2025 NLL Player Rankings Week 9: Most Improved Players - Statistically Speaking
Joe Resetarits, Philadelphia Wings
After the first several weeks of the 2023-24 National Lacrosse League season are complete, The Lax Mag will publish a weekly NLL Player Ranking, examining the league’s Top 30 players from Week 1 right up until the end of the regular season.
TLM’s Top 30 NLL Player Rankings have nothing to do with reputations, career resumes, success in past seasons, whether we know a player personally, recognizing deserving players who’ve previously been passed over, player popularity, the size of their social media following, whether you slide into their DMs, or who others around the league tell us should get hype.
Our rankings, which only take into consideration a player’s performance for the current regular season, will be calculated using both our star-rating system after each game, but also a player’s season-long statistical position (based on per-game averages) across the league (more on both breakdowns below). Only players who have played two-thirds of their team’s games or more will qualify.
Click here for an even more in-depth breakdown of our scoring system.
Dane Dobbie and Curtis Dickson (Photo: Geovanna Soler)
This week, we’re looking at who the stats say have been this year’s most improved players. We’re taking last year’s year-end averages and comparing them to where players are at leading into Week 9 for: goals, assists, points, loose balls, caused turnovers and blocks.
Sorry goalies, you’ll get your own analysis soon.
Below are 2025’s Top 10 Risers and Fallers – AKA who has added more of a specific stat to to their line, plus how has lost the most of a singular stat on average. While we only include players in our NLL TOP 30 Player Rankings that have played at least two-thirds of their team’s season (Player Rankings breakdown above, Week 9 Top 30 way below), we expanded that slightly to this statistical analysis to include players that have appeared in at least half of their team’s games so far.
Rising: Goals
1. Dane Dobbie (Calgary) +3.17
2. Ian MacKay (Buffalo) +2.33
3. Curtis Dickson (Calgary) +1.52
4. Dawson Theede (Halifax) +1.33
5. Thomas Hoggarth (Halifax) +1.29
6. Josh Dawick (Toronto) +1.24
7. Bryan Cole (Georgia) 1.22
8. Jacob Dunbar (Ottawa) 1.19
9. Owen Grant (Vancouver) 1.06
10. Connor Robinson (Colorado) 1.04
Three forwards that were San Diego Seals teammates last year (Dane Dobbie, Curtis Dickson and Jacob Dunbar) have all upped their goal-scoring production significantly in new environments and with increased demands & duties. Ditto for Thomas Hoggarth, who is thriving in Halifax after a down year in Calgary, and Josh Dawick, who has taken full opportunity of Toronto’s IR issues by making himself an everyday asset there.
Ian MacKay, Buffalo Bandits (Photo: Caroline Sherman)
Buffalo’s Ian MacKay, who’s been flipped from the Bandits’ back door to a full-time forward, already has almost as many shots in five games this year as he did in all of 2024. MacKay is one of five players averaging a hat-trick an outing this year (Mitch Jones, Dawson Theede, Zach Manns and Connor Kelly are the other four), while only Dobbie (4.50), Dickson (3.60) and teammate Josh Byrne (3.20) are scoring at a higher rate than him. Slipping out of our Top 30 this week, what MacKay lacks in comparison to other top forwards in the league is higher assists and point production, key categories he ranks tied for 92nd and 38th respectively right now. Obviously, his defensive data has taken a hit (more on that later), but another area he thrives in, which is what had him in the Top 30 last week and just outside of it this week, is his ball retention numbers. MacKay is averaging just 0.60 giveaways a game, which is absurd. Most of the names we mentioned above are turning the ball over four times or more a game. No one anywhere near him in goals/game comes close to his thrifty TO total.
Also, for all those complaining about Jeff Teat’s placement in our Top 30 last week, note that Teat has lost just over a goal a game from his stat line last year (see below), and has seen the 11th highest decline in points per game when comparing his 2024 totals to where he is leading into Week 9. Presently, 18 players are averaging more goals than Teat, including Black Bears teammate, Jacob Dunbar. Last year, no one was ahead of him. The Lax Mag NLL TOP 30 is about right now, not past resumes or results.
Falling: Goals
1. Ryan Martel (Vancouver) -1.72
2. Robert Church (Saskatchewan) -1.63
3. Mark Matthews (Toronto) -1.47
4. Corey Small (Toronto) -1.28
5. Tyler Pace (Calgary) -1.17
6. Jeff Teat (Ottawa) -1.06
7. Connor Fields (Rochester) -0.99
8. Dan Craig (Toronto) -0.97
9. Randy Staats (Halifax) -0.89
10. Eli McLaughlin (Colorado) -0.74
Randy Staats, Halifax Thunderbirds (Photo: Trevor MacMillan)
Rising: Assists
1. Randy Staats (Halifax) +2.83
2. Joe Resetarits (Philadelphia) +2.63
3. Dhane Smith (Buffalo) +1.99
4. Thomas Hoggarth (Halifax) +1.75
5. Reilly O’Connor (Ottawa) +1.67
6. Adam Wiedemann (Georgia) +1.36
7. Jesse King (Calgary) +1.34
8. Josh Byrne (Buffalo) +1.24
9. Holden Cattoni (Philadelphia) +1.23
10. Thomas McConvey (Rochester) +1.21
While Randy Staats appears in the Top 10 falling goal getters above (he’s still on pace to hit 30 goals for the fifth time in his career, which he’s done regularly outside of injury- or pandemic-impacted seasons), he’s #1 here and is also averaging the fourth most assists per game (5.50) behind only Dhane Smith (7.60), Joe Resetarits (5.86) and Josh Byrne (5.80) coming out of Week 8. His (and Clarke Petterson’s) at times flawless feeding ability are also why Halifax teammates Thomas Hoggarth and Dawson Theede appear on the Top 10 goal risers above too. If he fits into a full 18 games this year, Staats is on pace to easily set a new personal best for single-season helpers (from 59 to 99!).
Wes Berg, San Diego Seals (Photo: Kalea Vizmanos)
At the end of last year, San Diego’s Wes Berg owned the eighth highest assists/game average in the league (3.72). Heading into Week 9, Berg is tied for 46th this year, a dramatic drop off that is likely a big reason why the Seals offense is struggling to produce, well, any consistent offense. Over their last four games, where they’ve gone 1-3, San Diego is averaging just 8.25 goals per game, which is nearly 3.5 goals fewer than 2024’s year-end total. Of their Top 8 point producers last year, one is suspended for the season (Austin Staats), two were traded (Curtis Dickson & Jacob Dunbar), another unsigned (Dane Dobbie), on the IR since early December (Tre Leclaire) or simply unused (Jake Govett). That’s a lot of movement, whether intended or thrust upon them.
Falling: Assists
1. Wes Berg (San Diego) -1.58
2. Ryan Keenan (Saskatchewan) -1.50
3. Austin Shanks (Saskatchewan) -1.45
T4. Ryan Smith (Rochester) -1.44
T4. Chris Cloutier (Buffalo) -1.44
6. Dan Craig (Toronto) -1.37
7. Shayne Jackson (Georgia) -1.23
8. Larson Sundown (Ottawa) -1.17
T9. Adam Charalambides (Vancouver0 -1.06
T9. Dane Dobbie (Calgary) -1.06
Thomas Hoggarth, Halifax Thunderbirds (Photo: Trevor MacMillan)
Rising: Points
1. Thomas Hoggarth (Halifax) +3.04
2. Joe Resetarits (Philadelphia) 3.01
3. Ian MacKay (Buffalo) +2.39
4. Dawson Theede (Halifax) +2.18
5. Dhane Smith (Buffalo) +2.16
6. Dane Dobbie (Calgary) +2.11
7. Reilly O’Connor (Ottawa) +2.00
8. Mitch Jones (Philadelphia) +1.97
9. Randy Staats (Halifax) +1.94
10. Connor Robinson (Colorado) +1.90
A lot of similar names above and below that we saw pop up in the goals and assists review. After setting a new single-season assists record (his third straight season doing so) and just four points shy of a new points record (he owns that too, with 137 in 2016) last year, the fact that Dhane Smith is producing 2.16 more points per night right now, is about as ridiculous as it gets. After five games this season, Smith is averaging 9.60 points every GP. What was goals and points record holder John Tavares’ highest year-end points/game average during his brilliant career? 8.21 in 2001.
Falling: Points
1. Mark Matthews (Toronto) -2.39
2. Dan Craig (Toronto) -2.33
3. Robert Church (Saskatchewan) -2.31
4. Corey Small (Toronto) -2.28
5. Ryan Martel (Vancouver) -2.22
6. Ryan Keenan (Saskatchewan) -2.17
7. Shayne Jackson (Georgia) -1.90
8. Wes Beg (San Diego) -1.86
9. Adam Charalambides (Vancouver) -1.78
10. Kyle Waters (Rochester) -1.73
Justin Inacio, Calgary Roughnecks (Photo: Ryan N.)
Rising: Loose Balls
1. Justin Inacio (Calgary) +6.60
2. Connor Farrell (Buffalo) +4.03
3. Eli Salama (Calgary) +3.46
4. Scott Dominey (Philadelphia) +3.23
5. Robert Hope (Colorado) +3.18
6. Jacob Dunbar (Ottawa) +2.90
7. Callum Jones (Ottawa) +2.71
8. Shane Simpson (Las Vegas) +2.66
9. Jake Boudreau (Saskatchewan) +2.50
10. Damon Edwards (Colorado0 +2.20
Calgary’s second-year face-off force Justin Inacio easily leads the LB+ charts, adding nearly 7 loosies to his rookie average a season ago. Earlier this week the Philadelphia Wings announced that Scott Dominey would be out for the remainder of the year after tearing his ACL this past weekend. Dominey, always one of the league’s top energy guys, had added an additional 3.23 LBs to his stat line (fourth best increase so far this season) and is always a threat in transition. While the Wings are thriving with a fire offense and timely tending from Nick Damude between the pipes, the loss of Dominey is a significant one. Dominey had the fourth highest LB/game average amongst non-FO takers, and sits second on the Wings roster in caused turnovers.
Scott Dominey, Philadelphia Wings (Photo: Heather Berry)
Interesting that our top ranked transition players from 2024 rank 1, 2 and 3 below (for various reasons). With that said, Jake Withers, who slipped just outside of our Top 30 this week, still averages more loosies than any other player this year (12.20), and Ian MacKay, who as previously mentioned has switched his position completely from a year ago, averages the 15th most LB for forwards this year. After averaging 164 LB over the past two outstanding seasons, Matt Gilray is on pace to fall well below that this year with 119, a total that in 2024 would have ranked him below the NLL’s top defensive and transitional players.
Falling: Loose Balls
1. Ian MacKay (Buffalo) -3.49
2. Jake Withers (Halifax) -3.47
3. Matt Gilray (Rochester0 -3.04
4. Ryan Terefenko (Halifax) -3.00
5. Reid Bowering (Vancouver) -2.30
6. Casey Jackson (Las Vegas) -2.27
7. Brett Mydske (Vancouver) -2.17
8. Tony Malcom (Philadelphia) -2.03
9. Holden Cattoni (Philadelphia) -2.02
T9. Mike Triolo (Saskatchewan) -2.02
Matt Hossack, Saskatchewan Rush
Rising: Caused Turnovers
1. Matt Hossack (Saskatchewan) +2.00
2. Liam Patten (Philadelphia) +1.44
3. Josh Jubenville (Toronto) +1.06
4. Tyler Hendrycks (Toronto) +1.00
5. Eli Gobrecht (San Diego) +0.96
6. Zack Kearney (Toronto) +0.92
7. Colton Armstrong (Halifax) +0.78
8. Zach Currier (San Diego) +0.76
9. Sean Kriwokon (Colorado) +0.73
10. Brandon Goodwin (Las Vegas) +0.70
Matt Hossack, who is our fourth highest rated defensemen in the league after Week 8, has not only added an extra 2 CTs to his 60-minute average (only one other full-time player in the league right now is even averaging 2 CTs per game, period) he easily leads the NLL in straight CTs (18) and CT average (3.33).
Josh Jubenville, Toronto Rock (Photo: Ryan McCullough)
The Toronto Rock sees players in both the rising and falling Top 10, which is kind of on par for how they’re injury-riddled season has unfolded thus far. While not as statistically obvious as Josh Dawick’s rising numbers up front, if the NLL did award a Most Improved or Breakout Player Award, Josh Jubenville would likely get a lot of love from voters. Jubenville has stepped up tremendously during the Rock’s difficult season so far, adding an extra CT to his game-day line (he leads the team in that category too), and also filling in for TD Ierlan at the dot (albeit with not the prettiest win percentage) during his five-game IR stay. While you could argue Jubenville’s 2023 campaign was his breakout performance, it’s worth noting, he is presently on pace to match or better most of the stats he had that year.
Falling: Caused Turnovers
1. Billy Hostrawser (Toronto) -1.30
2. Bobby Kidd III (Saskatchewan) -0.89
3. Matt Spanger (Buffalo) -0.80
4. Eli Salama (Calgary) -0.78
5. Adam Jay (Saskatchewan0 -0.77
6. Matt Beers (Vancouver) -0.75
7. Mitch de Snoo (Toronto) -0.74
8. Ryan Dilks (Vancouver) -0.72
9. Jake Saunders (Las Vegas) -0.63
10. Joe Nardella (Albany) -0.60
Rising: Blocks
1. Jake Withers (Halifax) +1.13
2. Owen Grant (Vancouver) +1.11
T3. Paul Dawson (Buffalo) +1.08
T3. Ian Llord (Philadelphia) +1.08
5. Mitch de Snoo (Toronto) +1.06
6. Owen Down (Colorado) +0.91
7. Jordan MacIntosh (Georgia) +0.88
8. John Lintz (Calgary) +0.87
9. Trevor Smyth (Halifax) +0.72
10. Mike Messenger (Saskatchewan) +0.61
Blocks has become a much talked about stat in recent seasons (partly for the way they’re tracked), many teams utilizing defenders to almost play as top-of-the-crease secondary goalies, and thus giving opposition shooters far less shooting visibility and good looks. It’s not the most exciting brand of ball, but as the Buffalo Bandits have proven over the past two years, it’s an extremely effective approach.
Jake Withers, who has lost more loosies this year than any other player, has bulked up his blocks more than anyone else too. Vancouver’s Owen Grant, who continues to rise in our weekly player rankings, is producing TPOTY numbers in just his second season in the league, adding 1.11 blocks to his all-around resume this year. Paul Dawson (39) and Ian Llord (39) are two of this year’s eldest players in the league (only Matt Vinc, Callum Crawford and Ryan Benesch are older), but also rank first (2.40) and second (2.50) respectively in the block/game category.
Owen Grant, Vancouver Warriors (Photo: Heather Berry)
Falling: Blocks
1. James Barclay (Las Vegas) -1.21
2. Steve Priolo (Buffalo) -1.10
3. Graydon Bradley (San Diego) -0.72
4. Ian MacKay (Buffalo) -0.67
5. Matt Marinier (Ottawa) -0.58
6. Justin Martin (Toronto) -0.56
7. Ryan Wagner (Philadelphia) -0.54
8. Matt Spanger (Buffalo) -0.50
T9. Josh Medeiros (Rochester) -0.49
T9. Zach Currier (San Diego0 -0.49
Below is this week’s updated NLL TOP 30 Player Rankings, led again by Buffalo’s Dhane Smith. This week’s biggest chart climber is Ottawa goalie Zach Higgins (+7), who was exceptional in the Black Bear’s Week 8 win over the Vancouver Warriors (41 saves, 8.00 GAA, .837 SV%) and is now just inches behind Bandits backstop Matt Vinc, whose early GOTY lead has slipped significantly over the past two weeks. During Buffalo’s first three games, Vinc averaged a SV% of .874, but only .685 through Buffalo’s two high-scoring victories in Week 7 & 8.
Dhane Smith, Buffalo Bandits (Photo: Caroline Sherman)
NLL TOP 30: Week 9
TW. (LW) Player, Team (Pos.)
1. (1) Dhane Smith, Buffalo (F)
2. (4) Josh Byrne, Buffalo (F)
3. (2) Joe Resetarits, Philadelphia (F)
4. (5) Mitch Jones, Philadelphia (F)
5. (3) Matt Vinc, Buffalo (G)
6. (13) Zach Higgins, Ottawa (G)
7. (7) Robert Hope, Colorado (D)
8. (9) Zach Currier, San Diego (T)
9. (8) Jesse King, Calgary (F)
10. (10) Curtis Dickson, Calgary (F)
11. (6) Kyle Rubisch, San Diego (D)
12. (16) Holden Cattoni, Philadelphia (F)
13. (14) Randy Staats, Halifax (F)
14. (11) Clarke Petterson, Halifax (F)
15. (15) Dane Dobbie, Calgary (F)
16. (22) Alex Simmons, Albany (F)
17. (12) Connor Kelly, Colorado (F)
18. (17) Aden Walsh, Vancouver (G)
19. (20) Lyle Thompson, Georgia (F)
20. (19) Connor Fields, Rochester (F)
21. (26) Owen Grant, Vancouver (T)
22. (23) Jeff Teat, Ottawa (F)
23. (18) Zach Manns, Saskatchewan (F)
24. (21) Ryan Lanchbury, Rochester (F)
25. (24) Will Malcom, Colorado (F)
26. (25) Jake Boudreau, Saskatchewan (T)
27. (28) Mitch de Snoo, Toronto (D)
28. (NR) Doug Jamieson, Albany (G)
29. (NR) Matt Hossack, Saskatchewan (D)
30. (NR) Jack Hannah, Las Vegas (F)