IT’S MOCK DRAFT TIME!

We are under 24 hours out from the 2025 NLL Draft, and the Toronto Rock are nearly on the clock.

Let’s not take up too much time in the pre-ramble. We’re going to do our best to go through the first two rounds and give you an idea of what each team might do with their picks. Let’s jump in and get to drafting!

FIRST ROUND

It will be back-to-back US-Born forwards going first overall in the draft, as the Rock will add Kirst to the fold.

Unlike Brennan O’Neill a year ago, Kirst comes into the NLL having played a full summer of box in Canada. He was stellar for Mimico in 2023, playing out the front door as well as on the ball team and taking face-offs.

Kirst could be a player that tries his hand at transition, but he’ll more than likely stick as a forward. His all-around offensive talent is undeniable, and he’s an easy pick for the top player in this year’s class.

Photo: David Pickering/Peterborough Lakers

English will be returning to school for another year, but he remains the best transition player in this draft.

It’s a slam dunk pick for the Rock, who took his older brother, Sam, in the same position last year. Their father, Andrew, was also just recently hired as the team’s Strength and Conditioning Coach. The English pipeline is being built in Toronto — Sawyer is in next year’s draft.

Ty can do it all. While he projects as a transition player in the pros, he can take shifts up front and play solid defence out of the back gate. His 15-goal, 33-point summer with Oakville proved that he’s an elite two-way talent who is dangerous no matter where he’s deployed on the floor.

This is where the draft will get interesting. With Toronto already picking the top two players off the board, there will be teams looking to move up to three. Will the Rock look to move it? There’s always a chance, but from everything we’ve heard, the Rock want to add a second lefty in the first round, namely, Hiltz, who they are big fans of.

Now, the Rock could probably trade this pick back and get Hiltz later in the top 10, but it’s also possible if they don’t get a return they deem fit, they stand pat and just take Hiltz here to ensure they have the guy they want.

Hiltz didn’t play box this season, but he’s a dynamic offensive talent who can equally dish and finish the ball. He’s deft when it comes to freeing up his hands, and he has one of the best shots in this class. Playing alongside players like Mark Matthews, CJ Kirst, Josh Dawick, and Chris Boushy on the Rock offence will only elevate Hiltz’s playmaking ability. He’s got one of the higher ceilings in this year’s draft.

There’s one thing that the Desert Dogs need and it’s defence…now!

For a team that gave up a league-high 256 goals last year, their priority has to be shoring up the back end. While we have Casey Wilson as a higher-ranked transition player, his long-term injury makes it so Vegas has to look elsewhere for their top defender. That’s not to take anything away from Trumble, who’s a pro-ready transition player who is athletic and big — everything that Vegas could be hoping for.

A former Transition Player of the Year in junior, Trumble played big minutes for Peteborough this summer in MSL. Those reps with the Sr. Lakers are going to do him well as he hops into a Vegas lineup that will need him to be a contributor right away.

We were thinking originally that Colorado could be looking defence in this position. But then the Zed Williams trade happened, and it opened up a hole that the Mammoth needed to address on the righty side.

Zed was already going to miss part of the season recovering from the injury that ended his year in 2025, but now, it’s something the team has to address with either the No. 5 or 10 overall picks. Saris is the easy pick here. An all-around offensive talent with size and smarts. He can slide into the Mammoth offence and become an immediate contributor.

Connor Kelly has become a big part of this unit, and Ryan Lee returned from injury at the tail end of last season. The righty side will get a shot in the arm with arguably the best forward in this draft falling to them at five.

In this instance, Halifax gets its man in Wilson, who will likely miss the 2025-26 season after an ACL injury suffered in his final year at Denver.

Despite that, it’s a player a team like the Thunderbirds will be happy to wait for. The righty played forward during his box career, but in field with the Pios and Canadian Men’s National Team, he’s been a defensive midfielder. The two-way upside is off the charts, and with this Halifax defence utilizing the likes of Ryan Terefenko, Jake Withers, and Colton Armstrong to sting teams on the other end, Wilson’s athleticism and finishing ability will fit right in with what the Thunderbirds are looking to do on the back end.

Playing the long game with Wilson will pay dividends for Halifax for a decade plus to come.

It could be a very interesting off-season in Georgia, with Miles Thompson and Brendan Bomberry both being pending free agents. While Marinier is heading back to school for this year, the Swarm have did the exact same thing and drafted both Michael Grace and Alex Bean last year. Both individuals played out their remaining NCAA season and will join the team this year.

Marinier is a perfect player to pair with Lyle Thompson for the future. He’s probably got the heaviest shot of any player in this class, he can set up teammates for prime scoring chances when defenders over commit on the shot, and at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, he’s a big body who can move defenders and free up space as well.

Despite having to wait a year for him to join the lineup, he’l be well worth the wait for Georgia.

Nock could also be a player to watch out for a little earlier in the draft depending on how things shake out. There are some defensive-needy teams at the top half of the board here.

But in the case that he does fall this far, Georgia will be happy to scoop up the physical defender with their second first-rounder. Nock loves getting under opponents skin, whether it’s with his smothering defensive play or mixing it up with hits or being a pest, he’s an absolute nightmare to play against. Just ask Orangeville in the Minto Cup last year…

This summer in Owen Sound proved that Nock could do it against pro players as well. With Nock joining forces with Michael Grace, the Swarm will have a dynamic duo on the back end for years to come.

The Roughnecks are going to be looking for lefty help with the retirement of franchise great Dane Dobbie. Add onto that the pending free agency of captain Jesse King and there’s definitely uncertainty on that side of the offence.

Yes, they have Tanner Cook, Brayden Mayea, and Mathieu Gautier, but adding a big body like Byrne, who is a physical force with talent in spades, will make Calgary’s offence better as a whole.

Byrne stands at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, he’s got a great shot and can free up his hands to create chances from distance or in tight. He’s also an underrated passer and has no issue being physical to battle for re-posessions or open up his teammates. He’s a player that just seems to fit the mold of Calgary perfectly. He has room to grow, but he’s got a ton of vets in Calgary to help him along.

MacLeod slipping this far to the Mammoth would be another fortunate scenario for Colorado. While we already have them adding Braedon Saris with their first pick at fifth overall, the word is that Eli McLaughlin won’t return to the lineup until the back half of the season.

While Will Malcom and Connor Robinson are elite playmakers, Thomas Vela, Dan Taylor, and Brian Cameron are a bit of a mixed bag after them. Adding a pure playmaker in MacLeod who can score and distribute the ball equally will only help the Mammoth in the long haul.

If they do land this pair in the first round as well, there’s already built-in chemistry between Saris and MacLeod between their time with Burlington and with the Brooklin Merchants this summer.

One thing you can bank on with Calgary is trying to get better while also adding some local talent to help them track down an NLL Championship. While they weren’t able to draft Mathieu Gautier in the 2022 NLL Draft, he was an easy selection for the Roughnecks when they had a chance to land him in last summer’s Dispersal Draft.

Moon is not only local, but a damn good player. In a class where there are some impressive righty forwards, Moon cemented himself as a top option by finishing with nearly 50 points in his second WLA campaign. He’s slick and shifty on the right side of the floor.

Calgary is looking at Jesse King hitting free agency, and while they placed the franchise tag on Tyler Pace, we have seen holdouts from Roughnecks players in the past. With Byrne landing in Calgary with their first pick, it makes sense to get some assurance in Moon with their next selection.

Photo: Josh Shute/St. Catharines Athletics

Sorry, Buffalo fans. If there’s one thing Halifax likes on the back end, it’s athleticism, size, and tenacity. Steenhuis has all three in spades. He’s not afraid to play physically, and he’s already an impressive transition threat at 19 years old.

Steenhuis has a high ceiling, and with Thunderbirds coach Mike Accursi having a front-row seat to him playing in St. Catharines the last few summers, it just seems like a natural fit with Halifax.

Just imagine the 6-foot-3, 195-pounder playing on a back end with Graeme Hossack, Jake Withers, and Ryan Terefenko…he’s got time to develop in a veteran-laden lineup while also getting some game reps in and learning on the fly with a competitive squad.

Saskatchewan could go a few ways with this pick, but adding a talent like Manning is something they might not be able to pass up on.

Manning is a true do-it-all forward, possessing a blistering shot from the outside, a nose for the net, and playmaking abilities that help make everyone around him better. While he doesn’t possess the same size as Mike Triolo, playing him alongside Robert Church, Austin Shanks, and Brock Haley on the righty side is tantilizing.

Adding Manning into one of the top offences from last year just doesn’t seem fair, but they’ll continue to sting teams with their bounty of dangerous forwards.

As we’ve said in our Team Needs piece, Buffalo is in the enviable position of being able to select the best player on their board in this entire draft. That’s Fridge in this instance.

Another case of the rich getting richer, as other team’s needs in this draft will force a very talented player to slip down the board and into the hands of the three-time defending champions. Fridge is a player we had ranked top 10 on our Big Board, and the defender who was a key part of Coquitlam’s Minto Cup squad a summer ago bolstered his resume with a standout rookie WLA season with Burnaby.

While not the biggest body or the flashiest name on the board, Fridge is going to just go to work and help lock off whoever he’s matched up against. He needs to continue to develop his game, but there might not be a better situation for a young defender to walk into than this team. There will be no pressure for him to be an impact player right away, allowing him to grow into his full potential at the right pace.

If Verch manages to slip the far tomorrow, the Wings will be laughing all the way to the bank.

Not only is the Victoria, BC native one of the most pro ready defenders in this draft, he also spent the last four years at St. Joseph’s in Phliadelphia. He knows the city, the identity, and what it means to represent Philadelphia. He’s strong, big, and mean on the back end, not to mention talented.

The Wings need to infuse some more youth into their lineup, and getting a player who had roots in the city and makes your team better is the ultimate win-win for Philly.

As we touched on before, the righty side of Georgia could look a lot different this coming season. While the team does have Carter Page and Kaleb Benedict, not getting Marinier for another year leaves a gap in the forward core.

Aston is a big body who is surprisingly shifty for a player standing 6-foot-2, 195 pounds. He possesses one of the best first steps in this draft, and that helped him put defenders on skates in the OJLL this summer. He can place his shot extremely well and he can move defenders in the two-man game.

He’s a player who would thrive alongside Lyle in Georgia.

Sticking to the theme of improving the back end, Vegas will have a pick of a few names at this spot. Kyle Pepper and Jeremi Phoenix-Lefebvre make sense as options, but Columbus feels like the most natural fit.

A 6-foot-2, 215-pound defender who can take draws and be depended on to take regular shift on the back end sounds like a win for the Desert Dogs. He’s a physical presence who has continued to grow his game every summer.

With the retirement of Ryan Benesch, the Seals are in need of help on the lefty side of the floor offensively. It’s either between Bucktooth or Isiah Moran-Weekes who are the top two leftie available at this stage of the mock.

While Moran-Weekes is a more seasoned player, Bucktooth is more of a natural scorer that San Diego could use in their lineup right now. The 20-year-old is still a project, but his ceiling is high as a shooter and overall point producer once he hits his potential. Also with the way the Seals make moves in the off-season, this is likely far from the last move they’ll make to revamp the lefty forwards.

Grabbing the player with the most upside in this stage of the draft makes the most sense for the Seals.

SECOND ROUND

With the addition of Christian Del Bianco last season ahead of the trade deadline, the Warriors accelerated their window to win. Now, the biggest need will be to continue to add the best player available in this draft.

Pepper is just that. A transition threat who can also play on the penalty kill and ball team, he’s the type of plug-and-play guy that a team like Vancouver will absolutely love to scoop up outside of the first round.

Adding a dynamic talent like that to a team that already has the reigning Transition Player of the Year in Owen Grant and another top pick in Reid Bowering will instantly make the Warriors one of the scariest teams in the league when they get out on the run.

After taking two forwards and a transition player off the top of the board, the Rock could stand to address their back end further off the top of the second round. While a player like Stu Phillips could be very enticing here, Thistlethwaite is a sure thing

While it’s hard to say what his ceiling will be, he’s got a safe floor and has played solid minutes in Peterborough the last few summers. He’s a player the Rock could add to its lineup right away and not have to worry about. He has transition upside as well, which could come in handy for the Rock.

This would be a great scenario for Buffalo to land in with their first two picks. They are a team that could use a lefty, but in our mock, grabbing a talented defender in Fridge with their opening pick of this draft. If they can land a player like Moran-Weekes in the second, they’ll be over the moon.

We’ve previously compared Moran-Weekes to Kyle Buchanan, who has been a pivotal supporting piece with the Bandits during their three-peat. The lefty is a very similar player in terms of doing whatever his team needs of him to win. He’s got a great motor and IQ to put himself in positions to score, and he’s a great finisher in tight.

If you’re looking for a guy who can free up space and be a threat alongside Josh Byrne and Chris Cloutier, you' won’t find many better than Moran-Weekes.

With Noah Manning added in this mock, Saskatchewan is in a good spot to add a defender with their second pick in the draft. We like Vincent the most of the group left, and he fits the M.O. of a player going to the Rush.

He can get up and down, is a true threat to score on the other end, and Vincent has a nasty streak. At 6-foot-1, 208 pounds, he’s a big body who has room to develop as a defender. That grittiness he’s displayed in junior will be a welcome addition alongside a defensive unit that doesn’t back down from anyone.

Photo: Clark Dunford/Peterborough Jr Lakers

The first goalie goes off the board!

Shognosh could land in a few different spots. Buffalo and maybe even Rochester jump off the page as teams on the East Coast that could look for insurance in the crease. But Vegas is a team that could use goaltending help for the future.

We’ve talked about the league-high goals-against surrendered last year, and while the defence and goaltending go hand in hand when it comes to those numbers, Landon Kells struggled with a sub .750 save percentage in 18 games last year. Justin Geddie could be an option, but the uncertainty could have Vegas looking for solutions.

Shognosh is just 18, so he doesn’t need to push either goalie for their spot right away, but he’s the real deal and a goalie that’s poised to be a star in the NLL down the road. His rookie year in the OJLL was just the start for the Walpole Island First Nations product.

For a team like the Knighthawks, they don’t need any more help up front, especially with the addition of Zed Williams, who will likely be back playing by the tail end of the coming season.

That leaves them looking to improve their back end, and Phoenix-Lefebvre could be a big piece of the puzzle in the coming year. Before an injury ended his 2025 MSL season, he had posted a point-per game for Cobourg, showing off some of the transition potential he possesses. But what Phoenix-Lefebvre brings to the table is the ability to take face-offs.

The Knighthawks used Mike Sisselberger last year, and while he is a strong player at the stripe, he wasn’t playing much defence for Rochester. The Terrebonne, Quebec native can take regular shifts and be a multi-faceted contributor with his speed and smarts.

After taking one lefty in this mock, why not double down with another talented forward?

When healthy over the last few years, Tyson has been an absolute freak athletically, with equal parts strength and speed being displayed on tape. Add that to his 6-foot-5, 205-pound frame, and you have a dynamic force.

Now, the question will be if he can stay healthy. He managed to put together a full summer with Brampton, and his numbers were promising. His potential is immense, and if he’s given a chance to develop, he’ll make an NLL team very happy for drafting him. With Tyson and Bucktooth on the lefty side, San Diego has a chance to build for the present and future with this pair.

With some of the defenders that have come off the board — as well as Georgia taking two forwards in this mock — Georgia might look to move one or both of these second rounders if they don’t have a player they like in this position. But it’s also a chance to re-stock the cupboards for the future.

Brennan was a stud for Six Nations in the OSL last year as they made a run to the Preisdents Cup, and while that production wasn’t as consistent in MSL this year with Oakville, there’s reason to believe his true potential is somewhere in the middle of the numbers posted over the last two summers.

With some pending free agents on the back end, the added insurance policy that Brennan is pivotal for Georgia.

In the same breath as Brennan, Travassos adds some extra depth to the back end of Georgia, who have several defenders getting into their mid to late 30s.

Playing the last two summers for younger squads has allowed the defender to play a bigger role than other players in a similar spot just coming into the MSL. He looked right at home this summer playing for Oakville, and he’ll just continue to develop his game with every year.

A big body who’s displayed physicality, athleticism, and scoring touch out of the back gate in the past, Travassos is a good player to take a bet on in the second round.

Miller takes a bit of a slip here because of the run of players ahead. He could have landed in Georgia, but they don’t have a single player from BC on their roster, so they’d probably stick to drafting players from Eastern Canada and the United States.

Pat Coyle will not be complaining if Miller makes it this deep in the draft. A key piece who helped Coquitlam capture back-to-back Minto Cups, Miller is a big body who plays physical and brings leadership on the floor. Tasked this year with playing more of a shutdown role, Miller stood up to the challenge and was a standout for the Canadian Champions.

Playing alongside his junior coach will be a benefit for Miller, and the veterans on Colorado can help him develop as he gets live reps.

We had Coffey in the late 30s of our player rankings, but with a run on defenders and Calgary having already used their first two picks on forwards in our mock,

The defender anchored a back end for Elora last year en route to a Founders Cup, and in his first full season in Junior A, he was one of the matchup defenders for the Orangeville Northmen on their run to the Minto final. Playing under Roughnecks Defensive Coordinator Phil Sanderson, Coffey will also have some familiarity with the staff.

While he still has developing to do, he’s a solid dart throw in this position. If the 2025 summer showed us anything, it’s that he’s a steady presence who can handle himself one on one. With Calgary needing some depth on the righty D side, the fit makes sense for both.

On the core, this looks like a wild slide for Phillips, who was ranked in the top 15 in our Big Board just a day ago. But after graduating from Johns Hopkins, Phillips has taken a job in New York which could impact him playing in the NLL.

That’s not to say he’ll never play for a team, but it could impact this season at the least. Now, having him living in New York makes it a little easier for him to travel to different spots around the league than it would if he was in BC.

The back half of the second round could be where we see a team take a stab at landing the rights for the talented righty. He’s among the best shooters in this draft, and he also has great vision and the passing ability that teams would love to add to their lineup.

With two forwards already added in this draft, we could see Phillips land in Colorado, who could play the long game with him and hope for him to debut in Denver sometime down the road.

But why would a team that just traded for Christian Del Bianco draft a goalie?

The Warriors took a stab at a goaltender a few years ago when they selected Connor O’Toole. The jury is still out on the young goalie, who had to sit behind Aden Walsh and then Del Bianco by the end of last season.

But Khan isn’t a goalie for the present. He’s a great talent, but he’s only 18 years old. Despite that, having been a starter at the senior level for a full summer and then some at his age is virtually unheard of.

The 2007-born goaltender has a chance to step in as the Warriors’ third-string goalie and learn under his mentor, Del Bianco, and look to be a goalie for the future in Vancouver.

Once again, the Bandits have the freedom to take a player they deem to be a solid bet with their second pick of the second round, and with a solid defender and forward already taken, a player like Dalton could be a long-term player that could pay dividens for Buffalo.

Steve Dietrich has liked to draft Toronto Beaches defenders over the last few years. He took Dylan Robinson and Cam Wyers back in 2022. They’re now both three-time NLL champions while playing a majority of the games in Banditland. Last year, Buffalo scooped up Taylor Dooley, who was a part of last year’s championship roster.

Dalton is another defender from that Beaches Minto squad from 2022, and while he’s likely flying under the radar for many heading into this draft, he’s going to be one of the transition players who has a high ceiling as an NLLer. He can get out and produce in transition while also being steady as a defender.

Another guy that doesn’t need to make an immediate impact on the Bandits, Dalton can get his feet wet playing box again while learning from some of the best vets in the league.

Ottawa could use some defensive depth, but it can also use a righty forward. Yes, they do have Connor Kearnan, Jacob Dunbar, Taggart Clark, and Travis Longboat, but adding to their competition at that spot could be pivotal.

While he had a slower summer production-wise, Royer showed that he is a forward who can handle being a primary facilitator around this time last year, when he helped lead England in the World Lacrosse Box Championships.

He’s an incredibly talented playmaker who can rip the rock from the outside. If he can be a consistent catch-and-shoot threat at the next level, he’ll have more than enough scoring chances with Jeff Teat swinging him the ball.

2025 OTC NLL Mock Draft

FIRST ROUND

SECOND ROUND

2025 NLL Draft - One Pick We Like for Every Team

2025 NLL Draft - The Big Board