Steve Dietrich and Curt Malawsky didn’t wait until Tuesday to get a deal going, as the Bandits sent Luca Antongiovanni and the 16th overall pick in the upcoming entry draft to Vancouver in exchange for Payton Cormier and Vancouver’s first and second round picks in the dispersal draft at 11 and 23.

Starting with Cormier, the 6’2″ lefty forward was the 4th overall pick in the 2023 draft, one pick ahead of Ryan Sheridan, who Vancouver selected the last time there was a dispersal draft in 2024. After playing his fifth year with the Virginia Cavaliers, where he finished his collegiate career with 224 goals in 73 games, a record that was beaten the year after by CJ Kirst with 247 in 67 games, the Oakville native played 8 games in his rookie season to the tune of 3 goals and 3 assists. He only appeared in 5 games in 2025-26 with his battery mates on the left side in Jesse King, Adam Charalambides, and Marcus Klarich all playing the full 18 games on a team that goes righty-heavy up front. The left side of the Bandits offense adds a similarly framed option to that of Chris Cloutier, who left for Vegas last offseason. Ironically, the first round pick that they gave up in this trade was likely the compensatory pick they received after losing Cloutier. Buffalo still holds the 6th overall pick in the entry draft.

Going the other way in the trade was Luca Antongiovanni, who never appeared for the Bandits after being selected 6th overall in the 2024 draft. He played out his collegiate career at UNC and then spent the 2025-26 season on the draft list. The Coquitlam native is now working in real estate in BC, so this is definitely an East for West deal at its core that gives both teams a guy they can fit into the lineup next season.

Adding two more dispersal picks to their collection also allowed them to have more options heading into draft day, and when the afternoon came and went, they added six players.

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Round 1

Oshawa selects Jeff Teat – There were very few thoughts that it would go any other way. In fact, the most pressing question would be what number Teat would wear with Dyson Williams wearing 51. It’s 7, matching his PLL number. From our preview post:

For Oshawa, the conversation will start and end with Jeff Teat. The Black Bears captain battled injuries all season and still played all 18 games and eclipsed 100 points. Entering his Age 29 season, he’ll become the second oldest forward on the team, only 15 days younger than fellow lefty Dawson Theede. Ethan Walker, Alex Simmons, and Tye Kurtz tasted NLL Finals action ahead of schedule back in 2024 but have not returned to the playoffs since. Teat could be the calming force to get them back on that track while helping to elevate that trio and Dyson Williams to somewhere that Teat has never gone in his 5 year career — the NLL Playoffs.

Las Vegas selects Nick Damude – They would not be passing on him twice. Nick Damude heads to the desert to take over the crease from one of if not both of Landon Kells and Alex Buque, while 19 year old Caleb Kahn continues to develop in the shadows. Damude had an .811 save percentage and 10.99 goals against average last season.

Rochester selects Callum Jones – 173 loose balls, 32 caused turnover, 11 blocks, 1 Defensive Player of the Year award. The 28 year old heads to play for the Knighthawks after his breakout season last year.

We pondered where the Roughnecks were heading with the fourth pick, and it turned out, it was out of the spot.

Calgary trades the 4th overall pick in the Dispersal Draft to Georgia in exchange for Georiga’s 7th overall pick in the 2026 Entry Draft. Georgia selects Lukas Nielsen – John Arlotta has been no stranger to moving around first round picks, and this time, he trades out of the entry draft for Lukas Nielsen, the 2024 fifth overall pick who started last season for the Bandits before being the centerpiece of the trade package to bring Joe Resetarits back to Buffalo. In 5 games after the trade, Nielsen had 13 goals and 7 assists. The move gives the Swarm another ball-handler on the right side in addition to Lyle Thompson, with Kaleb Benedict and Kean Moon being able to play more off-ball on that side.

San Diego selects Brennan O’Neill – The 24 year old American star heads to Southern California to continue his NLL career after leading the Wings with 31 goals and 36 assists in 17 games in his second year in the league. The Seals had a transitionary year up front but now have a concrete piece going forward with Connor Robinson, Dylan Watson, and a potential return to full-time transition play for Swiss Army Knife Zach Currier.

Halifax selects Matt Marinier – As we alluded to in the preview, this was a likely landing spot for Marinier, as the Thunderbirds had room to bring in the 6’6″ big lefty defender, who caused 16 turnovers and blocked 7 shots along with 54 loose balls in 14 games last year. His brother, Alex, will also play his debut season for the Thunderbirds after being selected by the Thunderbirds 6th overall in the 2025 first round. The Thunderbirds also locked in Warren Hill for a one-year extension in the last 24 hours, as Curt Styres and Mike Accursi’s crew looks to prove their 8-seed run to the finals wasn’t a fluke.

Colorado selects Alex Pace – More size for an already big Mammoth defense, Pace’s loose ball totals jumped from 68 in 2024-25 to 126 in 2025-26, and he has caused 10+ turnovers in 5 of his 6 career seasons.

Georgia selects Deacan Knott – Knott will backup reigning NLL MVP Brett Dobson this season following a third straight year of playing more minutes for Philadelphia and improved numbers. From our preview:

Rounding out the goaltending options is the most talked about “sleeper” of the potential dispersal options in Deacan Knott. The 23 year old has backed up Higgins and Damude in each of the last three seasons to the tune of 569:45 of total playing time with an 11.58/.772. Last season, he played the most he’s played in an NLL season with 298:59 and had his best numbers with 205 saves on 259 shots faced for a 10.84/.792.

Buffalo selects Zach Higgins – As expected, Buffalo gets their goaltender. From our preview:

Starting with the former Bandit, 35 year old Zach Higgins was part of a tandem with Alex Buque in 2018, which was the season before Vinc signed in free agency. After backing Vinc up in 2019, he was traded to the Philadelphia Wings where he put up a 9.44/.815 in a covid-shortened 14 games. After three more seasons with the Wings, he was traded to Ottawa after the last dispersal draft opened the Wings up to another upcoming member of this list. In two seasons with Ottawa, he has played over 1000 minutes in each, with a 10.86/.776 in 2026. Selecting Higgins if he is available at the time Buffalo picks would be a fit for that win-now profile. The 12 year vet has faced a lot of rubber the last 5 seasons, and it could be of benefit to him to be in front of a Bandit defense that has played around allowing the shots their goaltender wants to see.

Saskatchewan selects Jake Stevens – The Rush bowed out in the first round despite their championship aspirations. Stevens jumped from 11 caused turnovers to 23 between year 1 and year 2. Stevens was the Riptide’s 10th overall pick in the 2023 draft, the same one in which they took Callum Jones.

Buffalo selects Dalton Young – With the selection they picked up from the Warriors the day prior, Buffalo goes a bit flashy with the selection of Dalton Young. After a brief cameo in 2024-25 where he picked up 2 goals and 7 assists in 3 games, Young had 15 goals and 23 assists in 12 games in his first full season, leading the Wings right side after the Resetarits trade. The 25 year old from Virginia played his college ball at Richmond. The Wings originally took Young in the third round of the 2023 draft. A field lacrosse player by trade, he, like his now former teammate Brennan O’Neill, plays for the Denver Outlaws. He appeared in the 2022 and 2023 NCBS championships as his notable box lacrosse experience before being drafted.

Toronto trades the 12th and 24th overall picks in the Dispersal Draft to Las Vegas in exchange for the 17th overall pick in the 2026 Entry Draft. The Desert Dogs select Mitchell Armstrong – The Desert Dogs finished out the first round with another St. Catharines product. Armstrong doesn’t turn 23 until March and already has 3 full seasons under his belt. He caused 12 turnovers and blocked 9 shots in 15 games last season. The former Junior A captain may have the biggest runway to breakout in 2026-27 of all of the first round selections.

Round 2

Oshawa selects Connor Kearnan – While his goals stayed steady in 2025-26, Kearnan’s assist totals dropped from 46 to 28 in 2026. While he will be the third option for the right side in his new home as opposed to the second option he was in Ottawa, Kearnan’s off-ball and net-front skills will play nicely with Alex Simmons and Tye Kurtz…

…Is what the author would have said if about an hour later, the FireWolves didn’t trade Kearnan along with Jaxon Fridge and the 20th overall pick in the entry draft in exchange for Holden Garlent. The move will give the Rush another option on the right side along with Robert Church and Austin Shanks. Kearnan’s 46 points would have been 4th on the Rush last season. They also pick up Fridge who had a strong rookie season for the FireWolves. But the big story of this trade is Garlent going to Oshawa as Glenn Clark makes another move to help ensure that the addition of Jeff Teat up front will help them return to the playoffs.

Las Vegas selects Sam LeClair – Like Kearnan, the Welland native LeClair does his best work off-ball and net-front. He had a career high 28 assists with 42 points in 2026, while also chipping in with double digit goals (14) for the fourth straight season.

Rochester selects Brent Noseworthy – While a pending UFA, Noseworthy cannot reject the franchise tag, which could be the direction the Knighthawks go if need be after taking the 6’4″ lefty Noseworthy with their second selection of the dispersal draft. The 30 year old has played all 18 games in each of the last three seasons and had career highs in loose balls (127) and caused turnovers (18), also blocking 14 shots.

Calgary selects Ben Kromer – In 8 games for the Wings, Kromer had 35 loose balls, caused 4 turnovers, and blocked 4 shots after being Philadelphia’s third round pick in 2025, Calgary adds more youth to their d-corp.

San Diego selects Jake Saunders – After two years in Vegas, Saunders played his 2026 season in Ottawa and chipped in with 32 loose balls, 9 caused turnovers, and blocked 3 shots.

Halifax selects Dustyn Birkhof – The 25 year old Peterborough native is the snarl pick of the dispersal draft, but that doesn’t take away from his 4 goals in six games out the back door either. He will compete for a roster spot on the Atlantic coast.

Saskatchewan selects Sam Firth – Saskatchewan has a deep offense, so Firth may be a bubble guy for the Rush who already rotate Levi Anderson and Clark Walter on the left side, but he still was 6th on the Black Bears with 13 goals and 10 assists in 18 games and will compete for that spot.

Georgia selects Bo Columbus – The Swarm get a defender who can take draws after facing off by committee last season.

Buffalo selects Larson Sundown – The Buffalo News high school lacrosse player of the year in 2015 joins the Bandits roster and gives them another strong offensive option on their left side. The Akron High School graduate had 20 goals and 18 assists in 2026 and does most of his work around the crease.

Saskatchewan selects Reed Kurtz – In his first two seasons after being taken in the second round of the 2023 draft, Kurtz played 25 of Ottawa’s 26 games. With Jake Naso on the team, he will not need to take faceoffs, which should help him keep his focus on the defensive end of the floor.

Buffalo selects Scott Dominey – The 29 year old has 7 seasons under his belt but has only played 7 games in each of the last two seasons due to injury. When healthy, however, Dominey has a reputation for pushing the ball up the floor, scoring 35 goals in 77 career games. He is an unrestricted free agent.

Las Vegas selects Ryan Wagner – A fourth Niagara region native for the Desert Dogs, the Wagner has been a consistent source of 70-80 loose balls and double digit blocked shots. The 32 year old had a career high 15 caused turnovers last year.

Round 3

After Ron John went to Oshawa and Liam Aston went to Vegas, Buffalo traded into the third round, sending their 2029 third round pick to Rochester for the 27th dispersal selection, picking righty forward Travis Longboat. Originally a member of the Riptide, the righty forward has jumped around to the Swarm, FireWolves, Black Bears, and then Wings across five seasons in the NLL. In 6 games last season, he picked up 3 goals and 6 assists. His career-best season came in the form of 25 goals and 32 assists in 18 games for Albany before adding another 9 goals and 2 assists in 5 playoff games.

The Roughnecks got another young defender with pedigree in Nicholas Volkov, followed up by Gregory Elijah-Brown being taken by the Seals. The 2025 5th round pick of Ottawa played his grad year last year at Syracuse and was on the draft list of the Black Bears. The Thunderbirds picked pending-UFA Liam Patten 30th, followed by Andrew Borgatti to the Mammoth. Georgia selected American defender Isaiah Davis-Allen in the third round. At their original draft slot, Buffalo selected 25 year old forward Justin Sykes, who started his career for the Seals before being traded to Las Vegas in the Dylan Watson trade. The Desert Dogs traded him to the Black Bears at the deadline, where he did not appear in a game.

After Buffalo, Saskatchewan and Toronto bowed out, while the Warriors selected Michael Sowers, who is not expected to suit up in the NLL in 2026 but the Warriors will retain his rights.

Round 4

A trio of veteran defensemen were taken to start the fourth round in Kevin Brownell to Oshawa, followed by UFAs Chris Corbeil and Luc Magnan being selected by Las Vegas and Rochester, respectively. Defense continued but on the younger side, with Cole Begley and Mason Woodward going to Calgary and San Diego, respectively. The Thunderbirds selected lefty forward Landen Sinfield, followed by Colorado picking up pending-UFA Evan Messenger. Georgia, Buffalo, and Vancouver passed in round 4 to end their afternoons.

Remaining Picks

Oshawa and Las Vegas passed before Rochester selected pending UFA Tyler Carlson likely to go to camp as another camp body to get some mentorship in for the trio of Rylan Hartley, Drew Hutchison, and Cam MacLeod. Veteran forwards Phil Caputo and Eric Fannell will head to San Diego and Halifax camps, with Fannell heading back to the Thunderbirds where he played three seasons. The final pick of the dispersal draft was Aidan Fearn to Calgary. He was Ottawa’s fourth round pick in 2025.

What’s Next

Free agency begins Friday, September 18 at 5 pm, eastern, followed by the entry draft on the 24th at 6 pm, eastern.