Joe Resetarits, Philadelphia (4/32) (12.50%)
Eric Fannell & Randy Staats, Halifax Thunderbirds (Photo: Trevor MacMillan)
Short-Handed Goals
Of the league’s Top 50 goal scorers, 24 have scored a short-handed goal this year, leaving 26 of them tied for last on today’s list with 0% of their goals coming with fewer teammates on the turf. It’s interesting to see Dobbie, who scored almost a third of his 2023 goals on the PP, ranks high here too, even though it’s just 2SHGs (ESG: 61.76%).
Dickson, who had just 1SHG with the Calgary Roughnecks last year, easily leads the NLL with 6 right now. He has 41 career SHGs during the regular season, plus another 4 in the playoffs. Right now, the Seals lead the league with 11 short handers, more than half of which have come courtesy of Dickson’s stick.
Curtis Dickson & Kevin Crowley, San Diego Seals
The 2007 Rochester Knighthawks appear to have the most short-handed goals in a single season when they buried 23 that year. Not a single player on that star-studded roster had as many SHGs as Dickson has this year. In fact, going back to 2005 (as far back as you can go for available & almost accurate individual player stats), only Jeff Zywicki (7 in 2008) and Dickson twice himself (6 in 2013 & 6 in 2016) have bettered his 6 and counting in 2023.
While these players didn’t factor into today’s totals because they currently sit outside of this year’s Top 50 goal getters, Calgary’s Shane Simpson and Georgia’s Seth Oakes, both of whom are having breakout-type seasons, are tied for second in the NLL with 3SHGs each.
Highest
Curtis Dickson, San Diego (6/36) 16.67%
Zed Williams, Colorado (3/26) 11.54%
Josh Byrne, Buffalo (3/32) 9.38%
Connor Kelly, Albany (2/22) 9.09%
Dane Dobbie, San Diego (2/34) 5.88%
Haiden Dickson, Calgary (1/18) 5.56%
Tehoka Nanticoke, Buffalo (1/19) 5.26%
Tom Schreiber, Toronto (2/38) 5.26%
Jeff Teat, New York Riptide (Photo: Evan Bernstein)
NLL Player Rankings: Week 17
1. (1) Jeff Teat, New York, F
2. (2) Christian Del Bianco, Calgary, G
3. (3) Connor Fields, Rochester, F
4. (4) Dhane Smith, Buffalo, F
5. (8) Josh Byrne, Buffalo, F
6. (5) Tom Schreiber, Toronto, F
7. (7) Zach Currier, Calgary, T
8. (10) Reid Bowering, Vancouver, D
9. (6) Will Malcom, Panther City, F
10. (9) Nick Rose, Toronto, G
11. (14) Graeme Hossack, Halifax, D
12. (16) Matt Vinc, Buffalo, G
13. (17) Mitch Jones, Philadelphia, F
14. (11) Dane Dobbie, San Diego, F
15. (12) Curtis Dickson, San Diego, F
16. (19) Lyle Thompson, Georgia, F
17. (13) Robert Church, Saskatchewan, F
18. (15) Kyle Rubisch, Saskatchewan, D
19. (21) Wes Berg, San Diego, F
20. (23) Jesse King, Calgary, F
21. (26) Andrew Kew, Georgia, F
22. (18) Joe Resetarits, Philadelphia, F
23. (20) Rylan Hartley, Rochester, G
24. (28) Steve Priolo, Buffalo, D
25. (22) Brad Kri, Toronto, D
26. (25) Randy Staats, Halifax, F
27. (NR) Rob Hellyer, Las Vegas, F
28. (NR) Keegan Bal, Vancouver, F
29. (29) Tyler Pace, Calgary, F
30. (30) Jonathan Donville, Panther City, F