📊 FINAL PLL STANDINGS & PLAYOFF BRACKET

In late May, dozens of the best lacrosse players on the planet descended upon Albany, New York for PLL training camp. Three months and 10 stops later, the 2023 regular season has come to a close.

Here’s a look at the final standings after last weekend’s games in Salt Lake City, Utah:

Everyone except for Chrome qualified for the 2023 PLL Playoffs, and the top four teams — Archers, Cannons, Waterdogs and Redwoods — qualified for the 2024 Championship Series (a week-long Sixes tournament next February).

With playoff lacrosse coming up, this newsletter will break down the full bracket, some key statistics from the regular season, what’s next for the Chrome and more…

🏆 Road To 2023 PLL Championship

Now that you’ve seen the final standings, here’s a closer look at the bracket for the 2023 PLL Playoffs:

By virtue of their league-best 8-2 record, the Archers wrapped up the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye. The other six playoff teams will battle it out in the quarterfinals, which is a triple-header at Gillette Stadium on Labor Day (Monday, Sep. 4).

Here’s a little bit about each matchup…

(4) Redwoods vs. (5) Chaos: Chaos may be the lower seed here, but they won’t be an underdog. They’ve appeared in each of the past three title games and won the PLL Championship in 2021. Star attackman Josh Byrne is back from injury, and head coach Andy Towers will have his team ready to make a deep run. The Redwoods’ winning record is a little deceiving; they have a negative scoring differential (-8), and two of their past three wins came in overtime.

(3) Waterdogs vs. (6) Whipsnakes: As the reigning champs, the Waterdogs are legit contenders. They have the most balanced starting attack in the PLL, and Dillon Ward is a difference-maker in cage. The Whipsnakes have battled through injuries and some other growing pains this season, but they’ve yet to reach their full potential. Head coach Jim Stagnitta has two rings already and knows what it takes to win a championship. Could recent trade acquisition Jackson Morrill (via Chrome) be the key down the stretch?

(2) Cannons vs. (7) Atlas: The two teams with first-year head coaches. Brian Holman has transformed the Cannons into the highest scoring offense in PLL history and is the favorite to win Coach of the Year. Mike Pressler, on the other hand, has struggled in command of the Atlas. They’ve lost seven of their past eight games and backed into the last playoff spot. Atlas has talent all over the field, including the reigning MVP in face-off athlete Trevor Baptiste, but it would still be shocking to see them knock off the Cannons in the quarterfinals.

The Archers await the winner of Redwoods vs. Chaos. The winners of the other two quarterfinal matchups will meet at Shuart Stadium on Long Island for the semifinal round on Sep. 10.

⚔️ Chrome To Pick No. 1 in 2024

For the second time in three years, the Chrome own the No. 1 pick in the PLL Draft. In 2022, they picked Maryland’s Logan Wisnauskas with the first-overall selection; they’ll likely select another big lefty next spring in Duke attackman Brennan O’Neill.

O’Neill has been described as a prodigy since he was in 8th grade. He has lived up to all expectations with the Blue Devils, racking up a ridiculous 226 points (153 goals, 73 assists) over the past three years. As a junior last season, he powered Duke to an appearance in the NCAA Championship game and won the Tewaaraton Award as the best all-around player in the country.

This summer, O’Neill was the only collegiate player to suit up for Team USA in the World Lacrosse Men’s Championship in San Diego. He ended up scoring five goals in the Gold Medal game versus Canada and was named MVP of the entire tournament, setting the stage for a potentially massive senior season at Duke.

But can O’Neill save the Chrome on his own? They had one of the worst offenses in PLL history, averaging a pitiful 8.1 points per game this season. They sorely missed their quarterback at X (Brendan Nichtern only played in two games due to military obligations), and that’s not the role O’Neill is known to play. In fact, his skillset seems to overlap with that of Wisnauskas, as they’re both large-frame lefties who like to play above GLE and finish.

The addition of O’Neill — if that’s the route the Chrome choose to go — will only be the first step in what should be a complete offensive rebuild. Trading Morrill gave them an extra second-round pick. They will have to nail that pick, plus the rest of their draft and free agency to field a competitive team in 2024.

📊 2023 Statistical Leaders

With the 2023 regular season is in the books, let’s see who led the league in the following statistical categories…

Total Points
1. Marcus Holman, Cannons — 44 pts.
2. Asher Nolting, Cannons — 41 pts.
3. Connor Fields, Archers — 39 pts.
t-4. Chris Gray, Atlas — 37 pts.
t-4. Tom Schreiber, Archers — 37 pts.
t-6. Jeff Teat, Atlas — 36 pts.
t-6. Ryder Garnsey, Redwoods — 36 pts.
8. Mac O’Keefe, Archers — 35 pts.
9. Kieran McArdle, Waterdogs — 34 pts.
10. Rob Pannell, Redwoods — 33 pts.

Goals (1-pointers only)
1. Marcus Holman, Cannons — 29 goals
2. Connor Fields, Archers — 28 goals
3. Ryder Garnsey, Redwoods — 25 goals
t-4. Mac O’Keefe, Archers — 22 goals
t-4. Eric Law, Atlas — 22 goals

Assists
t-1. Jeff Teat, Atlas — 25 assists
t-1. Dhane Smith, Chaos — 25 assists
3. Asher Nolting, Cannons — 20 assists
4. Rob Pannell, Redwoods — 18 assists
5. Tom Schreiber, Archers — 17 assists

2-Point Goals
t-1. Tucker Dordevic, Whipsnakes — 5 goals
t-1. Connor Kelly, Waterdogs — 5 goals
t-2. Mac O’Keefe, Archers — 4 goals
t-2. Chris Aslanian, Cannons — 4 goals
t-2. Cade van Raaphorst, Cannons — 4 goals

Face-Off Win %
1. Trevor Baptiste, Atlas — 77.4%
2. Mike Sisselberger, Archers — 68.1%
3. TD Ierlan, Redwoods — 67.8%
4. Connor Farrell, Chrome — 61.3%
5. Zach Currier, Waterdogs — 58.6%

Caused Turnovers
1. Ethan Rall, Cannons — 20 CTO
2. Garrett Epple, Redwoods — 18 CTO
t-3. Bubba Fairman, Cannons — 15 CTO
t-3. Will Bowen, Chaos — 15 CTO
5. Jack Rowlett, Chaos — 12 CTO

Save Percentage
1. Dillon Ward, Waterdogs — 61.2%
2. Blaze Riorden, Chaos — 59.9%
3. Brett Dobson, Archers — 58%
4. Colin Kirst, Cannons — 56.5%
5. Brendan Krebs, Whipsnakes — 55.1%

🥍 Street Lacrosse Coming to NYC

Lacrosse is hitting the streets of New York City, thanks in part to NBA superstar and notable PLL investor Kevin Durant. The PLL and Boardroom will host the first ever “Open Run Event” for Street Lacrosse on Friday, Sep. 8 at Durant’s Build It and They Will Ball court on the Lower East Side.

If you’re not familiar with Street Lacrosse, it’s pretty open-ended but here’s a brief explanation of what to expect:

If you’re in the area, come check it out. TLN will be on site for the event, and so will several pro lacrosse players. It should be a fun opportunity to grow the game in a unique way.

👀 Nakeie’s Lacrosse Story

With the offseason approaching, TLN’s Lacrosse Stories are returning. The first athlete we’re profiling this year is Redwoods midfielder Nakeie Montgomery.

Here’s a sneak peek at Nakeie’s story:

Montgomery was an All-American at Duke and was selected by the Woods in the third round of the 2022 PLL Draft. The full episode on him is slated to drop on TLN’s YouTube channel this week.

📺 PLL Broadcast Info

The PLL is headed to Boston for the quarterfinals. Here’s when and where you can watch the action (Eastern Time):

Monday, September 4
11:45 a.m. — Chaos vs. Redwoods (ESPN+)
2:20 p.m. — Whipsnakes vs. Waterdogs (ESPN+)
5 p.m. — Atlas vs. Cannons (ESPN2)