Season Predictions, National Lacrosse League

It’s almost time for the NLL season to begin. Here’s how I think things will shake out.

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November has arrived! Lacrosse fans know what that means. The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is just about ready to begin! 

For those of you who don’t know about the NLL, it’s a 13-team professional indoor-box lacrosse league that’s played 6-on-6 with each team having five “runners,” which can consist of forwards, defensemen, transition players, and one goalie on the floor at one time. Each of the 13 teams can dress up to 18 players on game day consisting of 16 runners and two goalies. 

The NLL is a much more physical game than the outdoor game. The floor dimensions are smaller than in outdoor lacrosse, and it is played at a much faster pace, too. In the NLL, there are no long poles as there are in outdoor lacrosse. 

The league’s top players include Brodie Merrill, Lyle Thompson, Josh Byrne, and Kevin Crowley, who play indoor in the winter and outdoor in the summer. The NLL also has stars who focus on box-lacrosse only.

With that background, here are my predictions for the year. 

The Philadelphia Wings will make the postseason this year. Despite struggling all season last year, the Wings still were in the playoff push until the final weeks of the season. A young and talented roster returns with a year of experience.

I also expect huge seasons from Kevin Crowley, Blaze Riorden, and Matt Rambo. And watch out for Philly fan favorite, goalie Chris Collins, to make noise this year. The Wells Fargo Center has already proven to be one of the best venues in the league, and I expect the place to be rocking as fans push their Wings to the playoffs. 

The San Diego Seals will make it to the Western Division final. The Seals are primed to make another playoff run under coach Patrick Merill. I believe they’ll go even farther than they did last season. This team lost their first-round playoff game last year by only one goal, and they return most of the same core.

With Statts and Connor Fields, who is a stud scorer, and a defense led by hard-hitting Garrett Epple and vet Brodie Merrill, the Seals might have the most complete team in the league. They may even bring back vet Kyle Hartzel by midseason (pure speculation on my part). If that happens, that will only make them a better squad. The West is loaded, but the Seals are built for stiff competition.

Josh Byrne will have a breakout season for the Buffalo Bandits. Last year, Byrne dealt with injuries that limited his production. But when he’s healthy, Byrne is a beast on the floor. If he plays most of the season, I expect him to have a 50+ point year, and possibly lead Buffalo in scoring. He has a great cast of guys around him, too, including Dhane Smith and Chris Cloutier.

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The Calgary Roughnecks will NOT repeat as the NLL champions. By no means is that an indictment of the Roughnecks. They bring back their championship core of Zach Currier, Curtis Dickson, and Tyson Bell. My prediction is more of a compliment to teams that are improving.

Toronto is going to come back stronger than last year. San Diego added more pieces to an already-loaded roster. Buffalo is a championship-caliber franchise. Philadelphia is getting better. Halifax has the best expansion roster I’ve seen in a long time. Colorado has Dylan Ward in goal, and that means the Mammoth is a threat to steal games they’d otherwise lose.

Let me add that I think the addition of more field players is good for the box game, but I also think there are a lot of pure box guys that fans need to keep an eye on this year. 

The NLL is going to be a lot of fun! Check out a game in a city near you. And everybody can watch games using Bleacher Report’s Live Subscription pass.

You can bet I’ll be watching!