Every summer since he was a kid, Burlington Blaze forward Nate Watson would travel with his Team New Brunswick teammates to compete in a box lacrosse tournament in Ontario. Every summer, he wondered whether the talent in Ontario would eventually pass him over.
After all, kids from New Brunswick aren’t supposed to compete with the hotbed areas.
Watson kept showing up, and that day never came. Those tournaments started him on a path to becoming the first Maritimer to play Division I lacrosse, and now to the OJLL where he has been one of the top 15 point producers in the entire league.
From the Bay of Fundy to the Burlington Bay, Watson has proven himself again and again.
“Every time, I would just feel comfortable, which was kind of weird for a kid from New Brunswick” said Watson. “Every summer I was like okay, this will probably end soon, but then it just never kind of ended, I always felt good.”
Watson hails from Quispamsis, New Brunswick, a town of just over 18,000 people on the outskirts of St. John. But his lacrosse journey has taken a number of twists and turns that led him to Ontario for the summer.
Burlington General Manager Sean Gillies first noticed Watson last year, when Watson was playing Jr. B in St. Catharines. Known as an offensive player, Watson caught Gillies’ eye when he got in a fight against the other team’s toughest player. That told Gillies all he needed to know.
“The guy had heart, and he wanted his chance” said Gillies.
That heart is what has allowed Watson to trailblaze a path previously unthinkable for a New Brunswick raised player.
“He carries that pride,” said Gillies on Watson representing New Brunswick players. “It’s a big deal for him to get to the next level and to prove people wrong and to prove himself right.”
Watson’s journey began when he saw an advertisement for lacrosse and asked his parents to sign him and his brother up. He played his youth lacrosse for the Fundy Lacrosse Association, where his dad Jeff took on a coaching role to support his sons.
Without access to live games close to home, Jeff bought the Mark Millon DVD’s to help him and his son learn more about the game.
“I would just watch those with him when he was trying to learn the game, I just loved it so I wanted to learn more. That’s kind of how I got knowledge of the game,” said Watson.
As his career progressed, he got connected with Jeremy Vautour, a fellow New Brunswick native who played Division III lacrosse for St. Lawrence College. Vautour helped open young Watson’s eyes to the opportunities available at prep schools and eventually NCAA colleges.
“I didn’t realize that kids can actually play and get something from lacrosse,” said Watson. “So I was like, maybe I could go somewhere with this.”
He went to an American showcase tournament and ended up attending the Pomfret School, a boarding school in Northeastern Connecticut. It was there that his career really began to blossom, scoring 244 points in 43 career games, including a school record 105 points during his senior season. Once again, Watson realized he could play at a higher level.
“I was like oh, maybe I’m good, not just in New Brunswick, but I’m good down here in the U.S too,” said Watson.
From there, Division I lacrosse became the logical next step.
“It was always the goal to try and play Division I, because there had never been someone from Atlantic Canada to play Division I,” said Watson.
He played in some club lacrosse tournaments and eventually got some looks from schools like Sacred Heart, Umass Lowell and the Air Force Academy (which wanted him to seek US citizenship to play). But he settled on Quinnipiac, a school not far from Pomfret, after falling in love with the campus on a visit.
It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Like many college lacrosse players, Watson came into a senior-heavy team that left little room for playing time. He didn’t step on the field during his freshman campaign, which was a difficult setback in a career that had been until that point defined by competing right away at higher levels.
“That was definitely the biggest culture shock,” he said. “This isn’t New Brunswick lacrosse anymore, this is Division I and there’s just so much depth.”
But the setback was a minor one for Watson, who spent last summer as part of the St. Catharines Jr. B program, recruited there by fellow Maritimer and NLL defender Alex Pace. Pace was coaching the Jr. B team who was in a hunt for the Founders Cup, and Watson got a few games in Jr. A as well.
That led to a very successful 2025 NCAA season where Watson scored 29 goals and 16 assists to lead the Bobcats in scoring. Not only was he the first New Brunswick player to compete in Division I, but now he was actually a key player for them as well.
Nate Watson ties it 3-3, then Grant Pearsall gives us a one-goal lead on the road 💪 pic.twitter.com/uMEDGu08y6
— Quinnipiac Men's Lacrosse (@QU_MLAX) March 15, 2025
With the St. Catharines association chasing a Minto Cup in 2025, Watson was a bit of a free agent for this summer. He started emailing teams and soon heard back from Gillies.
“I was basically just asking for a shot, because I knew I could play at this level,” said Watson. “I just wanted a chance to show it.”
Ironically, and in true Canadian fashion, Watson found common ground quickly with the Burlington staff. Watson’s father and extended family hails from Riverview, New Brunswick. Burlington General Manager Sean Gillies has a great-uncle who was the mayor of Riverview. Burlington Head Coach Dan MacRae’s wife also hails from Riverview.
The east coast connection was a point of pride for Gillies, whose parents live full-time in the Maritimes now. He agreed to bring Watson and fellow New Brunswick native Aidan Carr to Burlington, as well as fellow Maritimer Noah Fletcher who is competing in their Jr. B system.
The decision has paid off. Watson is second in team scoring with 14 goals and 18 assists in 9 games, while Carr has added 5 assists out the back door. Watson’s production is good for 13th in the league as of this writing.
Just like the other summers, Watson has felt just fine.
“I feel comfortable, I don’t feel out of place at all,” said Watson.
Gillies echoed those sentiments.
“The sky is the limit for him man, so I’m really happy. He’s a warrior,” said Gillies.
Watson admitted that it’s tough being away from home so often, noting that his parents Jeff and Tina have made it to a few games, but not many. He said he sends them the film so they can watch every game after the fact, and noted how appreciative he is that they continue to help him live his dreams.
One of those dreams is to be an inspiration to kids like him in New Brunswick.
“I just hope they can look at lacrosse as an actual option,” said Watson. “Even though you’re from New Brunswick or even all the Atlantic provinces like P.E.I or Nova Scotia… if you put in the time and you want to get somewhere with it, you really can.”
Another summer has come and another challenge has been accepted by Nate Watson. Once again, he’s proven he belongs.