NLL Power Rankings: Week 2
Drew Brees & Co., Pechanga Arena, San Diego (Photo: Mike McGinnis)
Every week during the 2022-23 National Lacrosse League season, The Lax Mag will publish updated NLL Power Rankings reflecting the previous week’s performances, as well as incorporating a team’s overall regular season rep, status, and success rate.
The San Diego Seals remain ranked #1 after yet another thrilling win, this time in OT over the Saskatchewan Rush. Of last year’s post-season final four, the Seals are 2-0 while the Toronto Rock, Buffalo Bandits and Cup-winning Colorado Mammoth have started the season at a combined 1-3.
San Diego Seals 2-0 (1)
While their wins have both come by the narrowest of margins, those results were also against two good teams in the New York Riptide and then the Saskatchewan Rush this past weekend. While the Seals continue to tighten up their chemistry, results like last week will do wonders for their confidence too. Currently competing in his twelfth NLL season, Curtis Dickson has never won the league’s MVP award. He’s never even been a finalist. If he keeps playing like he has over the first two weeks this year, that will no longer be the case.
Halifax Thunderbirds 1-0 (3)
The Thunderbirds had a week off after their strong debut, but don’t expect that bye to buck their booming start to the season. Still certainly fired up from Week 1, the focussed Thunderbirds will be in Long Island on Saturday night (7:30pm ET) against a Riptide team they swept during last year’s regular season (13-10 & 16-13). Firefighting forward Austin Shanks is expected to be available for what promises to be one of Week 3’s most intriguing & important matchups.
Toronto Rock 1-1 (2)
A lackluster first half was followed up by a much improved second, but Knighthawks goalie Rylan Hartley prevented a Rock comeback from finding a conclusion. Their top three shooters this past weekend (Tom Schreiber, Zach Manns and Dan Craig) combined for just 2 goals, Stephen Keogh the only Toronto forward that connected with any consistency (3 goals). After exploding in transition a week earlier (6 goals), the Rock’s press hit pause in Week 2 (0 goals). They’ve got a huge game at home on Saturday (7pm ET) against a Buffalo Bandits side coming off their own uninspiring effort.
Saskatchewan Rush 1-1 (4)
The stronger & more successful side over the first three quarters, the Rush had no answer for the Seals in the final frame, seeing a 10-3 lead evaporate & eventually completely lost in OT. The good news? Their offense was humming for most of the game, plus their always reliable D held a strong Seals offense to just 41 looks. But sure, that fourth quarter, especially some inconsistency in the crease, crushed them.
Buffalo Bandits 0-1 (5)
While building quick chemistry with new names is obviously a priority, so is the hopeful return of team captain Steve Priolo, who was still recovering from a medical procedure performed earlier this year. After their disappointing start, the Bandits are in Hamilton this Saturday to take on the Rock (7pm ET) , both top teams looking for a rebound performance to realign their season.
Calgary Roughnecks 1-0 (8)
Their young guns put up some points, their always potent press did too, Zach Currier did, well, a bit of everything as always, and Jesse King led the offense like most felt he would (and already kinda did) in their season-opening win over the Warriors. Now they’ll hope to do it all again when the Roughnecks ride into Vancouver for Week 3. The last time Calgary started a season 2-0? It’s been a bit actually. They kicked off their 2012 season 2-0, beating the same franchise they see this Saturday (then Washington Stealth, now Vancouver Warriors).
Rochester Knighthawks 2-0 (11)
Last year, the highest Rochester ranked in TLM’s NLL Power Rankings was eighth. They’ve bettered that standing in just two weeks a season later. While beating the Swarm made for a sweet start, knocking off the Rock in Week 2 was arguably 2.0’s biggest victory since the restart. Rylan Hartley was acrobatically incredible between the pipes, Connor Fields has gone from a complimentary scorer (in San Diego & Buffalo) to an MVP maybe in Rochester, and the team is finding success without Ryland Rees in their lineup (IR since Nov. 28). Like an always humble Hartley said in his post-game interview, “It’s too early in the season…,” but man have they ever been fun to watch over these first two weeks.
New York Riptide 0-1 (6)
The schedule makers didn’t make it easy on the Riptide (we actually thought they might have this year’s toughest regular-season sked), who see the Thunderbirds this weekend after opening against the Seals. Their first game after the league’s holiday hiatus has them hosting the Rock on January 7. New York could continue to play really good lacrosse, but begin 2023 at 0-3.
Colorado Mammoth 0-1 (7)
Few teams rollercoastered as much as the Mammoth did in TLM’s NLL Power Rankings last year (ranked as high as three and as low as eleven), and after that weak Week 1 performance, it might be more of the same a season later. Like we said last week, though, Cups aren’t won in Week 1, or during the regular season. Proof: this team.
Albany FireWolves 1-0 (10)
With the way the Knighthawks are playing presently, the FireWolves next test may prove much tougher than the one they opened with against the Bandits. While their Saturday home opener against Rochester (7pm ET) doesn’t have the same sizzle as a few other upcoming matchups, it’s Week 3’s low-key GOTW for sure. The team moved face-off force & full-time defender Joe Nardella to their physically unable to perform list earlier this week. Last year, Nardella took 439 of Albany’s 449 draws during the regular season (98%). His 67.2% at the dot was only bettered by Jake Withers (69.7%) & Trevor Baptiste (68.2%) in 2022.
Panther City Lacrosse Club 1-0 (9)
Yes, we slid them slightly after a W, but it’s kinda just where Panther City’s spot shook out after factoring in everyone else. PCLC gets the Desert Dogs in the league’s highly anticipated Las Vegas debut on Friday (10:30pm ET). Their two remaining 2022 tilts (vs. Colorado & at Saskatchewan) may be more telling matches of how good Panther City is in Year 2. Will Malcom was one of our biggest NLL Top 100 climbers before the season started. Based on what he did last week (4G, 3A, 6LB), he’ll be hiked up even higher if he keeps it up. Like a lot higher.
PCLC’s Nate Wade has probably been lacrosse’s most viewed athlete in recent months, maybe the whole year even. We’ve posted two recent IG reels of Wade. One was his preseason slugfest against Thomas Hoggarth, the other this past weekend’s doozy versus Jackson Suboch. Between those two reels alone, Wade has been watched 2.5 million times & counting.
Philadelphia Wings 0-1 (12)
A better effort than we witnessed from the Wings in Week 1 is obviously a requirement when they travel to Duluth to see the Swarm this Saturday (7pm ET). These are two teams that battled for the league’s last post-season spot a season ago, which wouldn’t have been the case if they cleaned up winnable outings earlier on. This is one of those games.
Georgia Swarm 0-1 (13)
See above.
Vancouver Warriors 0-2 (14)
Definitely a better overall effort than what the Warriors showed in Week 1 (19-8L at Toronto), but the result (11-9L at Calgary) reads the same in the standings, right? Their home opener against the Roughnecks on Friday (10pm ET) is about as close as you can get to must win this early in a season.
Las Vegas Desert Dogs 0-1 (15)
It was somewhat surprising that rookies Jack Hannah (13) & Jon Phillips (7) had the most shots on goal for a group who added a number of notable vets over the offseason. Getting MIA forwards like Zack Greer, Marshal King and Charlie Bertrand back could easily erase a two-goal gap like last week against Panther City (13-11L), who they’ll see again on Friday in their historic home opener.
Plus, for those unaware of Hannah’s box background, while the NLL is obviously brand new to him (as it is for any pro rookie), dominating rinks stateside isn’t. See below.