O’Neill, English, Grace Headline NLL Draft

The Philadelphia Wings selected Brennan O’Neill with the first selection of the 2024 NLL Entry Draft, continuing their roster transformation from last season. 

The Toronto Rock selected Burlington, Ontario native Sam English with the second overall selection, while defender Michael Grace rounded out the top three with Georgia. Grace played the majority of his college lacrosse at RIT but will join English this year at Syracuse. 

The NLL draft was streamed on Youtube by the league, and was presented by Castore, the league’s new apparel supplier. The full stream can be found below!

O’Neill becomes the first American taken with the first overall selection since Casey Powell in 1998. He is just the fourth player to be drafted first overall in the draft of the professional league in both field and box lacrosse. Kevin Crowley and Lyle Thompson did it with the MLL, and Jeff Teat did it when he was selected first in the PLL. 

O’Neill joins a Philadelphia lineup that will look significantly different next season under new Head Coach Ian Rubel. They drafted three players in the PCLC dispersal, and traded goaltender Zach Higgins for two more. They also lost Ben McIntosh and Chad Tutton to free agency. 

O’Neill will play in the NLL this season, which is not the case for English and Grace. They both return to Syracuse this year for one more chance at a national championship. 

With the fourth selection, the Vancouver Warriors took right-handed forward Jonathan Peshko from Mimico and Johns Hopkins. He joins a suddenly massive right-side in Vancouver with Keegan Bal, Kevin Crowley, and new PCLC dispersal pick up Ryan Sheridan. 

The fifth pick belonged to the Calgary Roughnecks, who took High Point and Windsor native Brayden Mayea. Mayea finished as the all-time leading scorer in the history of the High Point program, and competed this summer for the Carolina Chaos in the PLL. He also was a key member of the St. Catharines Athletics team that won the Iroqouis trophy in the bubble season of 2021. 

The sixth pick brought a trade, as the Vancouver Warriors traded last year’s first rounder Brock Haley to the Saskatchewan Rush in return for the sixth overall selection and a second rounder next year. With that selection, the Warriors took Remo Schenato. Schenato is a left-handed defender from Coquitlam who was a key member of the Adanacs Minto Cup championship this summer. 

The Buffalo Bandits made two selections after that, and went to British Columbia for both. With the eighth pick, they selected Lukas Nielsen from the New Westminster Salmonbellies. Nielsen was the 2024 BCJALL MVP after leading the circuit in goals with 50. 

Antongiovanni wore the Captains C for the Coquitlam Adanacs at the 2023 Minto Cup, and was a member of the team that won the Cup in 2018. He comes to Buffalo after playing his college lacrosse at UNC. 

At the ninth pick, the San Diego Seals traded their 2025 first rounder for Georgia’s ninth pick. They used that pick to take Trent DiCicco. DiCicco played very well in the WLA this summer for the Victoria Shamrocks, and scored three goals out of the backend during the Mann Cup. He will join a San Diego squad that will also look very different this season. 

And rounding out the top ten was Jack Follows, the Oakville and Cornell defender. Follows played this summer for the Oakville Rock of the MSL, and competed for four years as a starting defender for the Cornell Big Red. 

The full draft results are below. 

FIRST ROUND     

1. Philadelphia – Brennan O’Neill, Offense – Duke University
2. Toronto – Sam English, Offense – Syracuse University/Oakville Rock
3. Georgia – Michael Grace, Defense – RIT/Syracuse University/Brooklin LC
4. Vancouver – Johnathan Peshko, Offense – Johns Hopkins/Owen Sound North Stars
5. Calgary – Brayden Mayea, Offense – High Point University
6. Vancouver – Remo Schenato, Defense – Coquitlam Adanacs Jr. A
7. Buffalo – Lukas Nielsen, Offense – New Westminster Salmonbellies Jr. A
8. Buffalo – Luca Antongiovanni, Defense/Transition – University of North Carolina/Coquitlam Adanacs
9. San Diego – Trent DiCicco, Defense – Ohio State University/Victoria Shamrocks
10. Calgary – Jack Follows, Defense – Cornell University/Oakville Rock
11. Georgia – Alex Bean, Defense – Loyola University
12. San Diego – Jacob Power, Transition – Belmont Abbey/Nanaimo Timbermen
13. Toronto – Jake Darlison, Transition – Whitby Warriors Jr. A
14. San Diego – Robbie Turpin, Defense – Simon Fraser University/Coquitlam Adanacs Jr. A
15. Buffalo – Taylor Dooley, Defense – Mercer University/Toronto Beaches Jr. A
16. Saskatchewan – Matt Acchione, Transition – University of Delaware/Snake Island Muskies

SECOND ROUND

17. Colorado – Owen Rahn, Transition – Orangeville Northmen Jr. A
18. Las Vegas – Jack VanOverbeke, Offense – High Point University
19. Buffalo – Trent Robertson, Defense – Brampton Excelsiors
20. Saskatchewan – Denton Macdonald, Transition – Bellarmine University/Victoria Shamrocks
21. Colorado – Nathan Whittom, Goaltender – Mimico Mountaineers Jr. A
22. Georgia – Calum Leaver-Preyra, Goaltender – Burlington Blaze Jr. A
23. Georgia – Carter Page, Offense – St. Joseph’s University/Peterborough Lakers
24. Ottawa – Dustyn Birkhof, Defense – Cobourg Kodiaks
25. Saskatchewan – Reese Barnes, Transition – Edmonton Miners Jr. A
26. Ottawa – Riley Delill, Defense – Robert Morris University/Brampton Excelsiors
27. Rochester – Conner Fingar – University of Albany
28. Albany – JP Ward, Offense – University of Delaware/Brampton Excelsiors

THIRD ROUND

29. Philadelphia – Christopher Harland, Defense – Dalhousie/Toronto Beaches Jr. A
30. Las Vegas – Jackson Webster, Offense – Canisius College/Owen Sound North Stars
31. Albany – Jakson Raposo, Transition – Johns Hopkins University/Brooklin LC
32. Vancouver – Rhys Porteous, Offense – Manhattan College/Maple Ridge Burrards
33. Calgary – Colby Bowman, Goaltender – Walsh University/Nanaimo Timbermen
34. Saskatchewan – Jake Naso – Duke University
35. Buffalo – Marquez White, Offense – Princeton University/San Diego Royals NCBS
36. Toronto – Alex Messier, Defense – Halton Hills Bulldogs Jr. B
37. Saskatchewan – Charlie McFadden, Defense – Skidmore College/St. Albert
38. Halifax – Ajax Zappitello, Defense – University of Maryland
39. San Diego – Cam Acchione, Offense – University of Delaware/Owen Sound North Stars
40. San Diego – Ethan M’Lot, Offense – Burnaby Lakers Jr. A
*41. Vancouver – Josh Carlson, Offense – University of Denver
42. Colorado – Patrick McIntosh, Offense – University of Virginia/Dragons CACBLL
43. San Diego – Arthur Miller, Offense – NJIT/Victoria Shamrocks

FOURTH ROUND

44. Colorado – Ethan Robertson, Goaltender – Six Nations Jr. A
45. Albany – Saam Olexo, Defense – Syracuse University
46. Philadelphia – Shane Knobloch, Offense – Rutgers University
47. Toronto – Landen Sinfield, Offense – Akwesasne Jr. B
48. Calgary – Austin Ducommun, Offense – Towson University/New Westminster Salmonbellies
49. Saskatchewan – Marcus Needham, Offense – Embry-Riddle University/St. Albert
50. Ottawa – Neal Adamson, Defense – Brampton Excelsiors Jr. A
51. Rochester – Regan Endres – University of Albany
52. Halifax – Ashton Brown, Goaltender – Port Coquitlam Saints Jr. A
53. Philadelphia – Zayden Blake, Defense – Edmonton Miners Jr. A
54. Calgary – Carter Cook, Transition – Calgary Mountaineers Jr. A
55. Toronto – Colton Armitage, Offense – St. Catharines Athletics Jr. A
56. Saskatchewan – Zach Thompson, Offense – Newberry College/Cobourg Kodiaks
57. Buffalo – Angus MacDonell, Offense – Mimico Mountaineers Jr. A

FIFTH ROUND

58. Colorado – Zach Goorno – Bowdoin University
59. Las Vegas – Aidan Danenza – Duke University
60. Philadelphia – Nathan Fehr, Defense – St. Catharines Athletics Jr. A
61. Vancouver – Kai George, Defense – Lewis University/New Westminster Jr. A
62. Calgary – Aiden Hindson, Defense – New Westminster Jr. A
63. Toronto – Connor Shellenberger – University of Virginia
64. Ottawa – Nathan Woods, Defense – Saint Michaels College
65. Buffalo – Bryce Cordingley, Defense – Newberry College
66. Calgary – Luke Williams – Marquette University
67. Halifax – Louis Alfred Jr., Defense – Six Nations Jr. A
68. Georgia – Grant Breyo, Defense – University of Massachusetts
69. San Diego – Jordy Neary, Defense – Port Coquitlam Saints Jr. A
70. Toronto – Ethan Fisher, Defense – St. Catharines Athletics Jr. A
71. Albany – Brendon Hoechsmann – University of Guelph/Calgary Chill Jr. B
72. Saskatchewan – Caleb Creasor, Defense – Marquette University/Nanaimo Timbermen

SIXTH ROUND

73. Colorado – Dylan Hess – Georgetown University
74. Las Vegas – Davis McCulley, Defense – Belmont Abbey/Victoria Shamrocks
75. Philadelphia – Steve DelleMonache, Defense – Robert Morris University/Burlington Blaze
76. Vancouver – Cole Kastner – University of Virginia
77. Calgary – Ben Foster, Offense – Maryville University
78. Saskatchewan – Garrett Brockmeyer, Defense – Lake Erie College/St. Albert Miners
79. Ottawa – Lindyn Hill, Goaltender – Orangeville Northmen Jr. A
80. Rochester – Caleb Commandant, Defense – RIT
81. Philadelphia – Soloman Hess – Drexel University
82. Halifax – Josh Fairey, Defense – Loyola University/Toronto Beaches Jr. A
83. Georgia – Connor Boss, Offense – Robert Morris/Buffalos UCBLL
84. San Diego – Tyden Redlick, Goaltender – Edmonton Miners Jr. A
*85. Philadelphia – Matt Kuhn, Goaltender – Philly Kings
86. Buffalo – Vance Adams, Offense – Six Nations Jr. A