NLL Rookie Report: Who is the Rookie of the Year?

Congratulations to the rookie class of 2025… you are no longer rookies. 

It was a strong year for the class, with 67 rookie eligible players appearing in games. In total, the class produced 257 goals, 368 assists, and 625 points. 

The biggest performance of week 21 came from Halifax forward Mike Robinson, who scored 3 goals and added 3 assists in their emphatic victory over the Toronto Rock. Robinson led all rookies in scoring this week and added 4 loose balls to his tally. He finishes the year with 22 goals and 32 assists, a more than respectable rookie season. 

Absolutely elite finish from Mike Robinson on the transition goal 😎@HFXThunderbirds pic.twitter.com/91rkWC4EBT

— NLL (@NLL) April 19, 2025

Adam Poitras should rightfully find his name in contention for rookie of the year after one of the most unique first seasons in league history. He finished it off nicely with 2 goals and 2 assists for the Vegas Desert Dogs. He added another caused turnover, a blocked shot, and 4 loose balls. He finishes his year at 23 goals, 24 assists, 47 points, 89 loose balls, and 17 caused turnovers. He finished fourth among all rookies in loose balls despite missing essentially two games to injury (he was injured on the first shift against San Diego and missed another game).

He led all rookies in caused turnovers, an incredible statistic for a player that came out of the offensive door all season long. 

Finishing his season off the right way was Dyson Williams, who will finish as the leading scorer in the class. He added 2 goals and an assist to his final tally, bringing him to 64 points on the season. 

That gives him a 7-point lead over second place, Philadelphia’s Brennan O’Neill. The former Duke teammates were back-to-back first overall picks in the NLL entry drafts, and both had nice debuts this season. 

Third place is Robinson, and fourth is Poitras. The Rookie of the Year award winner figures to come out of that pack this season. If Poitras were to win, it would be the first time since the abbreviated 2020 season that the leading scorer didn’t win. That year, Connor Fields was still technically a rookie (he played twice in 2019) and scored 44 points, one more than Tyson Gibson. Gibson won the award. 

But Williams is likely considered the favourite after his very strong season. Since 2017, only five rookies have scored more than Dyson’s 64 points. Tye Kurtz and Alex Simmons did it last year, Jon Donville the year before, and Jeff Teat and Patrick Dodds in 2022. 

Who do you think is the rookie of the year? Let us know in the comments below!