THE RICH GET RICHER
Buffalo Bandits
The back-to-back defending champs had three picks in the first round and used them all, adding depth options for now and down the road. As GM Steve Dietrich said during the pre-draft broadcast, you can’t keep a championship lineup together forever, so the Bandits needed to be preparing a succession plan for all positions.
Buffalo opened their draft by grabbing righty forward Lukas Nielsen (#7), who still has a year of junior lacrosse to play. The 50-goal scorer with the New Westminster Salmonbellies will likely be groomed as an eventual replacement for one of the current veterans.
Last season, the Bandits became painfully familiar with the need for defensive depth. So in this draft, they went heavy on making sure they have defenders ready to roll out as necessary by following up the pick of Nielsen with seven straight defense/transition guys. The gem among them is Luca Antongiovanni, who didn’t officially enter the draft until a few days before but who had long been considered to be among the top tier of defenders expected to be available.
With their third first-rounder, Buffalo grabbed a dark horse in Taylor Dooley. He played primarily Sr. B with the Ennismore James Gang the last two seasons, but was a key member of the Toronto Beaches lineup that made it to the team’s first-ever Minto Cup back in 2022.
LOCAL TALENT
Rochester Knighthawks
The Knighthawks only had three picks after having dealt their others away. They used all three on defenders, all with ties to upstate New York.
Conner Fingar (#27) and Regan Endres (#51) are Albany grads who grew up near Rochester. Caleb Commandant is from Ontario, but the #80 pick went to the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Since when is Saskatchewan's logo a bison wearing BDSM gear?
I think they did that rebrand a year ago.Since when is Saskatchewan's logo a bison wearing BDSM gear?
UB beats ranked Northern Illinois in OT 23-20. Shaun Dolac had 19 tackles and a late INT.
BUFFALO BANDITS
2024 Result: 11-7, won NLL Championship
2023 Result: 14-4, won NLL Championship
Last Championship: 2024
PLL Players on Active and Inactive Roster:
Kyle Buchanan, former Carolina Chaos
Tehoka Nanticoke, former Carolina Chaos
Chris Cloutier, Carolina Chaos (PLL Holdout List)
Connor Farrell, former Denver Outlaw/Chrome
Ian Mackay, Carolina Chaos
Josh Byrne, Carolina Chaos
Dhane Smith, Carolina Chaos (PLL Holdout List)
Chase Fraser, Carolina Chaos (PLL Holdout List)
Cam Wyers, Utah Archers
The connection here remains obvious. Chaos fans, just start shopping for some orange. Even with the players that are currently on the holdout list in the PLL, it’s all about Carolina on this squad. The Bandits are also a great team to follow every week for the fan who doesn’t really want to pick a team, but wants to see the best of what the NLL has to offer. They are back to back champs, they have the league MVP in Josh Byrne. Matt Vinc is up there in years but is still a legendary goaltender. Dhane Smith is coming for all the assist records in the book. They play home games in front of 19,000 screaming Buffalo fans. The community and the Bandits have a great relationship. Bars and restaurants near the arena get packed with fans who watch the game on broadcast if they can’t get a ticket. The Bandits are the gold standard for what a pro lacrosse franchise should be.
Buffalo isn't a college sports city.....like at all.I'm surprised at how little college football is talked about in Buffalo. UB is 4-2 and in first place. Judging from how little they are talked about and how empty the stadium was on Saturday you wouldn't know it.
Buffalo isn't a college sports city.....like at all.
Which is a shame as the area has some good college teams. Same can be said about the Bisons who have multiple good seasons.Buffalo is a Bills town.
22. Who is the biggest bitch in the league right now?
Chase Fraser – 14%
Leo Stouros – 13%
Tyson Bell – 11%
Callum Crawford – 6%
Curtis Dickson – 5%
The Rest – 51%
This question came in as a special request by a number of players coming out of our last poll, although a few guys this year didn’t appreciate it being included, one player telling us to, “Be better.” We couldn’t pass up that awesome alliteration though. Between being voted 2022’s most overrated (which didn’t really feel justified) and now this response, it’s pretty clear Chase Fraser isn’t overly liked around the league, and that’s probably just the way he likes it.
This year’s most requested future question: Who is the biggest diver in the league right now? Next time.