Las Vegas Expansion Draft: Full list of protected, unprotected and ineligible players
Connor Fields, Buffalo Bandits (Photo: Micheline V)
The National Lacrosse League has confirmed Las Vegas Desert Dog Expansion Draft team protected lists, plus 2022 restricted & unrestricted free agents.
As is often the case when these lists are announced, many were completely confused by names not protected and searching for most teams’ unprotected lists - a rare find for sure. Of course, you don’t want to celebrate those that have been exposed and might get plucked by Vegas GM Shawn Williams on July 7th, but isn’t it better to be transparent, clear and make the process much easier to understand for your fanbase? Teams like Toronto, San Diego and Saskatchewan spelled things our perfectly for their supporters, who now aren’t left pondering why their list might look a bit funky at first glance. Non-lax (and even a lot of lacrosse) media benefit from crystal-clear comms on complicated NLL topics like this too.
Jeff Cornwall, Saskatchewan Rush
The Lax Mag has collected as much accessible info to determine not only who teams have protected, but also who’s been left unprotected and who may not have been protected but is seemingly ineligible to be drafted by the Desert Dogs anyways. We also heavily made use of the most reliable roster breakdowns on the net via SwarmItUp.com, a fan-run database that updates NLL rosters fairly accurately, if not perfectly (based on publicly available info like entry draft results, the league’s transaction page, etc.).
As confirmed in the Toronto Rock release, players that ended their season on a practice roster are ineligible, the team further explaining:
Not eligible are Troy Holowchuk, Jordan McKenna and Chris Weier who all finished the season on the Rock’s Practice Roster. Justin Scott, who had a Practice Roster tag, is not eligible to be selected as he spent less than 14 days on the Active Roster prior to the end of the Rock’s season.
Team lists below include players on teams’ practice rosters, plus players that the league has confirmed as being Protected Practice Players.
The league’s free-agent announcement also outlined what defines an Unrestricted Free Agent, plus a UFA who can reject the Franchise Tag (essentially a tag that would prevent a player from becoming a UFA):
A player is a UFA if all the following conditions have been met:
- Their current contract has expired (after 2021-22 season)
- They will attain age 30 by December 31, 2022
- They have played at least 6 seasons in the NLLEach team (including Las Vegas) has one Franchise Tag they can apply to a player from their roster, keeping them on the team for one more season guaranteed, however, there are some players who can reject the Franchise Tag and become a UFA on August 1.
- Players who will attain age 34 by December 31, 2022 may reject the Franchise Tag.
So why were so many top-level players left unprotected? The San Diego Seals answered that in their handy expansion-draft FAQ, using the unprotected Dane Dobbie as an example:
Free agency plays into each GM’s decision. Players whose contracts expire on July 31, 2022, are over the age of 30 and have played at least six years in the league will become unrestricted free agents on August 1 and can decide where they want to sign.
Scenario: The Seals left Dane Dobbie unprotected because if Las Vegas decides to select him, Dane would still be able to sign with any team on August 1 because he’s an unrestricted free agent.
Who and how many can teams protect from Vegas? The NLL confirmed:
Each franchise was eligible to protect five (5) offensive + five (5) defensive + one (1) goalie OR four (4) offensive + seven (7) defensive + one (1) goalie. If a team chooses not to protect a goalie, teams shall protect five (5) offensive + six (6) defensive OR four (4) offensive + eight (8) defensive players. There is a special exemption for the Panther City Lacrosse Club as a first-year team that missed the playoffs. They are permitted to protect 13 players, including a maximum of 6 forwards and one goalie.
Shawn Williams as Head Coach/GM for the Desert Dogs will be eligible to select one player from each of the other 14 franchises of the remaining players who were not protected. No team will lose more than one player.
And finally, as is often the case during an NLL Expansion Draft, Williams has or will likely be chatting to fellow GMs about a two-for-one type trade, that would see Vegas draft a more prominent exposed player and then immediately deal them back to that club for a pair of players a team is more willing to part ways with. It might end up being more than two talents, maybe a draft pick is involved, but it’s almost always more than a single player swap (although those do happen too). For example, last year Panther City took Colorado’s Chris Wardle during their Expansion Draft, and then dealt him back to Denver for Will Malcom & Jordan Trottier. Expect this to happen on July 7th, probably more than once.
Chris Wardle, Colorado Mammoth (Photo: Jack Dempsey)
Based on all of the above and using the in-depth rosters posted by SwarmItUp.com, here’s who each team have protected, have left unprotected, those that appear ineligible based on their practice-roster status, plus UFAs, UFAs with franchise-tag-rejection power, and RFAs. Players from active rosters, practice rosters, draft lists, hold-out lists and various injured lists were included.
Legend
*Unrestricted Free Agent
^Unrestricted Free Agent who can reject Franchise Tag
#Restricted Free Agent or projected Restricted Free Agent
(PPP) Protected Practice Player
Albany FireWolves
5 forwards, 5 defensemen, 1 goalie
Protected Forwards: Andrew Kew, Charlie Kitchen, Reilly O’Connor#, Jacob Ruest#, Joe Resetarits*
Protected Defensemen: Adam Bomberry, Anthony Malcom, Joe Nardella, Nick Chaykowski#, Colton Watkinson#
Protected Goalie: Doug Jamieson
Unprotected: Ryan Benesch^, Greg Downing#, Jordan Duston#, Brett Manney^, Jackson Nishimura#, Charlie Kitchen, Michel Byrne, John LaFontaine, Ethan Woods, Tanner Thomson, Adrian Sorichetti, Grant Ament, Brett Erskine, Jack Harrington, Patrick Kaschalk, Garrett Thul, Brad Smith, Ryan Conrad, Zach Goodrich, Jules Heningburg, Ty Logan, Michael Sowers
Practice Roster: Jackson Brown, Curtis Romancych, Curtis Conley
Buffalo Bandits
5 forwards, 5 defensemen, 1 goalie
Protected Forwards: Josh Byrne, Chris Cloutier, Chase Fraser#, Tehoka Nanticoke, Dhane Smith*
Protected Defensemen: Sam La Rue (PPP), Ian MacKay#, Justin Martin, Steve Priolo, Bryce Sweeting#
Protected Goalie: Matt Vinc^
Unprotected: Frank Brown#, Kevin Brownell^, Kyle Buchanan^, Connor Fields#, Ethan O’Connor*, Matt Spanger#, Nick Weiss*, Max Adler, Brad McCulley, Jordan Stouros, Justin Martin, Doug Buchan, Nick Miller, Colin Munro, Thomas Vaesen, Alec Tulett, Justin Robinson, Nathaniel Kozevnikov, Joel Matthews, Justin Guterding
Practice Roster: Dalton Sulver, Devlin Shanahan, Marcus Minichiello
Calgary Roughnecks
4 forwards, 7 defensemen, 1 goalie
Protected Forwards: Tanner Cook, Haiden Dickson, Jesse King, Tyelr Pace#
Protected Defensemen: Reece Callies#, Zach Currier#, Justin Inacio, Liam LeClair, Harrison Matsuoka, Eli Salama#, Shane Simpson#
Protected Goalie: Christian Del Bianco#
Unprotected: Tyler Burton^, Curtis Dickson^, Greg Harnett*, Zach Herreweyers#, Curtis Manning^, Dan Taylor#, Mitch Wilde*, Kyle Waters, Landon Kells, Nate Wade, Kellen LeClair, Ethan Ticehurst, Dylan McIntosh, Jackson Morrill, Marshall King, Cordell Hastings, Tyler Yanko, Adam Bland (PPP)
Practice Roster: Carter McKenzie, Cole Pickup
Colorado Mammoth
5 forwards, 5 defensemen, 1 goalie
Protected Forwards: Tyson Gibson, Ryan Lee, Eli McLaughlin, Connor Robinson#, Zed Williams#
Protected Defensemen: Joey Cupido, Tim Edwards#, Jordan Gilles, Robert Hope*, Warren Jeffrey
Protected Goalie: Dillon Ward
Unprotected: Tyler Carlson^, Scott Carnegie^, John Lintz^, Josh Sullivan*, Chris Wardle*, Anthony Joaquim, Erik Turner, Brett McIntyre, Dylan Kinnear, Jalen Chaster, Jared Berhnhardt, Daniel Bucaro, Jake Higgins, Keegan Khan, Asher Nolting, Logan Wisnauskas, Stephen Rehfuss, Brett Craig, Tyson Kirkness
Practice Roster: Sam Firth, Noah LeBar, Nate Faccin, Nick Finlay
Georgia Swarm
4 forwards, 7 defensemen, 1 goalie
Protected Forwards: Brendan Bomberry#, Shayne Jackson, Ryan Lanchbury, Lyle Thompson
Protected Defensemen: Bryan Cole, TJ Comizio, Jeff Henrick, Jordan MacIntosh*, Kason Tarbell, Chad Tutton*, Adam Wiedemann#
Protected Goalie: Craig Wende#
Unprotected: Jordan Hall^, Stephan Leblanc^, Mike Poulin^, Mile Thompson*, Joel White*, Ethan Riggs, Connor Kirst, Robert Hudson, Ryan MacSpayden, Brad Apgar, Wheaton Jackoboice, Morrison Mirer, Devin Pipher, Zach Miller, Will Cecile, Justin Lemcke, Rus Oakes, Seth Oakes, Miles Silva, Matt Dunn
Practice Roster: Travis Longboat, Aden Walsh, Tanner Buck (PPP)
Halifax Thunderbirds
4 forwards, 7 defensemen, 1 goalie
Protected Forwards: Chris Boushy, Eric Fannell, Clarke Petterson, Austin Shanks
Protected Defensemen: Colton Armstrong, Tyson Bell#, Graeme Hossack, Trevor Smyth, Ryan Terefenko, Nonkon Thompson, Jake Withers
Protected Goalie: Warren Hill
Unprotected: James Barclay#, Aaron Bold^, David Brock^, Scott Campbell#, Rhys Duch^, Shawn Evans^, Brad Gillies*, Cody Jamieson^, Stephen Keogh^, Luc Magnan*, Brandon Robinson, Dawson Theede, Colin Hinton, Drew Hutchison, Kealan Pilon, Jackson Reid, Max Wilson, Jeremy Winston, Connor Watson, Matt Gaudet, Cory Becker
Practice Roster: Brayden Hill, Chase Martin, Keaton Thomson
New York Riptide
4 forwards, 7 defensemen, 1 goalie
Protected Forwards: Jake Fox, Connor Kearnan#, Larson Sundown, Jeff Teat
Protected Defensemen: Adrew Borgatti, Scott Dominey#, Ron John, Matt Marinier, Brent Noseworthy, Darryl Robertson#, Leo Stouros#
Protected Goalie: Steven Orleman
Unprotected: Gowah Abrams#, Callum Crawford^, Damon Edwards^, Jon Harnett^, Scott Johnston*, Dan Lomas#, Dan MacRae^, Kieran McArdle#, Jay Thorimbert^, Will Johnston, Mackenzie Mitchell, Jack Kelly, Jacob Martino, Kris Veltman, Bryce Tolmie, Cody Radziewicz, Peter Dearth, Brent Adams, Cade van Raaphorst, Ty Thompson (PPP)
Practice Roster: Luke Van Schepen, Ryan Fournier
Panther City Lacrosse Club
6 forwards, 6 defensemen, 1 goalie
Protected Forwards: Phil Caputo#, Patrick Dodds, Jonathan Donville, Nathan Grenon, Will Malcom, Randy Staats
Protected Defensemen: Liam Byrnes#, Patrick Foley, Matthew Hossack#, Josh Medeiros, Liam Patten#, Connor Sellers#
Protected Goalie: Nick Damude
Unprotected: Travis Cornwall*, Kevin Orleman#, Cam Milligan, Chad Cummings, Dean Fairall, Jordan Trottier, Dylan Hutchison, Jeremy Thompson, Liam Phillips, Jack Hannah, Ronan Jacoby, Caleb Kueber, Owen Seebold, Same Clare, Emerson Clark, Spencer Milne, Ryan McLean, Cam MacLeod (PPP)
Practice Roster: Taite Cattoni, Mike Triolo, Harrison Smith
Philadelphia Wings
5 forwards, 5 defensemen, 1 goalie
Protected Forwards: Kyle Jackson#, Sam LeClaire, Ben McIntosh, Matt Rambo#, Blaze Riorden
Protected Defensemen: Trevor Baptiste#, Steph Charbonneau#, Kiel Matisz*, Alex Pace, Ryan Wagner#
Protected Goalie: Zach Higgins
Unprotected: Kevin Crowley^, Isaiah Davis-Allen#, Ian Llord^, Eric Shewell#, Corey Small^, Cory Vitarelli^, Jackson Suboch, John Ranagan, Angus Goodleaf, Jack Farrell, Dylan Foulds, Hunter Lemieux, Matt Moore, Sean Quinn, Koby Smith, Ben French, Patrick Resch, Bryan Costabile, Jonathan Gagliardi, Brock Sorensen
Practice Roster: Kyle Marr, Blake Gibson-McDonald, Nolan Clayton, Rowan Kelly
Rochester Knighthawks
5 forwards, 5 defensemen, 1 goalie
Protected Forwards: Charlie Bertrand, Holden Cattoni#, Thomas Hoggarth#, Curtis Knight*, Ryan Smith
Protected Defensemen: Dan Coates, Matt Gilray#, Cory Highfield, Ryland Rees, Thomas Whitty
Protected Goalie: Rylan Hartley
Unprotected: Matthew Bennett#, Mike Burke*, Paul Dawson^, Turner Evans#, Evan Kirk^, Mike Manley^, Brad Voigt, Mitch Ogilvie, Tyler Halls, Jared Conners, Tyler Biles, Chris Willman, Jeff Wittig, Lukas Coote, Joel Watson, John Wagner, Riley Curtis, Pent Eistrat, Corson Kealey, Julian Garritano
Practice Roster: Lucas Nagy, Jake Pulver
San Diego Seals
5 forwards, 5 defensemen, 1 goalie
Protected Forwards: Wes Berg, Casey Jackson, Tre Leclaire, Mac O’Keefe, Austin Staats
Protected Defensemen: Drew Belgrave#, Eli Gobrecht, Cam Holding, Mike McCannell, Patrick Shoemay
Protected Goalie: Chris Origlieri
Unprotected: Graydon Bradely#, Brandon Clelland#, Dane Dobbie^, Zack Greer^, Brett Hickey*, Brodie Merrill^, Jeremy Noble*, Tor Reinholdt*, Frank Scigliano*, Matthew Sykes, Tyson Bomberry, Dox Aitken, Teddy Leggett, Mark Glicini, Danny Logan, Jay Carlson, Oliver Bolsterli, Tyler Garrison, Mathieu Boissonneault, Devyn Mayea, Jacob Dunbar (PPP)
Practice Roster: Mikie Schlosser, Justin Geddie
Saskatchewan Rush
4 forwards, 8 defensemen, 0 goalies
Protected Forwards: Robert Church, Ryan Keenan, Mark Matthews, Marshall Powless
Protected Defensemen: Ryan Barnable, Matt Beers, Jake Boudreau, Ryan Dilks*, Holden Garlent, Bobby Kidd III, Connor McClelland, Mike Messenger#
Protected Goalie: None
Unprotected: Chris Corbeil^, Dan Lintner*, Mike Mallory#, Eric Penney#, Kyle Rubisch^, Jeff Shattler^, Adam Shute#, Austin Murphy, Jeff Cornwall, Jordi Jones-Smith, Josh Currier, Cam Dunkerley, Ethan Forgave, Luke Keenan, Mackenzie Burke, Clark Walter (PPP)
Practice Roster: Tristan Rai, Keagan White, Laine Hruska
Toronto Rock
4 forwards, 8 forwards, 0 goalies
Protected Forwards: Dan Craig, Rob Hellyer, Zach Manns, Tom Schreiber#
Protected Defensemen: Mitch de Snoo*, Jamison Dilks, Latrell Harris#, TD Ierlan, Josh Jubenville, Brad Kri, Phil Mazzuca, Challen Rogers
Protected Goalies: None
Unprotected: Sheldon Burns*, Dan Dawson^, Aaron Forster, Adam Jay, Bill Hostrawser*, Riley Hutchcraft#, Jason Noble, Johnny Powless#, Paul Rabil, Reid Reinholdt#, Nick Rose^, Brandon Slade#, Justin Scott (PPP)
Practice Roster: Troy Holowchuk, Jordan McKenna, Chris Weier
Vancouver Warriors
5 forwards, 5 defensemen, 1 goalie
Protected Forwards: Keegan Bal#, Adam Charalambides, Kyle Killen#, Ryan Martel#, Mitch Jones
Protected Defensemen: Owen Barker, Reid Bowering, Brandon Goodwin#, Anthony Kalinich, Taylor Stuart#
Protected Goalie: Alex Buque*
Unprotected: Tyler Codron^, Matthew Dinsdale*, Steve Fryer*, Riley Loewen*, Jordan McBride^, Garrett McIntosh*, Brett Mydske^, Justin Salt*, Logan Schuss*, Tyson Roe, Derek Lloyd, Owen Prybylski, Matteo Tack, Mitch Gustavsen, Tyrell Hamer-Jackson, Connor Goodwin, Mason Pynn, Isaac Bot, Thomas Semple (PPP)
Practice Roster: Brody Harris