My 2024-25 NLL End of Season Awards Ballot

Who I think should win MVP, OPotY, DPotY, TPotY, RotY, Head Coach, GM, and Exec for the 2024-25 NLL season, as well as some thoughts on deserving Tom Borrelli Award candidates

Yesterday was (rightfully) about being negative; today’s flipping the script and keeping the vibes positive.

End of Season awards are something I think about way too much, discussing with media colleagues of mine throughout the season in earnest, and I’ve always wanted to share my ballots from years past (haven’t revealed them because burnout’s a hell of a drug). I originally wrote this as a part of yesterday’s article but decided following up all that ire with positivity was a jarring tonal clash, opting to separate the two and excitedly reveal my ballot today for the first time since I went independent.

A couple of things to keep in mind heading into this:

I consider a player’s entire body of work in a season, not just how they finished a season or had one or two bad games. This last point is key for goalies; they all had one or two bad games.
MVP was for the best player on a team that had the most impact all season long and improved their team’s fortunes. I don’t particularly care if a player was on a team that missed the postseason; if they were elite, we should recognize it. I do care if two teammates finished with 134 PTS each and really can’t justify saying one was more valuable than the other for their team.
I’m really happy the NLL finally made OPotY, which meant we quit automatically listing guys that scored a lot for MVP. Now, we’re able to give defenders and goalies more due in the MVP conversation.
That said, I think voting for this award needs to evolve. It’s a bit too easy to go “guy scored a lot of points, putting his name down” here. I recognized that fault and tried to think more about how exceptionally dangerous the top forwards were for this category. Consistency and the persistent feeling watching them 1-on-1 with a defender that something special was about to happen weighed heavily in my thought process.
D/T designations are absolutely idiotic, and I wish the NLL would quit trying to make fetch happen letting teams slap a T on whoever they feel like fits the mold of a transition player; it’s goalie wins but positional. Every player in the NLL is capable of pushing the ball up the floor in transition; if you can’t run up the floor from defense to offense and vice versa, you don’t last long in the most competitive lacrosse league on the planet.
As such, I don’t pay much attention to defenders and whether there’s a D or T by their names. Nick Weiss was one of my favorite defenders to watch this season, but the NLL has him on the TPotY ballot. There’s not much of a problem with that, duder was a weapon in transition, but I feel it kind of undercuts how great his defense was this season.
This ties in a bit with the actual Transition Player of the Year award. How we define a transition player matters — are they playing regular settled O and D shifts every game, or do they push the ball up the floor and score at will? In years past, I tended to lean more towards your Zach Curriers, Ian MacKays, and Bryan Coles as the model for true two-way guys. They all played way more O than D this season that it made it a little harder to strictly consider them two-way, more like 1.5-way. The top six transition players in points this season played way more offense than defense, and I struggled to get over that fact. Transition players that played mostly defense but were terrors thundering up the floor were in healthy supply this season, and that’s how that vote shook out for me.
Coaching is about exceeding expectations, not having the best record (although having a really good record helps). If a GM constructed a weird roster and the team won despite it, then that’s the coach kicking ass.
GM is a bit legacy influenced. I try and factor in what a general manager has done in the most recent offseason and more importantly during this season to keep his team competitive, but rosters aren’t built in a day and take time to shape up more often than not. I do factor in vision and seeing it come to fruition for this category.

Here are the individuals I think deserve to be the MVP, OPotY, DPotY, TPotY, RotY, Head Coach, GM, and Executive of the Year for the 2024-25 NLL season, as well as some thoughts on deserving Tom Borrelli Award candidates, half of whom the league couldn’t be bothered to consider.

Most Valuable Player

Zach Currier, San Diego Seals

With all due respect to Wes Berg, Currier was the best player on the Seals all season long. He logged more minutes than any player in the league that wasn’t a goalie, learning how to be a productive forward on the fly and improving by leaps and bounds every shift he took. His reverse transition was hounding and relentless, his defensive work was as elite as ever, and there wasn’t a contested loose ball battle that wasn’t instantly 70-30 in his favor all season long. Currier is the best lacrosse player on the planet, period.

It’s a complete travesty the NLL can’t even be bothered to recognize that.

2. Connor Fields, Rochester Knighthawks

3. Curtis Dickson, Calgary Roughnecks

4. Keegan Bal, Vancouver Warriors

5. Jeff Teat, Ottawa Black zbears

Offensive Player of the Year

Josh Byrne, Buffalo Bandits

*Photo Credit: Isaiah J. Dowling/Colorado Mammoth*

Every time Josh Byrne skipped towards his matchup on the high left wing, it felt automatic, like he was going to score every time, either by juking his defender and leaving him in the dust to crash the crease or get a step-down shot off a teammate’s pick or by passing the ball for an off-ball cut inside to receive a feed in traffic and cash in with slick stick skills.

That run-on sentence is probably the best format for describing Byrne’s skills; I have to break the rules of gud Inglish (TM) to describe his incredible talent. He’s can’t miss television, a cheat code, practically automatic, and I’d argue he’s the face of the league.

There’s not a forward like him in the game today; 2024 proved that convincingly, and 2025 was just more evidence of his transcendent talent.

2. Connor Fields, Rochester Knighthawks

3. Joe Resetarits, Philadelphia Wings

4. Dhane Smith, Buffalo Bandits

5. Jeff Teat, Ottawa Black Bears

Defender of the Year

Matt Hossack, Saskatchewan Rush

*Photo Credit: Stephen Hiscock/Saskatchewan Rush*

Consistency is key, and no defender was as consistent all season long as the younger Hossack brother was. The Rush had one of the top two defenses in the league, and Matt’s stifling and ferocious play made lives hell for opposing forwards. Stats backed his candidacy up, as he had 129 LB, was tied for the lead in the NLL with 34 CTO, blocked 26 shots (4th most in the NLL), and took only two minor penalties all season long. Factor in his ability to push the ball up the floor, and Hossack being the front-runner for this award is a no-brainer. It was easily his best NLL season by a country mile, and his efforts are a significant reason why the Rush not only made the postseason for the first time since 2019 but did so in such a convincing fashion.

2. Ryan Dilks, Vancouver Warriors

3. Steve Priolo, Buffalo Bandits

4. Robert Hope, Colorado Mammoth

5. Mitch de Snoo, Philadelphia Wings/Toronto Rock

Transition Player of the Year

Ryan Terefenko, Halifax Thunderbirds

Full disclosure: I originally planned to give this award to Owen Grant of the Warriors. His season felt like it had a better start and end than Terefenko’s, who was godly for a month before “falling back to earth.” But it’s always a good idea to look at the numbers instead of going solely with gut feelings, and I’m glad I did. That unreal Terefenko swath of destruction was otherworldly, and his goal-scoring touch dipping in mid-March didn’t mean Terefenko wasn’t constanstly pushing the ball up the floor and keeping goalies on their toes as he tore up the carpet full of harmful intentions.

The Buckeye led all actual transition players with 38 PTS (17G, 21A), 142 LB, 12 CTO, and nine blocks. He was an absolute monster all season long and the best player for the Thunderbirds in 2024-25.

2. Jake Boudreau, Saskatchewan Rush

3. Owen Grant, Vancouver Warriors

4. Jake Withers, Halifax Thunderbirds

5. Jordan MacIntosh, Georgia Swarm

Goalie of the Year

Nick Rose, Calgary Roughnecks/Toronto Rock

Rose rode the waves where it took him and quietly turned in another quality Goaltender of the Year season. Everyone freaks out over his Rock tenure this season, but (a) he wasn’t the problem in Toronto, (b) show me a netminder that could be successful behind a defense as injury-decimated as the Rock were, and (c) he was still excellent despite what he was playing behind.

For the Toronto Rock, Rose finished with a 10.81 GAA and .785 Sv% in 638:12 min. Every NLL team would be elated to have a starting netminder with those statistics. For the Calgary Roughnecks, Rose posted a 9.95 GAA and .822 Sv% in 410:01 min. Math it all up, and he finished the season with a 10.47 GAA (third best GAA for all goalies with over 600 min. played), .801 Sv% (best amongst all starters), and a league-leading 18.17 GSAA after playing the third most minutes in the league this season (1048:13) and facing 52.55 SA/60 (fifth most amongst all goalies with over 600 min. played).

In a year where it appeared there wasn’t a goalie running away with this award, we were all bamboozled — Rose defended his crown adeptly and deserves to don it again.

2. Dillon Ward, Colorado Mammoth

3. Frank Scigliano, Saskatchewan Rush

4. Doug Jamieson, Albany FireWolves

5. Zach Higgins, Ottawa Black Bears

Rookie of the Year

Dyson Williams, Albany FireWolves

A No. 1 overall pick was bound to win this award, no need to galaxy brain it. Williams led all rookies in points (64), goals (26), and assists (38). He took a minute to find his footing in the NLL, but once it was under him, he visibly improved in each and every game. His OT game-winner against the Bandits cemented him as the front-runner for RotY, and he never relinquished that spot. This was an interesting class, one featuring plenty of defensive talent that looked years ahead of schedule and an American taking to the box game like a fish to water. But out of all of them, Williams was the best of the best.

2. Adam Poitras, Las Vegas Desert Dogs

3. Will Johansen, Albany FireWolves

4. Trent DiCicco, San Diego Seals

5. Brennan O’Neill, Philadelphia Wings

Head Coach of the Year

Josh Sanderson, Calgary Roughnecks

Prefacing this and GMotY with the following: I viewed the top two spots for these categories as 1A and 1B. If either ended up winning, I think that’s valid and have no problem with it. But I think Malawsky’s work as a general manager was more impactful than his coaching for his team’s success. Sanderson took a roster nobody outside of their locker room was high on (myself included), navigated the pains of having a young netminder trying to stay afloat after being thrown into the deep end, and coached his team to the postseason for the first time in his head coaching tenure. This Roughnecks team was as slept on as a Tempur-Pedic and won double digits with the most deserved title of “disrespected” dogging them all season long. When will we learn to quit doubting the Roughnecks? Shooter tutored me to never do it again.

2. Curt Malawsky, Vancouver Warriors

3. John Tavares, Buffalo Bandits

4. Mike Accursi, Halifax Thunderbirds

5. Mike Hasen, Rochester Knighthawks

General Manager of the Year

Curt Malawsky, Vancouver Warriors

He made The Trade (TM) and brought Christian Del Bianco home. Before that, he built the best defense in the league. With their powers combined, the Warriors won their last six games and are arguably the best team in the NLL. Malawsky’s work as the Warriors GM has completely reshaped the fortune of the franchise, not just by what he did in the offseason but how he navigated the rougher stretches of the season when it seemed Vancouver’s wheels were wobbling, righting the ship with the blockiest of blockbuster trades. There’s trying to patch a roster with spit, duct tape, and prayer, and then there’s upgrading it with one of the five best players in the NLL. Mouse swung big, hit the grand slam, and the sport and Vancouver are better for it.

2. Mike Board, Calgary Roughnecks

3. Derek Keenan, Saskatchewan Rush

4. Dan Carey, Rochester Knighthawks

5. Pat Merrill, San Diego Seals

Executive of the Year

Scott Loffler, Buffalo Bandits

Turn on a Bandits game, look at the crowd, realize it looks like that pretty much every game and has for years now at this point, and thank Scott Loffler. There’s no one more deserving of this honor, which is why I’m not listing anyone else.

Give this award to Loffler already. It’s completely stupid that he hasn’t won it yet despite Banditland being every slide of the pitch deck for bringing investors into the NLL.

Tom Borrelli Award

I’m not picking a winner for this category. I’m friends with too many people that are up for the award, and they’re all deserving. There are also a few people that were on the NLL’s shortlist for the Borrelli that I don’t think should be on it — myself included (and let’s face it, I probably took care of being on it for good after yesterday). Instead, I want to share the five people I think are most deserving of this award this season and why.

The Borrelli in recent years has become more of an award for broadcasters than any other media (Adam Levi bucked the trend last year, as did Tyson Geick a few years prior, but much like goalies winning MVP, I don’t think that’s something that will happen often anymore). I’m usually not the biggest fan of this award going to people that are on a team’s payroll, but I didn’t do as much lacrosse-related reading this season, too tied up in my own work and burnt out in January to spend my free time and energy reading about lacrosse (I wanted to reset by reading Bukowski). Independent work also shines brighter in my eyes, where Levi’s the gold standard, but I don’t like repeat winners — sorry Adam, Teddy, Pat, Jake, Paul, Stamper.

These are in alphabetical order; no other preference should be inferred. I want all of them to win; if I were a betting man, the Jenner one will win:

Brad Challoner — Colour Analyst for TSN NLL Game of the Week and Vancouver Warriors; Host of Coaches Calls podcast

Challoner has never won this award, which is an ongoing sin from EoS voters. Whenever Brad’s part of a broadcast team, I turn the volume up and listen intently, because he always breaks down what’s happening perfectly and is so in tune to the finer nuances of the NLL and its players. His Coaches Calls podcast is one of the best podcasts out there and is absolutely timeless. Brad’s forgotten more about lacrosse than I’ll ever know and is a finely tuned repository spreading the box lacrosse gospel far and wide with engaging and educated stories. There’s no better interviewer in the league.

Ashley Docking — Sideline Reporter for TSN NLL Game of the Week

Docking’s the gold standard for sideline reporters, and if Maki hadn’t beaten her to it, she would easily have crushed the chance at being the first woman to call an NLL game from the broadcast booth; I’ve no doubt she’ll be calling an NLL game sooner than later. She’s incredibly prepared, has a great rapport with players, isn’t afraid to ask difficult questions or call a spade a spade, and continually demonstrates a keen understanding of the action and stories unfolding in front of her in ways most NLL broadcast play-by-play and color commentators can’t begin to fathom. The women in NLL broadcasts (and throughout the NLL) are exceptional, but Ashley’s the best of the best.

Maki Jenner — Sideline Reporter for Halifax Thunderbirds; Co-Host of NLL Box Out with Maki & Coop

There are rising stars, and then there’s Maki, the first woman to be a colo(u)r commentator for an NLL broadcast. If you watched any of Maki’s work during Worlds in Utica or her work in front of the camera for the Thunderbirds the past few years, it wouldn’t surprise you that she delivered an exceptionally polished broadcast filled with phenomenal insights and adeptly breaking down the finer and often unnoticed nuances of an NLL game. Maki’s floor was when I was editing her work for the Lacrosse Flash years ago, and she’s so far in the stratosphere that that floor’s a dusty pixel on the blue orb she just left. Podcast’s pretty good, too.

Cooper Perkins — Play-by-Play for San Diego Seals; Co-Host of NLL Box Out with Maki & Coop

Perkins is a top 3 play-by-play broadcaster in the NLL, and he ain’t three. Every game Cooper calls is one of the most entertaining events I’ll watch that week. I’m constantly learning from his unfettered yet taut description of the games and conversations he’s had with players and coaches earlier in the week, all while enjoying his razor-sharp wit and barbed play with his broadcast partners. I miss his work with LaxMetrics.com but respect the hell out of him for stepping back and focusing on his craft. Podcast’s pretty good, too.

Graeme Perrow — Creator of NLLStats.com and NLLChatter.com

The NLL’s handling of statistics — not advanced stats, just regular stats we’ve been using for decades — the past three seasons has been a travesty. Graeme stepped up in a huge way last season by making a working version of a website hosting NLL stats, and he’s continued to add to it and make his site the go-to for anyone trying to figure out anything related to NLL stats. NLLStats.com was never closed on my laptop or phone this season — Poinstreak on steroids but easier to get to and navigate and no roid rage.

Also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t give Steve Bermel and Cody Janzen their flowers. Steve is one of my favorite color commentators, period. I credit him with making the Bandits home broadcasts one of the best in the business, as his polish, delivery, and knowledge have elevated the broadcasts into the most consistently sharp, smartest, and funniest viewing experiences. Janzen’s talents on the 1s and 2s during Rush games are also exceptional, but I’m a bigger fan of his radio work. Cody is such a phenomenal interviewer, making salient points, guiding his interviewees along topics deftly, and giving them just the right amount of space to tell their story or offer opinion, all while in a medium where second chances aren’t available. I wish every NLL team sent someone on the road to do a radio broadcast, and if that ever happens, they all need to copy Cody shamelessly.