The NLL free agency period kicked off yesterday at noon, directly after the dispersal draft.
The period was pushed back from August 1 to September 1 as league officials sought a resolution to the PCLC relocation issue. Ultimately it finally kicked off on Monday.
LCD’s Evan Schemenauer broke down some of the biggest storylines of free agency yesterday, check that out here.
This tracker will be updated throughout free agency with all of the free agent signings throughout the week. Make sure to check back to keep tabs on your favourite teams and players!
Seals Re-Loading
The San Diego Seals have signed Ben McIntosh and Rob Hellyer to two-year contracts each, continuing the offensive overhaul this off-season. Hellyer had 22 goals and 55 assists last season in Vegas, and is the all-time leading scorer for the Desert Dogs franchise.
McIntosh had 30 goals and 39 assists last season for the Philadelphia Wings. McIntosh has never scored fewer than 30 goals in a full season in his career.
Knighthawks Continue Defensive Shift
The Rochester Knighthawks announced Wednesday that they have signed defender Chad Tutton to a two-year deal. Tutton had 4 goals and 15 assists last year for the Wings, his second most points in a season ever. In total, he’s played 128 regular season games, and sits three points away from the 100-point career mark.
Beni on the Move!
The San Diego Seals announced that they have signed left-handed forward Ryan Benesch to a one-year deal. Benesch had 42 goals and 39 assists last season for the Thunderbirds. It was the third time in his career that he scored 40 or more goals.
Benesch currently sits 6th on the all-time career games list at 273 games. With a full season this year, he will pass Derek Suddons (274 games) and Brodie Merrill (280 games). He also sits 4th on the all time goals list with 553, and 8th in assists with 745.
The Seals will be his 10th franchise that Benesch has played for.
Major Trade!
The Ottawa Black Bears have traded their 2027 first round pick, Phil Caputo, and Liam Patten to the Philadelphia Wings in return for goaltender Zach Higgins.
Patten and Caputo were taken in yesterdays dispersal draft from PCLC, and bring the total number of former PCLC players on Philadelphia to five. Those two will join goaltender Nick Damude, and defenders Connor Sellars and Tony Malcom with the Wings.
Meanwhile, the Black Bears will look to solidify their goaltending after allowing the most goals in the league last season. Higgins has been the primary starter for the Wings since the team returned in 2020. He had a 12.50 GAA last season and a 78.0% save percentage.
Albany Firewolves
The Firewolves announced their first signing of the free agency period, with a two-year deal for goaltender Andrew Kidd. Kidd played his junior lacrosse for the Toronto Beaches.
The Firewolves have not yet announced a free agent signing, but they did tweet about their dispersal trade with the Ottawa Black Bears.
Buffalo Bandits
The Bandits announced two signings on Tuesday. The first is Christian Watts, a right-handed forward from East Aurora, NY. Watts played in two games last year, registering an assist.
The second was Clay Scanlan, a left-handed forward. He had 23 goals and 24 assists in 47 games this summer for the Langley Thunder of the WLA.
Later in the day, the Bandits signed Cory Highfield to a new contract. Highfield was acquired last season from the Rochester Knighthawks and made 8 appearances total. Dating back to 2020, he has 12 goals and 8 assists in 28 games played.
Calgary Roughnecks
Calgary announced Wednesday that they have signed Cam MacLeod to a two-year. Calgary selected MacLeod in Monday’s dispersal draft. He played 125 minutes for PCLC last year, finishing with a 10.99 GAA and 78.9% save percentage.
The Roughnecks announced Tuesday that they have signed defender Erik Turner to a one-year deal. Turner is an Edmonton native, and last played for the Vegas Desert Dogs. He competed in 33 games over three seasons for the Colorado Mammoth and Desert Dogs.
Later Tuesday, the Roughnecks announced that they had signed Matt Abbott to a two-year deal. Abbott competes in the summer for the Langley Thunder of the WLA.
The Roughnecks only announced their trades and draft picks.
Colorado Mammoth
The Mammoth have been the busiest team, at least in terms of announcing their moves. It started with re-signing Ryan Lee, which was first reported by LCD’s own Back of the Bird!
Lee returns to the lineup after missing the 2024 season and most of the 2023 season to injury. In 2022, he scored 119 points and finished second in league scoring.
The Mammoth also announced the re-signing of goaltender Nate Faccin. The 24 year old has mostly been the third goaltender for the Mammoth, having dressed in 11 games since 2022.
The Mammoth also announced the signing of Ryan McLean. The former PCLC defender is playing this summer for the Victoria Shamrocks of the WLA, and will compete in the Mann Cup this week. He’s competed in 17 NLL games.
Colorado then announced the signing of Dalton Sulver. Sulver was a member of both Buffalo Championships, and brings that pedigree to the Mammoth. He has played 26 games, all for the Bandits, scoring 7 goals and 10 assists.
Colorado then announced the signing of Kaleb Martin. Martin won the 2022 Minto Cup as the starting goaltender for the Whitby Warriors.
Lastly, Colorado announced the signing of Conner Cook (and yes, that’s how it is spelled). He played Jr. A for the (formerly Calgary) Mountaineers. You may also know him from a pretty spirited scrap he had at the 2023 Minto.
Georgia Swarm
The Swarm announced that they signed Miles Thompson to a one year deal. Miles played two games last season including the playoff game, and has played his whole career for the Swarm.
Halifax Thunderbirds
Halifax re-signed Andrew Vradenburg and Carter McKenzie to one year deals. Vradenburg was a rookie last season but spent most of the year on the practice roster, while McKenzie comes to the Thunderbirds from Buffalo, where he played in six games last season.
The Thunderbirds announced that they have re-signed defender Jordan Trottier to a one-year deal. Trottier played five games last season for the Thunderbirds, scooping 8 loose balls. He has played 21 games over three seasons since 2022.
Las Vegas Desert Dogs
Vegas announced Tuesday that they have re-signed defender Tor Reinholdt. He had a goal and 11 assists last season for the Desert Dogs, and has played in every game in the franchise’s history. Reinholdt is two games away from the 100 game milestone.
The Desert Dogs announced that they signed Spencer Milne. Milne competed in two games last season for the Dogs. At 6’7, he is one of the tallest players to ever play in the NLL.
On Tuesday, the Desert Dogs also announced that they had signed goaltender Joel Watson to a new contract. Watson made three appearances for the Dogs last season and was an original member of the Desert Dogs.
Ottawa Black Bears
The Black Bears announced that they have signed goaltender Devlin Shanahan to a one year deal. Shanahan figures to be the third goaltender in Ottawa, behind Cam Dunkerley and newly acquired Zack Higgins.
The Black Bears announced two signings on Tuesday. The first is Jack Kelly, who rejoins the Black Bears franchise after being drafted by the Riptide. He competed in 7 games for the Riptide in the 2023 season, scoring 3 goals and 5 assists.
The second was Liam Osborne, a right-handed offensive player who spent the 2024 season on the practice roster for PCLC. Osborne played one game in the NLL for the Rochester Knighthawks in 2020.
Later Tuesday, the Black Bears announced the signings of Jake Gasperetti. He played collegiately for Bishops University and also played his minor and junior lacrosse for the hometown Nepean Knights.
The NLL’s newest brand did also tweet about their dispersal picks.
Philadelphia Wings
The Wings announced a trio of signings Wednesday, including Sam LeClair, Jack Jasinski, and Kevin Lynch.
Leclair had 19 goals and 21 assists last year for the Wings, while Jasinski had 2 goals and 2 assists in three games, which included the overtime winner against Halifax. Lynch also played in three games on defence for the Wings.
Rochester Knighthawks
The Knighthawks have not announced any signings other than their draft picks.
San Diego Seals
According to the NLL transactions page, Callum Crawford rejected the franchise tag from the Seals.
The fifth left-handed forward of the day signed by the Seals was Cole Pickup. Pickup plays for the Victoria Shamrocks. He played four NLL games, last competing for PCLC in 2023.
Late Tuesday, the Seals announced the signing of Adam Noakes. He was the 39th overall selection by the Seals in the 2022 draft.
The Seals announced that they have signed forward Ty Thompson. Thompson competed for PCLC in 2024, competing in 4 games and scoring 3 goals and 3 assists. He has also competed for the Mammoth and Riptide in his career.
The Seals announced on Tuesday that they have signed two players. The first is Jordan Durston, a left-handed forward. Durston last played during the 2022 season, and scored 92 goals and 128 assists in 92 career games for the Vancouver Stealth, Buffalo Bandits, and New England Blackwolves / Albany Firewolves.
The second is Liam Phillips, a left-handed defender from Victoria. Phillips last played in the NLL for PCLC in 2022, making three appearances. He is competing this summer for the Victoria Shamrocks and will play this week in the Mann Cup.
Saskatchewan Rush
The Rush have not announced any signings, but did publish a nice shoutout to PCLC captain Matt Hossack, who returns to the city that drafted him, and where he won a championship.
Toronto Rock
The Rock have only announced the selection of defender Elijah Gash in the dispersal draft.
Vancouver Warriors
On Wednesday, the Warriors announced that they have re-signed Keegan Bal and Adam Charalambides. Bal had 104 points for the Warriors in 2024, while Charalambides had 96.
The Warriors announced the signing of Brandon Humphrey. Humphrey competed for the Maple Ridge Burrards of the WLA this season, and has not yet competed in an NLL game.
Stay tuned all week for more updates!