While The Lax Mag’s National Lacrosse League Player Rankings typically orders the league’s Top 30 players from #1 to #30 since soon after the league’s opening weekend and right up to the end of the regular season, now that we’re in playoff mode, we’re shifting focus to our NLL year-end awards.

Specifically, who our rankings system (more on that here) says should win all of the NLL’s most important end-of-season honours, plus a new one for us this year: Rising Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Transition Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Goalie of the Year, and of course, Most Valuable Player.

Following the same rules for our weekly Top 30 (again, see here), only players that played at least two-thirds of the NLL regular season will be considered.

All of The Lax Mag’s awards will be announced throughout the 2026 NLL Playoffs.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Before we get into our Top 5 picks for this year’s best rookies, including our pick for ROTY, we looked at every NLL roster to determine who relied on rookies most in 2026.

The Colorado Mammoth, Georgia Swarm and Toronto Rock utilized rookies by far the most of any other team this year. Those three teams’ rookies owned 270 combined games played, while the other eleven teams in the league sat at only 265 combined GP.

Rookies that played a full 18-game season, who not surprisingly, all played for those three previously mentioned rookie-reliant teams: Nolan Byrne (Georgia), Michael Grace (Georgia), Dylan Hess (Colorado), Owen Hiltz (Toronto), Hugh Kelleher (Toronto), CJ Kirst (Toronto), Connor Nock (Colorado) and Ben Trumble (Georgia).

Below, see how many rookies, by both total players and combined games played, impacted each team’s season (plus, how much those totals went up or down from a season ago). Note: Ranked by combined rookie games played.

Colorado Mammoth

Total Rookies: 7 (+2)
Rookies Games Played: 97 (+47)
Rookies: Braedon Saris, Matthew Paolatto, Ari Stevens, Dylan Hess, Connor Nock, Jameson Bucktooth, Brian Simmons

Georgia Swarm

Total Rookies: 8 (+3)
Rookies Games Played: 89 (+56)
Rookies: Nolan Byrne, Michael Grace, Kean Moon, Ben Trumble, Carter Page, Liam McGrath, Jeremi Phoenix-Lefebvre, Jack Travassos

Toronto Rock

Total Rookies: 6 (+3)
Rookie Games Played: 84 (+64)
Rookies: CJ Kirst, Owen Hiltz, Sem English, Hugh Kelleher, Isiah Moran-Weekes, Lucas Hucal

San Diego Seals

Total Rookies: 7 (-1)
Rookie Games Played: 49 (+10)
Rookies: Pat Kavanagh, Noah Armitage, Ari Steenhuis, Chris Kavanagh, Marquez White, Cam Acchione, Tyden Redlick

Philadelphia Wings

Total Rookies: 7 (+2)
Rookie Games Played: 48 (+14)
Rookies: Dalton Young, Lukas Nielsen, Landen Sinfield, Ben Kromer, Bo Columbus, Ethan Fisher, Kevin Lynch

Las Vegas Desert Dogs

Total Rookies: 4
Rookie Games Played: 40 (-10)
Rookies: Graydon Stokes, Rhys Blake, Ben Soenen, Caleb Khan

Calgary Roughnecks

Total Rookies: 3 (-3)
Rookie Games Played: 34 (-11)
Rookies: Noah Manning, Kyle Pepper, Cater Cook

Halifax Thunderbirds

Total Rookies: 7 (+1)
Rookies Games Played: 27 (-17)
Rookies: Will MacLeod, Austin Blumbergs, Casey Wilson, Christian Watts, Daniel Amesbury, Alex Kew, Levi Touhey

Buffalo Bandits

Total Rookies: 4 (+1)
Rookie Games Played: 21 (+4)
Rookies: Evan Constantopoulos, Lukas Nielsen (later traded to Philadelphia), Carter Coffey, Coltrane Tyson

Oshawa FireWolves

Total Rookies: 2 (-5)
Rookie Games Played: 19 (-63)
Rookies: Jaxon Fridge, Zach Richards

Rochester Knighthawks

Total Rookies; 3 (-)
Rookie Games Played: 16 (-17)
Rookies: Adam Thistlewaite, Mitchell Dunham, Nathan Kapp

Ottawa Black Bears

Total Rookies: 3 (-)
Rookie Games Played: 6 (-33)
Rookies: Liam Aston, Jake McNabb, Cole Begley

Saskatchewan Rush

Total Rookies: 1 (-4)
Rookie Games Played: 5 (-47)
Rookies: Levi Verch

Vancouver Warriors

Total Rookies: 0 (-5)
Rookie Games Played: 0 (-82)
Rookies: None

TOP 5 ROOKIES

Owen Hiltz, Toronto Rock (Photo: Ryan McCullough)

5. Owen Hiltz

Age: 24
Position: Forward
Team: Toronto Rock
Acquired: 2025 NLL Entry Draft (3rd overall)
From: Peterborough, ON

Owen Hiltz, who we ranked as high as third amongst rookies earlier this year, was the top-rated rookie in The Lax Mag’s 2026 Clutch Kings report, finishing tied for third overall in our league-wide analysis. Hiltz had 5 game-tying, 6 go-ahead and 2 game-winning goals this year, much of those scored in the fourth quarter. Many of those important goals were also scored in the first half of the year, however, Hiltz seeing a slight declinine in clutch and straight-scoring production late in the season. Still, Hiltz finished the year second in rookie points (64), third in goals (32) & assists (32). He was easily one of the Rock’s most relied on scorers this year, registering a goal or assist on nearly a third of all Toronto goals.

Nolan Byrne, Georgia Swarm (Photo: Jonathan Tenca)

4. Nolan Byrne

Age: 21
Position: Forward
Team: Georgia Swarm
Acquired: 2025 NLL Entry Draft (8th overall)
From: Greely, ON

The ninth youngest player in the NLL this season, Nolan Byrne played well above his age and pro experience as in continued to gain confidence as the Georgia Swarm’s season progressed. Averaging 1.33 goals per game over the first half of his season, Byrne boosted his scoring in the second half of 2026, doubling that number (2.67) and taking over the league’s rookie-scoring lead with 36 regular-season snipes. In comparison, Jeff Teat had 37 goals during his rookie year with the New York Riptide in 2022. Also in comparison, last year’s ROTY, Dyson Williams, led the NLL in rookie goals with only 26. That previously mentioned slower start and his lack of assists (finished ninth in rookies assists per game) will likely keep Byrne out of serious ROTY consideration in comparison to the three names below. Whether he gets league-wide recognition or not, Byrne’s first year in the big leagues was outstanding, and he’s continued that elevated play into the playoffs.

Michael Grace, Georgia Swarm (Photo: Jonathan Tenca)

3. Michael Grace

Age: 25
Position: Defense
Team: Georgia Swarm
Acquired: 2024 NLL Entry Draft (3rd overall)
From: Hamilton, ON

One of just two rookies to rank in our weekly Top 30 this year, Michael Grace had an all-time strong start to his rookie campaign. Early on, Grace was on pace to shatter the rookie caused-turnover record, and was also a legit point-producing threat in transition. While both stats slowed down a bit while the season went on, Grace’s 28 season-ending CTOs stand as the fourth highest rookie total ever…

Reid Bowering (’22 Vancouver) 34
Zach Currier (’33 Calgary) 33
Latrell Harris (’17 Toronto) 29
Robert Hope (’15 Colorado) 28
Michael Grace (’26 Georgia) 28

Plus, Grace was one of only three rookies this year to break the 100 loose-ball barrier (108), trailing only Georgia team captain Jordan MacIntosh for the team lead too. What hurts Grace’s chances of serious Rookie of the Year consideration is his position. Why? Like we reviewed in last year’s ROTY review, when Will Johansen was hands down our easy top-rook pick (shouldn’t have been even close TBH), most NLL award voters fill their ballot with forwards. Silly, but it’s always been like that, and will seemingly never change. Grace was an incredibly important part of the Swarm’s dominant defensive unit, had one of the stronger D stat lines we’ve seen from a rookie in recent seasons, and had it not been for the overall games from the two names below, likely would have been 2026’s ROTY.

Sam English, Toronto Rock (Photo: Christian Bender)

2. Sam English

Age: 25
Position: Transition
Team: Toronto Rock
Acquired: 2025 NLL Entry Draft (2nd overall)
From: Burlington, ON

We quote this multi-stat breakdown many times throughout the season, but let’s go there again to support Sam English being our second-highest ranked rookie this year… As part of our weekly NLL Player Rankings analysis, we pull the Top 100 per-game averages in the following stats: goals, assists, loose balls, caused turnovers, and blocked shots. At the end of the regular season, only two players in the NLL had averages high enough to rank in each of those 100s. One is San Diego’s Zach Currier, who has long owned the rep as one of the sport’s most complete players. The other? Toronto Rock rookie Sam English. English provided the Rock with tremendous value on both sides of centre this year, and while you need to watch him to appreciate what English brings to Toronto’s table, check his stat-line: 16 GP, 11 G, 17 A, 27 PTS, 132 LB, 16 CTO and 7 BLK. He is an old school prototypical transitional defenseman, English already one of the league’s most complete two-way talents after just his first season in the league.

CJ Kirst, Toronto Rock (Photo: Ryan McCullough)

1. CJ Kirst

Age: 23
Position: Forward
Team: Toronto Rock
Acquired: 2025 NLL Entry Draft (1st overall)
From: Bernardsville, NJ

CJ Kirst is the only rookie that ranked in our opening edition of The Lax Mag’s weekly Top 30 NLL Player Rankings and remained there all season long. He is the only player to rank Top 5 in the following rookie rundowns this year…

GOALS

Nolan Byrne (Georgia) 36
CJ Kirst (Toronto) 34
Owen Hiltz (Toronto) 32
Braedon Saris (Colorado) 16
Noah Manning (Calgary) 15
Dalton Young (Philadelphia) 15

ASSISTS

CJ Kirst (Toronto) 37
Braedon Saris (Colorado) 37
Owen Hiltz (Toronto) 32
Dalton Young (Philadelphia) 23
Noah Manning (Calgary) 21

POINTS

CJ Kirst (Toronto) 71
Owen Hiltz (Toronto) 64
Nolan Byrne (Georgia) 55
Braedon Saris (Colorado) 53
Dalton Young (Philadelphia) 38

LOOSE BALLS

Sam English (Toronto) 132
Matthew Paolatto (Colorado) 131
Michael Grace (Georgia) 108
CJ Kirst (Toronto) 95
Nolan Byrne (Georgia) 91

CAUSED TURNOVERS

Michael Grace (Georgia) 28
CJ Kirst (Toronto) 19
Hugh Kelleher (Toronto) 17
Sam English (Toronto) 16
Connor Nock (Colorado) 14

How a forward, rookie or otherwise, can be so offensively dominant and then still have loose ball and caused turnover numbers like that is almost unheard of. That Top 100 pull we reviewed in Sam English’s spot above, well, Kirst ranked in four of those five categories all season long, and one of the very few forwards in the league to own such a balanced stat-line: 34 G, 37 A, 71 PTS, 95 LB, 19 CTO. Kirst also co-led the Rock lineup in points, matching 2013 ROTY Mark Matthews with 71 points. It’s just the third time in franchise history that a rookie topped the team in points…

Colin Doyle (’99 Ontario Raiders) 61 points
Tom Schreiber (’17 Toronto Rock) 94 points
CJ Kirst (’26 Toronto Rock) 71 points

Christian Bender, Toronto Rock (Photo: Christian Bender)

Doyle and Schreiber were both voted Rookie of the Year, and unless something even stranger than last year’s ROTY vote goes down, Kirst will join those two franchise legends and garner the club their sixth rookie award all time.

1999 Colin Doyle
2002 Blaine Manning
2007 Ryan Benesch
2010 Stephan Leblanc
2017 Tom Schreiber

Toronto has not had a ROTY finalist since Schreiber’s win, but could have as many as three (the league only names three finalists) this year.

And finally, if (well, when) Kirst is voted this year’s NLL ROTY, he would become just the fifth American to be voted the league’s top rookie.

1995 Charlie Lockwood, New York Saints
1999 Jesse Hubbard, Baltimore Thunder
2003 Brain Langtry, Colorado Mammoth
2005 Ryan Boyle, San Jose Stealth
2017 Tom Schreiber, Toronto Rock

2026 NLL Player Rankings: Rookie of the Year