NLL Player Rankings: Mid-Season Awards
After the first full month (four weeks of completed games more specifically) of the 2021/22 National Lacrosse League season were completed, The Lax Mag started publishing weekly updated NLL Player Rankings, examining the league’s Top 30 players from Week 1 until the end of the regular season.
The rankings only take into consideration how a player has performed for this specific season. TLM ranks the top six players from each team for every completed regular season game, utilizing an average star rating system. For a full breakdown of how players are evaluated and more on our scoring system, click here.
NLL Player Ranking Highlights: Mid-Season Awards + Week 13
During this past weekend’s schedule, we officially hit the halfway point of the 2021/22 NLL regular season. After Week 13, 65 games have been played across the NLL, 61 left to go.
So, while we have been tracking the Top 30 players all season long, this week we’ll break things down even further by revealing what players our TLM star rating ranks as the Top 12 (Top 7 for goalies) contenders for the league’s major positional-player awards: MVP, goalie, defensive player, transition player and rookie (plus, we added offensive player too).
#1 ROTY Reid Bowering, Vancouver Warriors
While we stayed true to the positional classification (G, D, T and F) teams have given each player, we made an executive decision when it came to Reid Bowering. Although the rookie is officially listed as a defender (D), between the constant comparisons to legends like Jim Veltman & Brodie Merrill, his obvious offensive upside, plus the fact that he’s been so press positive all year, we’re treating him as a transition player today.
What is the description for a transition player in today’s NLL?
Who the hell knows quite honestly. It could be a D-first player that, well, transitions or presses the ball regularly. It could be an O-first player that plays the bulk of his minutes up front but back checks (or reverse transitions as many often say) every game. Could be a versatile player like Challen Rogers or Jordan MacIntosh, who play O- or D-specific minutes at either end depending on that day’s demands, but at other times during the year play that more typical D-to-O transitional game that all-timers like Veltman, Merrill, Steve Toll and others did when the award was first created back in 2007.
Anyways, here is who the TLM Player Ranking point system would consider the top contenders for this season’s player prizes at the mid-way mark. Just like our weekly rankings, only players that have played approximately two-thirds of their team’s season will be included, which excludes players like Mitch Jones, Adam Bomberry, Latrell Harris and a few others that have been outstanding this year, they just haven’t played enough to place. For those new to the TLM Player Rankings, get caught up on why and how are rankings are calculated here and here.
#2 MVP Lyle Thompson, Georgia Swarm (Photo: Kyle Hess)
Most Valuable Player
We rank the top pound-for-pound players weekly, so essentially, it’s also our pick for the NLL’s MVP too. No big surprise that Zach Currier, who for the second straight week is #1 here, would be our frontrunner for most valuable too. While the Calgary Roughnecks have had mixed results so far this season, Currier has been about as consistent a player in the NLL today. He leads the league in loosies, scores critical points on the press, and is showcasing maybe 2022’s most versatile skillset during what’s been arguably his best season to date.
1. Zach Currier, Calgary Roughnecks
2. Lyle Thompson, Georgia Swarm
3. Dillon Ward, Colorado Mammoth
4. Tom Schreiber, Toronto Rock
5. Austin Staats, San Diego Seals
6. Reid Bowering, Vancouver Warriors*
7. Jeff Teat, New York Riptide*
8. Joe Resetartis, Albany FireWolves
9. Dhane Smith, Buffalo Bandits
10. Ryan Lee, Colorado Mammoth
11. Warren Hill, Halifax Thunderbirds
12. Graeme Hossack, Halifax Thunderbirds
#2 OPOTY Tom Schreiber, Toronto Rock (Photo: Ryan McCullough)
Offensive Player of the Year
He scores in quantity (tied for 2nd in G with 27) and quality (like these goofy-good goals), his shot to turnover ratio, as always, is so much better than most other players that have the ball as much as he does, and his goal scoring & setting might get the Swarm into the playoffs during a season many felt that would not a possibility. He’s the total offensive package, period. If we’re talking top the finishing forward this year, however, it’s totally Tom Schreiber, who has been on an absolute tear since missing a few early this season.
1. Lyle Thompson, Georgia Swarm
2. Tom Schreiber, Toronto Rock
3. Austin Staats, San Diego Seals
4. Jeff Teat, New York Riptide*
5. Joe Resetarits, Albany FireWolves
6. Dhane Smith, Buffalo Bandits
7. Ryan Lee, Colorado Mammoth
8. Jesse King, Calgary Roughnecks
9. Wes Berg, San Diego Seals
10. Callum Crawford, New York
11. Curtis Dickson, Calgary Roughnecks
12. Shayne Jackson, Georgia Swarm
#1 GOTY Dillon Ward, Colorado Mammoth
Goalie of the Year
Sure, he had that one stinker start vs. Vancouver, but across the Colorado Mammoth’s nine games this season, we’ve ranked Dillon Ward the team’s #1 star in five of them, their #2 star in two others. No offense to anyone else on the Mammoth roster, but remove Ward from the equation, and their sharp 6-3 start to the season easily becomes 3-6, maybe worse. No goalie has played as pivotal a role between the pipes this season as Ward. Some clearly are close, especially this season, but Ward is not only this year’s #1 tendy, he might end up being #1 no matter the position.
1. Dillon Ward, Colorado Mammoth
2. Warren Hill, Halifax Thunderbirds
3. Zach Higgins, Philadelphia Wings
4. Matt Vinc, Buffalo Bandits
5. Doug Jamieson, Albany FireWolves
6. Alex Buque, Vancouver Warriors
7. Frank Scigliano, San Diego Seals
#1 DPOTY Graeme Hossack, Halifax Thunderbirds (Photo: Ryan McCullough)
Defensive Player of the Year
It’s looking likely that Graeme Hossack will score the fewest goals in an NLL regular season since his rookie year in Rochester. He’s on pace to anyways. But honestly, who gives a sh**. In 2022, Hossack remains an undeniably devastating defensive force. A hulking presence in Halifax’s own end, Hossack continues to be the league’s most-crushing checker, match-up nightmare, and while his O numbers might not end up being his single-season best, he still powerfully pushes the press through his unmatched athleticism. It’d be considerate if someone else gets named DPOTY (Hossack has won it the previous three seasons, a fourth straight would tie Kyle Rubisch’s record of most total and consecutive), but it’s looking increasingly unlikely.
1. Graeme Hossack, Halifax Thunderbirds
2. Steve Priolo, Buffalo Bandits
3. Kyle Rubisch, Saskatchewan Rush
4. Brad Kri, Toronto Rock
5. Mitch de Snoo, Toronto Rock
6. Robert Hope, Colorado Mammoth
7. Dan MacRae, New York Riptide
8. Matt Hossack, Panther City Lacrosse Club
9. Jake Withers, Halifax Thunderbirds
10. Ryan Dilks, Saskatchewan Rush
11. Owen Barker, Vancouver Warriors
12. Cam Holding, San Diego Seals
#4 TPOTY Mike Messenger, Saskatchewan Rush (Photo: Brent Just)
Transition Player of the Year
For the same reasons he’s our MVP favourite, Currier is tops transitionally too. Calgary’s Currier has been a TPOTY finalist for the past three seasons, losing to Joey Cupido and then Challen Rogers twice, but really seems positioned to finally find his first individual accolade in the NLL. That other league has named him their top middie and even nominated Currier for MVP. Probably time we did the same too.
1. Zach Currier, Calgary Roughnecks
2. Reid Bowering, Vancouver Warriors*
3. Challen Rogers, Toronto Rock
4. Mike Messenger, Saskatchewan Rush
5. Kiel Matisz, Philadelphia Wings
6. Ryland Rees, Rochester Knighthawks
7. Jordan MacIntosh, Georgia Swarm
8. Tony Malcom, Albany FireWolves
9. Bryan Cole, Georgia Swarm
10. Brodie Merrill, San Diego Seals
11. Colton Watkinson, Albany FireWolves
12. Ian MacKay, Buffalo Bandits
#6 ROTY Steve Orleman, New York Riptide (Photo: Christian Bender)
Rookie of the Year
Reid Bowering and Jeff Teat have been in our Top 30 pretty much all season (Teat in there right after his pesky protocol stay), sometimes Bowering slightly ahead, other weeks Teat has been higher positioned. It’s obviously a two-player race for ROTY unless something really stupid-silly happens, although, not even sure what that could be. Patrick Dodds has scored some of this season’s biggest money goals (and then did it again immediately after we posted that previous link), Tehoka Nanticoke is a gifted offensive grinder that is as tenacious as he is supremely skilled, and while Steve Orleman’s stopper stats are on the league’s lower end, the fact that as a rookie he’s already played over 450 minutes is incredibly rare and more than enough to rank below.
1. Reid Bowering, Vancouver Warriors
2. Jeff Teat, New York Riptide
3. Patrick Dodds, Panther City Lacrosse Club
4. Tehoka Nanticoke, Buffalo Bandits
5. Tre Leclaire, San Diego Seals
6. Steve Orleman, New York Riptide
7. Ryan Smith, Rochester Knighthawks
8. Larson Sundown, New York Riptide
9. Josh Medeiros, Panther City Lacrosse Club
10. TJ Comizio, Georgia Swarm
11. Patrick Shoemay, San Diego Seals
12. Ryan Terefenko, Halifax Thunderbirds
Plus, our updated Top 30 coming out of Week 13, the first twelve of which are a copy & paste from our MVP frontrunners above.
#9 Dhane Smith, Buffalo Bandits (Photo: Ben Green)
NLL Player Rankings: Week 13
Rank. (Previous Week) Player, Team, Position (Average Star Rating)
1. (1) Zach Currier, Calgary Roughnecks, T (5.38)
2. (2) Lyle Thompson, Georgia Swarm, F (5.30)
3. (3) Dillon Ward, Colorado Mammoth, G (4.89)
4. (5) Tom Schreiber, Toronto Rock, F (4.75)
5. (8) Austin Staats, San Diego Seals, F (4.67)
6. (7) Reid Bowering, Vancouver Warriors, D (4.67)
7. (12) Jeff Teat, New York Riptide, F (4.57)*
8. (6) Joe Resetarits, Albany FireWolves, F (4.45)
9. (9) Dhane Smith, Buffalo Bandits, F (4.44)
10. (10) Ryan Lee, Colorado Mammoth, F (4.44)
11. (17) Warren Hill, Halifax Thunderbirds, G (4.38)
12. (4) Graeme Hossack, Halifax Thunderbirds, D (4.38)
13. (11) Jesse King, Calgary Roughnecks, F (4.38)
14. (13) Challen Rogers, Toronto Rock, T (4.30)
15. (16) Wes Berg, San Diego Seals, F (4.25)
16. (20) Callum Crawford, New York Riptide, F (4.22)
17. (19) Mike Messenger, Saskatchewan Rush, T (4.22)
18. (14) Curtis Dickson, Calgary Roughnecks, F (4.20)
19. (21) Steve Priolo, Buffalo Bandits, D (4.13)
20. (18) Kyle Rubisch, Saskatchewan Rush, D (4.00)
21. (22) Shayne Jackson, Georgia Swarm, F (4.00)
22. (24) Kiel Matisz, Philadelphia Wings, T (3.91)
23. (23) Holden Cattoni, Rochester Knighthawks, F (3.88)
24. (27) Zach Higgins, Philadelphia Wings, G (3.80)
25. (25) Keegan Bal, Vancouver Warriors, F (3.75)
26. (28) Ryland Rees, Rochester Knighthawks, T (3.67)
27. (15) Dane Dobbie, San Diego Seals, F (3.63)
28. (NR) Matt Vinc, Buffalo Bandits, G (3.56)
29. (NR) Doug Jamieson, Albany FireWolves, G (3.45)
30. (NR) Robert Church, Saskatchewan Rush, F (3.33)
NR = not rated in previous week’s Top 30
*Rookie