2026 NLL Draft - The Big Board 1.0
We’ve got a pair of top forwards vying for first overall, along with some very talented defenders pushing for the top spot. It’s a good year for prospects, and we’re excited to be back a little early to chat about it.
The 2026 NLL Draft will come down to who’s selecting at the top of the board. If you’re not a Rock fan, look away, because they own Calgary’s 2026 first, and with the way the Roughnecks are going currently, that pick could be top three once again. Philadelphia owns its first, while Ottawa has a hold of Oshawa’s selection, which is currently in the top three. San Diego and Halifax — teams that have been in the thick of the postseason push the last five years — each find themselves in unfamiliar territory near the midway point.
This is the current draft order at the time of publishing.
Philadelphia
Toronto (Via CGY)
Ottawa (Via OSH)
Halifax
San Diego
Halifax (Via TOR)
Las Vegas
Buffalo
Vancouver (Via OTT)
Georgia
Calgary (Via VAN)
Rochester
Georgia (Via COL)
Saskatchewan
Halifax (Comp)
Las Vegas (Comp)
Philadelphia (Comp)
With all that in mind, let’s jump into the first Big Board of 2026!
2026 NLL DRAFT ANALYSIS
26 Players to Watch in the 2026 NLL Draft
Photo: Dave Fryer/Orangeville Northmen
Forwards
1) Finn Thomson, R, Syracuse & Brampton (MSL)
2) Joey Spallina, R, Syracuse & Snake Island (TNSLL)
3) Matt Collison, L, Johns Hopkins & Oakville (MSL)
4) Silas Richmond, R, Albany & Burnaby (WLA)
5) David Anderson (R), Yale & Cobourg (MSL)
6) Koleton Marquis, R, Albany & Peterborough (MSL)
7) Will Sheehan, R, Yale & Oakville (MSL)
8) Lucas Dudemaine, L, Georgetown & Brampton (MSL)
9) Andrew Bowman, L, Marquette & Nanaimo (BCJALL)
10) Bowie Horsman, R, Cornell & Brampton (MSL)
HM) Jeremy Wudrick (R), Xander Derkatz (R), Thunder Hill (L), Brian Jackman (L), Matthew Boas (L), Koen Block (L)
The race for the first overall pick will be a little more up for debate this year, with two elite righties that each have respective cases to be the first name off the board. It’ll ultimately come down to their summer performance.
Finn Thomson has been a first-overall pick in waiting for five years now, when he had a coming-out in the OJLL bubble against overagers in 2021. After being one of the most dominant offensive players Ontario junior lacrosse has ever seen, he moved to the MSL and had over four points a game in his rookie campaign.
Spallina, on the other hand, has skyrocketed his NLL Draft stock to the very top since he joined Orangeville in 2023. This summer, he lit up Senior B after graduating from the OJLL, and he helped the Muskies capture their first Presidents Cup.
We have Thomson higher because Spallina is almost certainly going to go first overall in the PLL Draft, and it’s hard to see him playing this coming summer indoors, in that case. It’ll all depend on who picks first, in our opinion. Spallina and Thomson are both elite talents, and you can’t really go wrong either way. They’re both going to enter the NLL and be forces for their respective teams.
This is a very righty-heavy class for forwards, but Collison is undoubtedly the top lefty this year. A mutant of a human at 6-foot-4, 230 pounds who possesses a missile of a shot and a great blend of athleticism and strength, the Toronto native is going to be a staple in an NLL lineup next winter.
The next run of righties is going to be fun to watch in the NLL in the future. Richmond is another big body who has incredible skill and a knack for the net. While Anderson will likely come into this draft as the oldest player at 25, he’s a former MSL Rookie of the Year and is a physical force who can fire the pill among the best this year.
These forwards at the back half of the top 10 could move substantially by draft day, considering they’ll all have an additional year of summer ball to boost their stocks.
Sheehan, Dudemaine, and Horsman, specifically, all have roles in MSL, while Bowman just graduated from Junior A with Nanaimo and will be a WLA rookie, looking to prove himself after a standout BCJALL career.
Photo: Dave Fryer/Orangeville Northmen
Defenders
1) Dante Bowen, RT, Syracuse & Brampton (MSL)
2) Michael White, RD, Queen’s (NC) & Brooklin (MSL)
3) Justin Lee, RT, Albany & Brooklin (MSL)
4) Aaron Toguri, LD, Jacksonville & Mimico/Orangeville (OJLL)
5) Owen Tasse, LD, St. Bonaventure & Toronto (OJLL)
6) Nick Crowley, LD, Princeton & Peterborough (MSL)
7) Alexis Simard, LD, Canisius & Brooklin (MSL)
8) Ben Coghill, RT, Albany & Coquitlam (BCJALL)
9) Owen Wills, LD, Saint Leo & Brooklin (MSL)
10) Eoin MacKay, RD, Binghampton & Oakville (MSL)
HM) Brodie Kent, Joel Mullen, Frank Coyle, Eric McDonald, David Peterkin, Max Neeson
Defence is where we could see a lot of movement in the summer and leading into the 2026 NLL Draft. While the recency bias at this time will lean toward Aaron Toguri after he played in a Minto Cup for the Orangeville Northmen, there’s some older talent that overtakes him at the moment.
Bowen, who played for the Northmen in the Minto back in 2024, is an NLL-ready talent who has shown his transition ability previously in junior lacrosse. At 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, he’s long, athletic, and has grown into more of a matchup defender over the last couple of years. On a young Sr. Excelsiors roster, he’ll have another chance this year to be a factor on both ends as he looks to cement himself as the best defender available.
However, he’s going to be pushed by the other three behind him. White is reminiscent of Michael Grace a few years ago. A big-bodied, steady presence on the back end, who can help anchor a defence if he lives up to his high ceiling. He had seven points last summer as well, so there’s an ability to push the ball with the 6-foot-4, 220-pounder.
Lee is a converted forward in box, having played up front with Mimico his entire junior career. The Mississauga, Ontario native is 6-foot-5, 195 pounds, and plays as a long-stick midfielder at Albany, so he’s got the IQ to plug and play wherever he’s asked. He was just moved to Oakville via trade, meaning he should have some added reps on a younger squad this coming summer. With his size and offensive ability, he could be a legitimate two-way stud who could even stay and play in the NLL.
Similar to Bowen, Toguri was a solid transition threat for Mimico during his junior career before taking more of a shutdown role on the Northmen. He’s coming into his own as he gains experience on the floor, and he’ll be able to continue to play a big role in Cobourg this summer.
As will his new teammate, Tasse, who was also taken by the Kodiaks in the 2026 MSL Draft. He had a standout summer for the Beaches after missing the previous year with an ACL injury suffered at school. The Ottawa, Ontario native is another tall, athletic two-way threat who has shown the upside to be able to shut down opposition. He doesn’t quite have the snarl that his longtime Nepean running mate, Connor Nock, has. But Tasse is extremely skilled, and at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, he’s going to be a disruptor in the pros.
Once again, the other group of defenders could prove their cases come the summer. Alexis Simard is another trusted member of that Burlington Minto Cup squad from a few years back. Coghill was a massive piece to Coquitlam’s consecutive Minto wins, while Wills and MacKay are both smart defenders who recently graduated from Toronto and played solid rookie years in MSL.
Crowley is the one to keep an eye on in this group. He didn’y play for the Sr. Lakers a year ago, but he’s a very smart defender who has a solid frame and thinks the game at a high level. If he does end up seeing a good amount of time for Peterborough, he could vault up team’s boards.
Photo: Clark Dunford/Peterborough Jr Lakers
Goalies
1) Saka Thompson, SUNY Potsdam & Six Nations (OJLL)
2) Bryce Wismer, Guelph & Kitchener-Waterloo (OJLL)
3) Adam Power, Mimico (OJLL)
There is one clear candidate to be the top goaltender in this year’s class. We had Thompson as a possible candidate to renounce and enter the 2025 draft following two standout seasons with the Six Nations Arrows, but he returned to school to finish his collegiate career. When you watch the Akwesasne product, he’ll remind many of Warren Hill at the same age. A goalie that’s under 6-foot tall, but someone who’s extremely athletic, takes up the net well, has great instincts in the cage, and moves extremely well to the ball.
There’s a strong case that Thompson could have taken home the OJLL’s Goalie of the Year each of the last two years, but he lost out to Thomas Kiazyk and Kiigs Shognosh — both NLL goaltenders this season.
Thompson was thought highly enough by the Six Nations Chiefs that he served as the team’s third goalie for the Mann Cup in New Westminster. He has been protected by the Six Nations before the MSL Draft, and while he’s likely to play Senior B due to the talent in front of him in the Chiefs’ crease, he’s the future for the Chiefs down the road. He’ll also get some hype as a goalie for the Haudenosaunee in the coming years.
With both Wismer and Power, they’re goaltenders that were backups this past year, but have the chance to showcase themselves in their final OJLL seasons. Wismer is slated to be the starter for a K-W team that should contend in Ontario this year. Power will be the backup for Nate Whittom in Mimico, but there’s a chance that they could move him elsewhere to allow Power to be a starter elsewhere.
Photo: David Pickering/NLL
The Big Board
1) Finn Thomson, RF, Syracuse & Brampton (MSL)
2) Joey Spallina, RF, Syracuse & Snake Island (TNSLL)
3) Matt Collison, LF, Johns Hopkins & Oakville (MSL)
4) Dante Bowen, RT, Syracuse & Brampton (MSL)
5) Michael White, RD, Queen’s (NC) & Brooklin (MSL)
6) Silas Richmond, RF, Albany & Burnaby (WLA)
7) David Anderson, RF, Yale & Cobourg (MSL)
8) Koleton Marquis, RF, Albany & Peterborough (MSL)
9) Justin Lee, RT, Albany & Brooklin (MSL)
10) Aaron Toguri, LD, Jacksonville & Mimico/Orangeville (OJLL)
This draft will come down to who’s selecting at the top of the board. If you’re not a Rock fan, look away, because they own Calgary’s 2026 first, and with the way the Roughnecks are going currently, that pick could be top three once again. Philadelphia owns their first, while Ottawa has a hold of Oshawa’s selection, which is currently top three. San Diego and Halifax — teams who have been in the thick of the postseason push the last five years — each find themselves in unfamiliar territory near the midway point.
As we mentioned, Thomson vs. Spallina will come down to preference for the team picking first.