2026 NLL Player Rankings: Rookie Report
CJ Kirst, Toronto Rock (Photo: Ryan McCullough)
After the first several weeks of the 2025-26 National Lacrosse League season are complete, The Lax Mag publishes 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 only 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. 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.
Dyson Williams, Oshawa FireWolves (Photo: David Pickering)
After a few all-time rookie classes coming out of the pandemic led by Rookie of the Year winners like Jeff Teat, Jonathan Donville and Alex Simmons, all of whom set or flirted with long-standing statistical records, the overall impact of 2025’s first-year class was far less significant.
Last year’s ROTY, Dyson Williams, averaged 3.6 points per game, which is just the 64th highest rookie average all time. With that said, it was the highest average of any rookie last year. Anyways, here are the highest rookie point-producing averages from Gary Gait and the previously mentioned Teat at #1, and all the way to the 64th ranked Williams.
All-Time Rookie Points-Per Game
Rank. Rookie (Season) Points-Per Game
T1. Gary Gait (1991) 6.8
T1. Jeff Teat (2022) 6.8
3. Paul Gait (1991) 6.6
4. John Grant (2000) 6.4
5. Derek Keenan (1992) 6.1
T6. Peter Morgan (2002) 5.6
T6. Rhys Duch (2009) 5.6
8. John Tavares (1992) 5.4
T9. Randy Staats (2016) 5.3
T9. Alex Simmons (2024) 5.3
T11. Garrett Billings (2010) 5.2
T11. Tom Schreiber (2017) 5.2
T13. Colin Doyle (1998) 5.1
T13. Gavin Prout (2002) 5.1
T13. Daryl Veltman (2009) 5.1
T13. Stephan Leblanc (2010) 5.1
17. Jonathan Donville (2023) 5.0
T18. Darris Kilgour (1992) 4.9
T18. Patrick Dodds (2022) 4.9
T20. Jamey Bowen (2002) 4.8
T20. Adam Jones (2012) 4.8
T20. Ben McIntosh (2015) 4.8
T23. Tom Marechek (1994) 4.7
T23. Chris Prat (1998) 4.7
T25. John Tucker (1992) 4.6
T25. Sean Greenhalgh (2006) 4.6
T27. Jeff Jackson (1992) 4.5
T27. Jesse King (2016) 4.5
T29. Rick Sowell (1992) 4.4
T29. Blaine Manning (2002) 4.4
T29. Kevin Crowley (2012) 4.4
T29. Austin Staats (2019) 4.4
T29. Tye Kurtz (2024) 4.4
T34. Peter Parke (1992) 4.3
T34. Jordan Hall (2008) 4.3
T34. Mark Matthews (2013) 4.3
T34. Jeremy Noble (2015) 4.3
T38. Cory Bomberry (1998) 4.2
T38. Andrew Kew (2020) 4.2
T40. Jesse Hubbard (1999) 4.1
T40. Ryan Painter (2002) 4.1
T40. Brian Langtry (2003) 4.1
T40. Kevin Buchanan (2009) 4.1
T44. Ryan Boyle (2005) 4.0
T44. Sean Morris (2009) 4.0
T44. Logan Schuss (2014) 4.0
T47. Jim Veltman (1992) 3.9
T47. Del Halladay (1998) 3.9
T47. Dan Carey (2006) 3.9
T47. Ryan Benesch (2007) 3.9
T47. Shayne Jackson (2013) 3.9
T47. Kiel Matisz (2013) 3.9
T53. Dean Hill (2007) 3.8
T53. Craig Point (2008) 3.8
T53. Kyle Jackson (2017) 3.8
T56. Kevin Alexander (1992) 3.7
T56. Butch Marino (1992) 3.7
T56. Jim Meredith (1994) 3.7
T56. Curt. Malawsky (1998) 3.7
T56. Merrick Thomson (2008) 3.7
T56. Rob Hellyer (2011) 3.7
T56. Wes Berg (2016) 3.7
T56. Connor Fields (2020) 3.7
T64. Tracey Kelusky (2001) 3.6
T64. Athan Iannucci (2007) 3.6
T64. Stephen Keogh (2012) 3.6
T64. Tyson Gibson (2020) 3.6
T64. Jack Hannah (2023) 3.6
T64. Dyson Williams (2025) 3.6
Statistically (and visually) speaking, 2025’s most impactful rookie was actually Williams’ Albany FireWolves teammate Will Johansen, who finished with the eighth highest loose ball count ever recorded by a rookie, and was near the very top of all defensive stats for Albany in 2025.
How about this year?
Well, honestly, the overall rookie impact is looking low, again, but maybe a bit better than a season ago.
Pat Kavanagh, San Diego Seals (Photo: Kalea Vizmanos)
Firstly, we have two rookies who are averaging over 4.0 or more points per game in Toronto’s CJ Kirst (4.8) and San Diego’s Pat Kavanagh (4.0). Based on how incredibly O slanted the league’s ROTY vote has always been (since 1991, a non-forward has won the award all of three times), that alone should make those two Americans the favourites for the honour (oh wait, they’re not from Ontario though). With that said, it’s still very early in the season with a ton of lacrosse to go, but below see which rookies are tops in points per game leading into Week 8.
2026 Rookie Points-Per Game
Rank. Rookie (Team) Points-Per Game
1. CJ Kirst (Toronto) 4.8
2. Pat Kavanagh (San Diego) 4.0
3. Dalton Young (Philadelphia) 3.7
4. Owen Hiltz (Toronto) 3.5
5. Will MacLeod (Halifax) 3.0
6. Noah Manning (Calgary) 2.8
7. Noah Armitage (San Diego) 2.3
8. Nolan Byrne (Georgia) 2.2
9. Sam English (Toronto) 2.0
10. Carter Page (Georgia) 1.5
As you can see, rookies overall offensive impact this year has been low outside of Kirst, Kavanagh (although he’s struggling with a 10% shooting percentage) and even Philadelphia’s Dalton Young, yet another American who currently leads all rookies with 10 assists (but only 1 goal). Otherwise, offensively speaking at least, the up-front impact of this year’s rookies has been well below what we were seeing pre-2025.
That is, except for Kirst.
CJ Kirst, Toronto Rock (Photo: Ryan McCullough)
Earlier this week, we pulled the Top 5 rookie averages for goals, assists, points and caused turnovers. Only one player ranked in all five… Rock rookie forward CJ Kirst, who is also impressing in the more defensive driven stats like LBs and CTOs, both in the O end and when countering the opposition’s transitional effort.
In fact, as pointed out by NLL analyst Adam Levi earlier this week on X, Kirst is on track to set a new rookie goals record which has been owned by Paul Gait since over a decade before Kirst was even born. Averaging 3.00 goals per right now, that would put Kirst at 54 goals this season if he can maintain that preposterous pace.
All-Time Rookie Goal Leaders
Rank. Rookie (Season) Goals
1. Paul Gait (1991) 47
2. Ryan Painter (2002) 45
T3. Mark Matthews (2013) 38
T3. Alex Simmons (2024) 38
T5. John Grant (2001) 37
T5. Ben McIntosh (2015) 37
T5. Jeff Teat (2022) 37
T8. Stephan Leblanc (2010) 36
T8. Kevin Crowley (2012) 36
T8. Logan Schuss (2014) 36
T8. Randy Staats (2016) 36
This week, Kirst overtook Georgia’s Michael Grace as our highest ranked rookie, the only two first-season talents that appear on our Week 8 Top 30 (last year, not a single rookie ranked in our Top 30 all season long).
During our weekly player analysis, to get an idea for who’s producing consistently and most effectively on either side of centre, we typically pull the Top 100 per-game averages for the following stats: goals, assists, loose balls, caused turnovers and blocks.
Michael Grace, Georgia Swarm (Photo: Jeff Crawford)
This week, only one player across the entire league ranks within each of those Top 100s, and that’s Saskatchewan’s Mike Messenger (he did last week too), who comes in at #5 in this week’s updated Top 30.
A total of 17 other players across the league crack that exclusive count, including three rookies: Kirst, Kavanagh and Toronto’s transitional stud, Sam English. Grace was in that group last week, didn’t quite make it coming out of Week 7.
Before we get to this week’s Top 30 leaderboard, here are our current Top 10 ranked rookies, and spoiler alert, although you likely already guessed it… CJ Kirst is #1, and rising.
The Lax Mag’s Top Rookies: Week 8
Rank. Rookie, Team
1. CJ Kirst, Toronto Rock
2. Michael Grace, Georgia Swarm
3. Sam English, Toronto Rock
4. Pat Kavanagh, San Diego Seals
5. Owen Hiltz, Toronto Rock
6. Noah Manning, Calgary Roughnecks
7. Nolan Byrne, Georgia Swarm
8. Jaxon Fridge, Oshawa FireWolves
9. Dylan Hess, Colorado Mammoth
10. Dalton Young, Philadelphia Wings
Note: To qualify for The Lax Mag Player Rankings a player must have played in at least two-thirds of his team’s season. Click here for our full scoring system.
Sam English, Toronto Rock (Photo: Ryan McCullough)
Plus, a quick countdown of how many rookies each team has used in games coming out of Week 7.
Georgia (8): Nolan Byrne, Michael Grace, Carter Page, Ben Trumble, Kean Moon, Liam McGrath, Jeremi Phoenix-Lefebvre, Jack Travassos
Colorado (6): Braedon Saris, Matthew Paolatto, Ari Stevens, Connor Nock, Dylan Hess, Jameson Bucktooth
San Diego (4): Pat Kavanagh, Noah Armitage, Tyden Redlick, Ari Steenhuis
Halifax (4): Will MacLeod, Christian Watts, Daniel Amesbury, Austin Blumbergs
Toronto (4): CJ Kirst, Owen Hiltz, Sam English, Hugh Kelleher
Calgary (3): Noah Manning, Kyle Pepper, Carter Cook
Philadelphia (3): Dalton Young, Landen Sinfield, Kevin Lynch
Las Vegas (2): Graydon Stokes, Caleb Khan
Rochester (2): Adam Thistlewaite, Nathan Kapp
Buffalo (1): Lukas Nielsen
Oshawa (1): Jaxon Fridge
Ottawa (1): Jake McNabb
Saskatchewan (1): Levi Verch
Vancouver (0)
Connor Fields, Rochester Knighthawks (Photo: Heather Berry)
NLL TOP 30: WEEK 8
TW. (LW) Player, Team (Pos.)
1. (1) Connor Fields, Rochester (F)
2. (2) Dhane Smith, Buffalo (F)
3. (3) Jeff Teat, Ottawa (F)
4. (6) Brett Dobson, Georgia (G)
5. (4) Mike Messenger, Saskatchewan (D)
6. (9) Christian Del Bianco, Vancouver (G)
7. (11) Mitch Jones, Las Vegas (F)
8. (5) Will Malcom, Colorado (F)
9. (7) Warren Hill, Halifax (G)
10. (15) Keegan Bal, Vancouver (F)
11. (8) Josh Byrne, Buffalo (F)
12. (14) Tyler Pace, Calgary (F)
13. (10) Rob Hellyer, Ottawa (F)
14. (12) Ryan Lanchbury, Rochester (F)
15. (17) Tanner Cook, Calgary (F)
16. (13) Nick Weiss, Buffalo (D)
17. (18) Callum Jones, Ottawa (D)
18. (16) Jake Boudreau, Saskatchewan (D)
19. (24) CJ Kirst, Toronto (F)
20. (NR) Ryan Keenan, Saskatchewan (F)
21. (19) Michael Grace, Georgia (D)
22. (27) Doug Jamieson, Oshawa (G)
23. (22) Thomas McConvey, Rochester (F)
24. (26) Alex Simmons, Oshawa (F)
25. (20) Brennan O'Neill, Philadelphia (F)
26. (21) Zach Currier, San Diego (D)
27. (NR) Dillon Ward, Colorado (G)
28. (NR) Zach Manns, Saskatchewan (F)
29. (28) Nick Chaykowsky, Oshawa (D)
30. (NR) Jonathan Donville, Las Vegas (F)