Bandits, Warriors swing Pre-Dispersal Trade
The first domino fell ahead of the 2026 NLL Expansion Draft on Monday afternoon, as the Buffalo Bandits and Vancouver Warriors swung a trade that will have impacts on both dispersal and the 2026 NLL Draft later this month.
Buffalo acquired forward Payton Cormier, along with the 11th and 23rd overall picks in Tuesday’s dispersal draft. In exchange, the Warriors received Luca Antongiovanni and the 16th overall selection in the 2026 NLL Draft.
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Photo: Vancouver Warriors
What Does This Mean for Both Sides?
This trade really scratches a need for both sides. First, on the player side, Cormier and Antongiovanni were both highly touted prospects who have not hit their full potential in the NLL. Antongiovanni hasn’t even signed his first NLL contract yet.
Cormier is a former fourth overall pick in 2023. The lefty became the NCAA’s All-Time leader in goals by a Canadian during his time with the University of Virginia. Mix that with his stellar junior career with the Mimico Mountaineers, and he looked like a great pickup for an up-and-coming Warriors squad. As a rookie in 2025, Cormier appeared in just eight games and finished with three goals and six points. Last season, Cormier featured in just five games for a Vancouver squad that returned a heap of local talent in free agency. He recorded just a single goal over that span.
A change of scenery seemed crucial for Cormier if he wanted a bounce back from two tough years out West. But this summer with Maple Ridge of the WLA was more of what we’ve come to expect from Cormier. He had 24 goals and 43 points in 11 outings, which earned him a spot on Coquitlam’s Mann Cup roster, where he’s played against several of his new Bandits teammates.
On the other side, Antongiovanni was an incredibly exciting prospect coming out of the Coquitlam junior system; the 2018 Minto Cup champion wore the C for his hometown club. He declared early for the draft, leaving North Carolina to jump into the NLL, and while he was considered to be a top-five pick, he slipped to eight. That gave Buffalo the opportunity to scoop up one of the best defensive prospects in the class.
Unfortunately, Antongiovanni never signed with the Bandits, staying home the previous three years.
So why would the Warriors trade for a player who hasn’t been active for multiple years? Well, it shouldn’t be too hard for Curt Malawsky to get a Coquitlam product to come back to play so close to home. If Vancouver can pull Antongiovanni back into the fold, he could be an immediate player in their lineup every night.
On the Bandits’ side, Cormier fills a need as a replacement for Chris Cloutier after he left for Vegas in free agency last off-season. At 6-foot-2, 225 pounds, Cormier will likely serve mainly as a space creator for Josh Byrne on the lefty side, who can bury the ball with the added room from the two-man game. The fresh start with the Bandits should guarantee Cormier his most productive year in the NLL to date. Working with Byrne and getting swings from the likes of Dhane Smith and Tehoka Nanticoke should help spread the wealth in Banditland.
Photo: Georgia Swarm
2026 NLL Dispersal Draft
While we did have the Warriors taking a player with the 11th overall pick in our Mock Dispersal Draft, we prefaced that by adding that they could flip this pick to get assets. And that proved to be true less than an hour after publishing.
Vancouver generally likes to grab local products to fill out their roster. They have a fair share of Ontario natives, but most live in the market during the season. With just two players across both teams hailing from BC, it was going to be interesting to see which individuals Vancouver would target with its selections. There was even a chance they’d take one player and pass on the rest of the selections.
Both teams are immediate contenders, but clearly, Buffalo has more targets they’re interested in that they think would fit in right away than Vancouver. The main need for the Bandits is a goaltender. We had Deacan Knott going to Buffalo at ninth overall. He can step in and be an immediate starter in Buffalo, and at just 24, he’s going to be very good for a long time.
But there should be a number of defenders available after that pick.
Later in the draft, they could look to take a swing on a younger talent on either end of the floor. If they’re looking for a developing righty, is there the possibility that someone like Liam Aston makes it to the end of the second round? Justin Sykes or Greg Elijah-Brown could also be options that offer intrigue at the back end of the draft with that 23rd overall selection.
Buffalo is looking to add roster players right now to help them get back into the championship conversation.
Photo: Burnaby Lakers
The 2026 NLL Draft
On the other hand, the Warriors get some future assurances for roster players in return. All the talk heading into the 2026 NLL Draft has surrounded the big three righties on the board: Finn Thomson, Silas Richmond, and Joey Spallina.
The Warriors currently sit with the third overall pick in the draft, having acquired the pick from Oshawa in a three-way trade two years ago. It’d make a lot of sense for the organization to make drafting a star from BC with that high draft pick. Richmond has a legitimate claim as the best player in this year’s draft, and his blend of size, talent, and intangibles makes him a can’t-miss prospect.
But there’s a good chance Richmond isn’t there at third overall. He could go off the top of the board to Rochester. Richmond has ties to Western New York after playing his college ball at Albany. Toronto could have him as the top player on their board and take him at two if Rochester goes elsewhere at one. That 16th overall pick becomes a lot more enticing than just a trade package that includes the third pick for a higher selection.
If Vancouver is as serious about landing Richmond as it sounds, trading up may be the best option for them to ensure that they get their guy. If a possible star righty costs a few dispersal draft picks and Cormier, who had trouble staying in the lineup, its a good gamble for Vancouver to take.