We’re two days away from our favourite day of the National Lacrosse League off-season, and what better time to go through our favourite players and where we have them ranked heading into the 2025 NLL Draft.

Over the last two months, we’ve gone through the prospects to keep an eye on in this class, including the forwards, defenders, some of our other players of note, and those individuals who threw their respective names in the ring early.

Now, we bring you The Big Board. We go through all of those names and try to decide our top 50 players available in this year’s class.

This isn’t a board based on ranking players where we see them going in the draft — don’t look at a certain number and associate that with a player landing with a certain team. Anything can happen in the draft and our list doesn’t reflect the ones that the various NLL teams have. Stay tuned for our Mock Draft ahead of the 2025 NLL Draft to see how we think the first round will end up shaking out

Without any more introduction, let’s hop in!

2025 NLL DRAFT ANALYSIS

FORWARDS TO WATCH

DEFENDERS TO WATCH

OTHERS TO WATCH

EARLY DECLARATIONS TO WATCH

2025 DRAFT - TEAM NEEDS

Forwards

1) CJ Kirst (L), Cornell & Mimico (OJLL)

2) Braedon Saris (R), Princeton & Peterborough (MSL)

3) Alex Marinier (R), Ohio State & Cobourg (MSL)

4) Will MacLeod (L), Robert Morris & Brooklin (MSL/OSL)

5) Owen Hiltz (L), Syracuse & Peterborough (MSL)

6) Noah Manning (R), Denver & Nanaimo (WLA)

7) Nolan Byrne (L), Lafayette & Whitby (OJLL)

8) Stuart Phillips (R), Johns Hopkins & Burnaby (WLA)

9) Kean Moon (R), Robert Morris & Coquitlam (WLA)

10) Liam Aston (R), Guelph & Toronto (OJLL)

Photo: David Pickering/Peterborough Lakers

Defenders

1) Ty English (LT), North Carolina & Oakville (MSL)

2) Casey Wilson (RT), Denver & Victoria (WLA)

3) Ben Trumble (RT), Colgate & Peterborough (MSL)

4) Connor Nock (LD), Quincy & Owen Sound (MSL)

5) Jaxon Fridge (LD), Canisius & Burnaby (WLA)

6) Ari Steenhuis (RT), St. Catharines (OJLL)

7) Levi Verch (LD), St. Joseph’s & Nanaimo (WLA)

8) Bo Columbus (RD), Robert Morris & Brooklin (MSL)

9) Adam Thistlethwaite (LD), Albany & Peterborough (MSL)

10) Kyle Pepper (RD), St. Bonaventure & Victoria (WLA)

Photo: Clark Dunford/Peterborough Jr Lakers

Goalies

1) Waukiigan Shognosh, Peterborough (OJLL)

2) Caleb Khan, Langley (BCJALL & WLA)

3) Tommy Wood, Raiders LC (RMJALL)

4) Zach Richards, Dalhousie & Kitcher-Waterloo (OJLL)

5) Keegan Okino, Nanaimo (BCJALL)

The Big Board

1) CJ Kirst, LF, Cornell & Mimico (OJLL)

2) Ty English, LT, North Carolina & Oakville (MSL)

3) Casey Wilson, RT, Denver & Victoria (WLA)

4) Braedon Saris, RF, Princeton & Peterborough (MSL)

5) Ben Trumble, RT, Colgate & Peterborough (MSL)

6) Alex Marinier, RF, Ohio State & Cobourg (MSL)

7) Connor Nock, LD, Quincy & Owen Sound (MSL)

8) Will MacLeod, LF, Robert Morris & Brooklin (MSL)

9) Owen Hiltz, LF, Syracuse & Peterborough (MSL)

10) Jaxon Fridge, LD, Canisius & Burnaby (WLA)

The top 10 consists of some top-end talent that will step in right away and make impacts in the National Lacrosse League. CJ Kirst is set to go first overall to Toronto, with the likelihood that English follows him — although he will be returning to North Carolina for another year of NCAA lacrosse.

What happens at three will be the most interesting part of this draft. Will Toronto add a third prospect off the top of the board or look to move it to a team interested in getting a player at the top of their board?

Casey Wilson is the most intriguing prospect in this section because it’s a mystery where he’ll end up. Could Toronto add him and stash him for a year? Vegas needs a defender at four, while Colorado is where he called home during his college career. Halifax is where older brother Max plays and lives during the year. That’s an easy fit. There are a number of outcomes for the talented transition player who is likely to miss the year due to an ACL tear.

Marinier could stake a claim to be the second-best forward in this draft, but he’ll be returning to Ohio State, so he could slide a bit. He and Saris are a coin flip depending on the team’s outlook on the pair.

Owen Hiltz would likely have been higher on this list had he played box this summer. He’ll be a nice pickup for a team at the back half of the top 10.

Fridge is going to make an NLL team very happy in the not too distant future. He was tasked with matching up with Joey Spallina in the Minto last year and did an amazing job en route to winning a title with the Jr Adanacs. A team like Calgary or Colorado picking around the 10 spot will be extremely happy with picking up a talent like Fridge on their back end.

11) Noah Manning, RF, Denver & Nanaimo (WLA)

12) Nolan Byrne, LF, Lafayette & Whitby (OJLL)

13) Ari Steenhuis, RT, St. Catharines (OJLL)

14) Levi Verch, LD, St. Joseph’s & Nanaimo (WLA)

15) Stuart Phillips, RF, Johns Hopkins & Burnaby (WLA)

16) Kean Moon, RF, Robert Morris & Coquitlam (WLA)

17) Liam Aston, RF, Guelph & Toronto (OJLL)

18) Bo Columbus, RD, Robert Morris & Brooklin (MSL)

19) Adam Thistlethwaite, LD, Albany & Peterborough (MSL)

20) Waukiigan Shognosh, G, Peterborough (OJLL)

A good mix of high-skill forwards and strong two-way threats on the back end to round out our top 20. Verch would likely have been talked about in the conversation for best defender in this draft; however, a full summer off from box to play field allowed others to jump him. Teams picking outside the top 10 won’t be complaining if he falls this late, however. Verch is going to be an immediate contributor in a lineup.

Steenhuis falls just outside the top 10, but after a strong showing at the Minto as a transition threat, he should hear his name called before the end of the first round. Halifax makes sense for him, but if he falls to 14, it’s hard to imagine Buffalo not grabbing the son of a franchise great who can better the back end.

Byrne had consecutive 100-point seasons to cap his junior lacrosse career. He’s got a big frame and possesses everything to be a contributor at the next level. Depending on the situation he falls in, a team could insert him in the lineup right away or stash him and develop him for the long term.

The three righties in the middle of this group are going to have an impact immediately in the league. Phillips is a stud of a forward. He didn’t play in the WLA this summer, but if he’s committed to playing in the NLL, he can step into a lineup right away. Moon had a very solid season in Coquitlam, posting nearly 50 points for a team that made the WLA finals. Aston is fresh off graduating junior, but after a career-best year with the Beaches, the 6-foot-2, 195-pounder is dynamic. His nearly four points per game in the ALL last winter also gives a glimpse into what he can do against senior competition.

Columbus makes a lot of sense to Vegas at the end of the compensatory selections. A big body who takes draws and can play bigger minutes on the back end. For a defensive-needy team like the Desert Dogs, the fit feels right.

Shognosh cracks the top 20 and is the top goaltender on our board. The

21) Kyle Pepper, RT, St. Bonaventure & Victoria (WLA)

22) Jeremi Phoenix-Lefebvre, LD, Mercyhurst & Cobourg (MSL)

23) Jordan Vincent, RD, Nanaimo (BCJALL)

24) Isiah Moran-Weekes, LF, High Point & Owen Sound (MSL)

25) Jameson Bucktooth, LF, St. Catharines (OJLL)

26) Nathan Miller, RD, Coquitlam (BCJALL)

27) Caleb Khan, G, Langley (BCJALL & WLA)

28) Andrew Dalton, LT, Cornell & Toronto (OJLL)

29) Coltrane Tyson, LF, UMass & Brampton (MSL)

30) Dagan Carlson, RF, Maryville & Maple Ridge (WLA)

We are big fans of Vincent at OTC. His blend of size, strength, athleticism, and transition upside makes for an intriguing prospect, and with this being his last year of junior, his ceiling is one of the highest of any defender in the class. Between him and Thistlethwaite, it came down to that ceiling versus a defender who has three full summers of MSL experience under his belt. In this case, Thistlethwaite wins out. Peterborough has played in so many high-stakes games, giving him the ability to be the more NLL-ready of the pair.

Pepper and Pheonix-Lefebvre fall just out of the top 20, speaking to just how deep this draft is. Both have multiple years of senior experience and are solid players. Pepper possesses more transition upside and can be a plug-and-play individual in a lineup with his versaitility. Phoenix-Lefebvre is a solid defender who averaged a point per game in MSL this year and takes face-offs.

Bucktooth is going to be a player to watch for a team to jump at early. He’s a natural scorer who ended the season strong with a good playoffs and Minto Cup. he could go in the compensatory picks or second round, depending on team needs in those spots. The lefty has shown flashes of brilliance in his junior career and will have a high ceiling for what he could become in the pro game.

Khan falls a few spots further down the board than Shognosh. He could also go higher than this ranking. Starting WLA games as a 17- and 18-year-old is nothing to scoff at, and the Langley netminder could help out a few squads picking at the start of the second round.

Dalton is going to be a player to keep an eye on because of what he could be in the NLL. Yes, he has missed three summers of box since graduating junior. But he’s ready to make a run at the pros, and what he put on tape with the Beaches during their Minto run all those years ago was outstanding. He could be a player that slips down the board, but he’s a legitimate transition threat who can play at the NLL level.

31) Lukas Olsson, RF, Richmond & Nanaimo (WLA)

32) Kaden Brennan, RT, St. Bonaventure & Oakville (MSL)

33) Jack Travassos, LD, Newberry & Oakville (MSL)

34) Jack Royer, RF, Queen’s (NC) & Coquitlam (WLA)

35) Curtis Ward, LF, Peterborough (OJLL)

36) Kaymen Diabo, RF, Kahnawake (OJBLL)

37) Julien Belair, RF, Ottawa & Whitby (OJLL)

38) Carter Coffey, RD, Orangeville (OJLL)A

39) Aiden MacDonell, RD, St. Bonaventure & Mimico (OJLL)

40) Logan Mellish, RD, Coquitlam (BCJALL)

This group features some transition threats and solid forwards.

Brennan and Travassos are both strong two-way players who got a lot of reps with the Oakville Rock this summer. Brennan was a standout last summer for the Six Nations Rivermen during their Presidents Cup run. Travassos was a player we had high on the board last year before he returned to school to finish up his collegiate career. Because of the quality in this draft, he is a little lower down the board, but we’re still high on him. At 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, he’s a big body who moves well. He hasn’t had the same production in MSL as junior, focusing more on his defensive game. But if he can chip in offensively, he’ll be a nice get for a team.

Ward, Diabo, and Belair are all fun prospects for teams to choose from. Ward played more of a complimentary role to the likes of DJ Clark and Nick Roode in Peterborough this summer, but he finished with 94 points in the ALL East last winter and led the playoffs with 14 assists and 22 points while helping Brampton take the title. Diabo can do it all, and after taking home a Minto in Coquitlam last year, he captured a Founders Cup this year with his hometown Kahnawake Hunters. Belair is a big-game player who shows up when it matters most. With a year of junior left, he’ll be a player to develop to become a mainstay in the future.

A pair of defenders that featured in the Minto this year, Coffey and Mellish are future projects who bring different skill sets to the table. Coffey is a steady stay-at-home defender who handled the top matchups Orangeville saw this summer. Namely, Nolan Byrne and Cody Malawsky in the Ontario Finals and Minto Finals, respectively. That’s a lot of responsibility for a first-year full-time Junior A player. Coffey has won a Founders and made the Minto in his final two years of junior lacrosse. Those high-pressure games will have him ready for an NLL camp.

The same goes for Mellish, who was a leader and physical presence on the back end for the back-to-back champion Adanacs. He brings that physicality every time he’s on the floor, and he never shies away from getting in the mix. That hard-nosed and tough play, matched with his 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame, makes for a player who can be a future player in an NLL roster

MacDonell is another player who would have benefited from a summer of MSL action. He’s still a solid defender who will get picked in the middle rounds of the draft.

41) Greg Elijah-Brown, RF, Syracuse & Six Nations (OSL)

42) Ethan Lee, RD, Guelph & Whitby (OJLL)

43) Jack Charboneau, LF, Johns Hopkins & Burnaby (WLA)

44) Austin Lamoureux, LF, Limestone & Snake Island (TNSLL)

45) Dante Kulas, RF, Rutgers & Cobourg (MSL)

46) Amos Whitcomb, RF, Albany & Brampton (MSL)

47) Levi Touhey, RD, Orangeville (OJLL)

48) Hugh Kelleher, RT, Cornell & Oakville (OJLL)

49) Zach Terry, LF, Limestone & Hawkeyes (UCBLL)

50) Seth Martineau, LD, Toronto (OJLL)

Rounding out the big board, Elijah-Brown had another solid Presidents Cup for Six Nations, showcasing his scoring ability and physicality on the offensive end.

As we talked about previously with Lee, he continued to open eyes with his play in the final two rounds of the OJLL playoffs. He’s physical and athletic and likes to take his chances in transition. A riser after a strong summer, he'd be a good depth pickup for an NLL team.

We would have liked to have seen more of Lamoureux in the Presidents Cup, but on a Snake Island squad who was very talented up front, it’s hard to argue when they took home the trophy. The lefty from Ottawa showed well when he did play, and his blend of skill and athleticism will make him an interesting player in this part of the draft.

Kelleher is a sneaky player who has size, strength, and offensive ability. Playing as a forward and offensive midfielder during his short sting in the OJLL and his college career, it’s hard not to see his 6-foot-3, 220-pound frame and not envision him trying to play out the back gate. We previously compared him to Connor Kirst. If he can pick up defence in box, he’d be a steal for a team in the middle rounds.

Terry is another UCBLL product who should find a spot with a team this year. Rochester is the easiest fit based on his lengthy track record playing for the Hawkeyes. The lefty can absolutely hammer the ball, and he’s had the reps in box to warrant a team bringing him in to see what he is.

Martineau ends off the top 50. A bit of a guilty pleasure of ours to watch, the 6-foot-6, 250-pounder is a sneaky athlete with great hands for someone his size. He played on the first PK and even took some offensive shifts for the Beaches, freeing up room for the forwards and even chipping in a few goals when defences left him open. He could be a third or fourth rounder. The man they call Big Red an interesting project for an NLL team based off what he showed this summer in Toronto.

2025 NLL Draft - The Big Board