The NLL Dispersal Draft has come and gone, and each of the remaining 12 National Lacrosse league franchises were able to get a little better this week.

Let’s jump in quickly and take a brief look at who ended up in new places, and how each team made out with their respective draft classes.

Buffalo Bandits

Players Acquired: Zach Higgins (G), Dalton Young (F), Larson Sundown (F), Scott Dominey (D), Travis Longboat (F), Justin Sykes (F)

If you had to tab winners from this draft, Buffalo would have to be one of them. Off the top of the board, they were able to land their new starter in Zach Higgins after he slipped down the board. Dalton Young is also a very good pickup for them to help them rebuild that righty side. Alongside Josh Byrne and Ian MacKay, they Bandits now also have Larson Sundown and the newly acquired Payton Cormier.

Scott Dominey is an interesting pick. He’s always been a spark plug of a player who brings energy and effort every time he’s on the floor. That’ll translate well to playing in Buffalo with their fanbase, who feeds off effort plays on the back end. Travis Longboat is coming off a strong Presidents Cup performance with Newtown, and Justin Sykes is a versatile player who could slide out the front door or also be deployed in a transition role.

Calgary Roughnecks

Players Acquired: Ben Kromer (D), Nicholas Volkov (D), Cole Begley (D)

Short and sweet for the Roughnecks. They traded the fourth overall selection in this draft in order to land the seventh pick in the 2026 NLL Draft from Georgia. With their remaining picks, they addressed the back end, adding size, physicality, and grit. Kromer, Volkov, and Begley all possess those abilities, which Josh Sanderson and Co. will really like in Cowtown.

Colorado Mammoth

Players Acquired: Alex Pace (D), Andrew Borgatti (D), Evan Messenger (D)

Colorado is another team that capitalized on other teams looking to move up in this draft, as they were able to turn the 19th pick into a second-rounder in 2027, which is set to be one of the most loaded draft classes in recent memory.

Alex Pace is a strong veteran defender who can take on regular shifts while also offering a penalty killer for a Mammoth team looking for depth. Borgatti is an RFA who will have to be signed, but that business should be getting done quickly, while Messenger is another steady veteran who knows what he has to bring to the table to help a contending team succeed.

Georgia Swarm

Players Acquired: Lukas Nielsen (F), Deacan Knott (G), Bo Columbus (D), Isiah Davis-Allen (D)

So…that was quite a way to open up the draft for the Swarm.

In a shock move, they moved up the board to pick fourth overall, flipping Calgary the seventh overall pick in the NLL Draft next week. They used that fourth overall pick to snap up Lukas Nielsen, who they clearly coveted highly. If he can continue the production he had with Philadelphia at the end of last season, then this pick could work very well.

With their eighth selection, the Swarm added Deacan Knott. We truly believe in Knott’s potential to become a full-time starter in the NLL within the coming years. So the team that boasts the reigning league MVP, who is still under 30, drafting Knott was not on our bingo card. Knott will be an elite backup option for Georgia. But unless they plan on giving Brett Dobson some games off or have multiple back to backs this season, it’s a very interesting pick.

Columbus will help on the defensive side and on draws. He and Jeremi Phoenix were among the two best draw men in last year’s draft, and the Swarm now have both. Davis-Allen is also more depth for a team looking to repeat their success from a year ago.

While Georgia did get some solid talent in this draft, some of the moves were unexpected from them on the day.

Halifax Thunderbirds

Players Acquired: Matt Marinier (D), Dustyn Birkhof (D), Liam Patten (D), Landen Sinfield (F), Eric Fannell (F)

Halifax had a clear motive with their early picks, targeting physicality and size. Both Marinier and Birkhof are solid pieces who don’t back down from opponents and aren’t afraid to mix it up. Patten is a pending free agent, so the Thunderbirds will have to look to get him signed in the coming days, but if they can accomplish that, getting him at 30th overall will be one of the best value picks of the draft.

Sinfield had a solid first season, and the 23-year-old is a solid project for the Thunderbirds, who could use some lefty depth. They also added a Halifax fan favourite back in Fannell, who will get a welcome reception, should he crack the roster.

Las Vegas Desert Dogs

Players Acquired: Nick Damude (G), Mitch Armstrong (D), Sam LeClair (F), Ryan Wagner (D), Liam Aston (F), Chris Corbeil (D)

Vegas is another team that did very well on the day. Most importantly, they got their assurance in net long-term, landing Nick Damude with the second overall selection. He’ll step right in and give them a chance to win every single night in the cage.

At the tail end of the first round, the Desert Dogs flipped the 17th overall pick in the Entry Draft to Toronto for the 12th pick in the dispersal draft, where they landed Armstrong, who is just 22 and already has three NLL campaigns under his belt. Vegas addressed every position group on their roster in this draft, which is great for a team looking to be on the upswing.

Sam LeClair was an excellent pick in the middle of the draft. A crasher who’s an extremely creative finisher, he’ll help that offense produce, as will Liam Aston, who’s more of a long-term player for the team. He’s got a great blend of size and athleticism and is progressing as a scorer.

Ryan Wagner is a very solid veteran who will help this unit immensely alongside some of the other additions the team made at the trade deadline. Corbeil is a free agent, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens with him. But he’s another player who will help sort out a defense and do his job when he’s on the floor.

Oshawa FireWolves

Players Acquired: Jeff Teat (F), Connor Kearnan (F) (Traded to SSK), Ron John (T), Kevin Brownell (T), Aidan Fearn (D), Holden Garlent (D) (Acquired from SSK)

The FireWolves got the draft started, adding the best player on the board, Jeff Teat. We’ve touched on Teat’s addition previously. He’s going to be an immediate impact piece who will make Oshawa’s offense scary.

Ron John and Kevin Brownell will be solid picks in transition for the team. Both are good at pushing the pace and creating offense off quick-strike opportunities. Brownell is still another pending free agent, so we’ll have to see if the two sides are able to come to an agreement. Aidan Fearn is some added insurance should Joe Nardella not be able to go in the future for Oshawa. Fearn is a big, physical player who can take draws.

Following the draft, the FireWolves also made a splash, acquiring defender Holden Garlent. It sounds like he will only be able to play a portion of the games this season due to being in the Police Academy. But playing the long game with a solid two-way defender like Garlent is great for the FireWolves. He can become a leader for them, and his aggressiveness and ability to push the ball will fit right into what Oshawa likes to do.

Rochester Knighthawks

Players Acquired: Callum Jones (D), Brent Noseworthy (D), Luc Magnan (D), Tyler Carlson (G)

The Knighthawks needed some depth on the back end, and depth is what they got in this draft. That’s not to say the reigning Defender of the Year is just depth…Callum Jones is going to step in and lead this Knighthawks defense, alongside some very good veterans.

In the third round, Rochester elected to move their pick to Buffalo in exchange for a third-rounder in the 2029 NLL Draft.

Rochester does have some work to do with the other three players they selected, however. Noseworthy is a franchisable UFA, while both Magnan and Carlson have the ability to walk to free agency if a deal can’t be struck in the coming days.

Working in their favour is that all three individuals are Ontario natives, so the proximity to home should make coming to an agreement a little easier than a team with longer travel.

San Diego Seals

Players Acquired: Brennan O’Neill (F), Jake Saunders (D), Greg Elijah-Brown (F), Mason Woodward (D), Phil Caputo (F)

The Seals were able to get good value with their various picks. O’Neill is who we had going to San Diego in our mock, and the fit makes sense with their need for lefties and history of bringing in star American field players. Obviously, it also helps when that star American field player was also a former first overall NLL draft pick. O’Neill is going to help that offense reach some new heights in 2027.

Mason Woodward is another American who signed with the Black Bears ahead of last season but never featured in a game. He’s another standout defender in the field game who could pay off well for the Seals if they can get him to commit to playing for them.

Jake Saunders is a solid option who is still growing his game as a pro. On the forward front, Elijah-Brown was a Draft List player for Ottawa, and after graduating from Syracuse, he’ll make the jump to the pros. He’s played in back-to-back Presidents Cups with the Six Nations Rivermen, which should have seasoned him well for this coming training camp. Caputo is also a trusted vet who is good depth for San Diego. He’s steady up front and helps to get teammates open while also being a good crease option.

Saskatchewan Rush

Players Acquired: Jake Stevens (T), Sam Firth (F), Reed Kurtz (D), Connor Kearnan (F), Jaxon Fridge (D)

Saskatchewan did really well yesterday.

Stevens was a two-way beast for Ottawa last year, finishing top 10 in caused turnovers while posting double digits in points. They then moved a second-rounder in next year’s draft to Colorado for the 19th overall pick, where they snapped up Sam Firth. He’s a great fit for the Rush, working as a bang-and-crusher who’s very strong at finishing around the crease. That’ll play really well with the playmakers on Saskatchewan.

They followed up that pick with Reed Kurtz a few picks later. Kurtz was a bright spot for Ottawa in his second season, taking some face-offs and playing solid out of the back gate. He’ll be a seamless fit in this Sask defense.

The biggest move of their day was the trade after the dispersal draft. Losing a player of Holden Garlent’s quality is very tough. But in return, the Rush were able to land a solid righty forward in Connor Kearnan, a young standout defender in Jaxon Fridge, and the 20th overall pick in next week’s entry draft.

However, the main question now is: with the acquisition of Kearnan, where does that leave Austin Shanks heading into free agency?

Toronto Rock

In terms of drafting players in dispersal, the Rock added nobody. They traded the 12th and 24th picks in the draft to Las Vegas in order to acquire the 17th overall selection in next week’s NLL Draft — the final pick in the first round. They passed on their remaining four rounds of picks.

It’s a good bit of business for a team that didn’t have any pressing needs clearly in this draft. Flipping a pair of picks in order to add a future piece makes a lot of sense for Toronto.

Vancouver Warriors

Players Acquired: Michael Sowers (F)

Most of the Warriors’ work was done with their trade a day before the dispersal draft with the trade they made with the Bandits, acquiring Luca Antongiovanni and the 16th overall pick in the 2026 NLL Draft for a pair of their dispersal picks and Payton Cormier.

The one pick they did make was grabbing Michael Sowers in the middle rounds. If Sowers does end up showing up for the Warriors, it’ll be a solid acquisition. But constant travel from the East Coast to Vancouver is hard to imagine for Sowers. We’ll wait and see how that situation plays out.

Going through Every Team’s NLL Dispersal Draft Class