Safekipedia2024 NLL season
Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience
The 2024 NLL season was the 37th season of play of the National Lacrosse League. The season began on December 1, 2023, and ended on May 18, 2024. The Buffalo Bandits won the championship by sweeping the Albany FireWolves 2–0 in the NLL Finals series, claiming their sixth league title.
During the season, an exciting moment happened on December 29, 2023, when Canadian referee Carmen Massel became the first woman to be part of the officiating crew in an NLL game. She served as the shot clock operator for the San Diego Seals vs. Rochester Knighthawks game in San Diego, making history in the league.
League business
NLL Unboxed
On November 16, 2023, the NLL started a new program called "NLL Unboxed" to help grow lacrosse among young people. This program creates special lacrosse communities in places that don’t have NLL teams yet. As part of this, the NLL held a special game called the NLL Unboxed Series in Laval, Quebec. This game featured the New York Riptide playing against the Toronto Rock at Place Bell.
Team relocation
On February 21, 2024, the NLL shared news that the New York Riptide would move to Ottawa and change its name to the Ottawa Black Bears.
Teams
Map of teams
The 2024 NLL season showed the teams in the National Lacrosse League. This was the 37th time the league played games. The season started on December 1, 2023, and finished on May 18, 2024. The Buffalo Bandits won the championship by beating the Albany FireWolves in two games.
During the season, on December 29, 2023, Carmen Massel made history as the first woman to help officiate a game in the NLL. She helped keep track of time for the San Diego Seals game.
Regular season
The 2024 season changed its regular season format. Conferences were removed, and all teams played in the same standings. Each team played every other team at least once, and there were special "flex games" to highlight big rivalries and star players. The top eight teams made it to the playoffs.
x = clinched playoff berth | z = clinched top overall record
| P | Team | GP | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | GF | GA | Diff | GF/GP | GA/GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toronto Rock – xz | 18 | 15 | 3 | .833 | 0.0 | 7–2 | 8–1 | 218 | 169 | +49 | 12.11 | 9.39 |
| 2 | San Diego Seals – x | 18 | 13 | 5 | .722 | 2.0 | 8–1 | 5–4 | 210 | 178 | +32 | 11.67 | 9.89 |
| 3 | Albany FireWolves – x | 18 | 11 | 7 | .611 | 4.0 | 5–4 | 6–3 | 206 | 191 | +15 | 11.44 | 10.61 |
| 4 | Buffalo Bandits – x | 18 | 11 | 7 | .611 | 4.0 | 6–3 | 5–4 | 237 | 212 | +25 | 13.17 | 11.78 |
| 5 | Georgia Swarm – x | 18 | 10 | 8 | .556 | 5.0 | 6–3 | 4–5 | 198 | 197 | +1 | 11.00 | 10.94 |
| 6 | Halifax Thunderbirds – x | 18 | 10 | 8 | .556 | 5.0 | 6–3 | 4–5 | 228 | 200 | +28 | 12.67 | 11.11 |
| 7 | Panther City Lacrosse Club – x | 18 | 9 | 9 | .500 | 6.0 | 5–4 | 4–5 | 205 | 202 | +3 | 11.39 | 11.22 |
| 8 | Rochester Knighthawks – x | 18 | 8 | 10 | .444 | 7.0 | 4–5 | 4–5 | 214 | 226 | −12 | 11.89 | 12.56 |
| 9 | New York Riptide | 18 | 8 | 10 | .444 | 7.0 | 4–5 | 4–5 | 206 | 234 | −28 | 11.44 | 13.00 |
| 10 | Saskatchewan Rush | 18 | 8 | 10 | .444 | 7.0 | 4–5 | 4–5 | 217 | 210 | +7 | 12.06 | 11.67 |
| 11 | Calgary Roughnecks | 18 | 8 | 10 | .444 | 7.0 | 6–3 | 2–7 | 198 | 194 | +4 | 11.00 | 10.78 |
| 12 | Vancouver Warriors | 18 | 8 | 10 | .444 | 7.0 | 5–4 | 3–6 | 202 | 211 | −9 | 11.22 | 11.72 |
| 13 | Philadelphia Wings | 18 | 6 | 12 | .333 | 9.0 | 1–8 | 5–4 | 198 | 233 | −35 | 11.00 | 12.94 |
| 14 | Las Vegas Desert Dogs | 18 | 5 | 13 | .278 | 10.0 | 2–7 | 3–6 | 176 | 223 | −47 | 9.78 | 12.39 |
| 15 | Colorado Mammoth | 18 | 5 | 13 | .278 | 10.0 | 4–5 | 1–8 | 193 | 226 | −33 | 10.72 | 12.56 |
Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; LB = Loose Balls
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | LB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Byrne | Buffalo Bandits | 18 | 53 | 82 | 135 | 14 | 75 |
| Dhane Smith | Buffalo Bandits | 18 | 33 | 101 | 134 | 8 | 119 |
| Jeff Teat | New York Riptide | 18 | 58 | 73 | 131 | 6 | 111 |
| Connor Fields | Rochester Knighthawks | 18 | 56 | 64 | 120 | 10 | 158 |
| Mitchell Jones | Philadelphia Wings | 18 | 36 | 75 | 111 | 0 | 110 |
| Wesley Berg | San Diego Seals | 18 | 41 | 67 | 108 | 18 | 96 |
| Jesse King | Calgary Roughnecks | 18 | 32 | 73 | 105 | 16 | 85 |
| Keegan Bal | Vancouver Warriors | 18 | 49 | 56 | 105 | 2 | 66 |
| Will Malcom | Panther City Lacrosse Club | 18 | 37 | 68 | 105 | 0 | 94 |
| Clarke Petterson | Halifax Thunderbirds | 18 | 40 | 64 | 104 | 10 | 91 |
Leading goaltenders
Note: GP = Games played; Mins = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses: GA = Goals Allowed; SV% = Save Percentage; GAA = Goals against average
| Player | Team | GP | Mins | W | L | GA | SV% | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Rose | Toronto Rock | 18 | 1078 | 15 | 2 | 165 | 0.811 | 9.18 |
| Christopher Origlieri | San Diego Seals | 18 | 1059 | 13 | 5 | 173 | 0.792 | 9.79 |
| Doug Jamieson | Albany FireWolves | 17 | 978 | 11 | 5 | 165 | 0.800 | 10.12 |
| Christian Del Bianco | Calgary Roughnecks | 18 | 1081 | 8 | 10 | 192 | 0.795 | 10.65 |
| Warren Hill | Halifax Thunderbirds | 18 | 1039 | 9 | 8 | 188 | 0.773 | 10.85 |
Playoffs
The playoffs began with exciting games between different teams. In the quarterfinals, the Buffalo Bandits and the Albany FireWolves advanced to the next round.
In the semifinals, the Buffalo Bandits defeated the Toronto Rock, and the Albany FireWolves moved on as well. The final series was between the Buffalo Bandits and the Albany FireWolves, with the Bandits winning both games to claim their sixth championship title.
Awards
Annual awards
The 2024 NLL season marked several important milestones. Canadian referee Carmen Massel made history on December 29, 2023, by becoming the first woman to join the officiating crew in an NLL game, serving as the shot clock operator for the San Diego Seals versus another team. The season concluded with the Buffalo Bandits winning their sixth league title by defeating the Albany FireWolves in the finals.
| Award | Winner | Other Finalists |
|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player | Josh Byrne, Buffalo Bandits | Dhane Smith, Buffalo Bandits Nick Rose, Toronto Rock |
| Goaltender of the Year | Nick Rose, Toronto Rock | Doug Jamieson, Albany FireWolves Chris Origlieri, San Diego Seals |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Ryan Dilks, Vancouver Warriors | Mitch de Snoo, Toronto Rock Brad Kri, Toronto Rock |
| Transition Player of the Year | Jake Withers, Halifax Thunderbirds | Ian MacKay, Buffalo Bandits Shane Simpson, Calgary Roughnecks |
| Offensive Player of the Year | Josh Byrne, Buffalo Bandits | Dhane Smith, Buffalo Bandits Jeff Teat, New York Riptide |
| Rookie of the Year | Alex Simmons, Albany FireWolves | Owen Grant, Vancouver Warriors Tye Kurtz, Albany FireWolves |
| Sportsmanship Award | Lyle Thompson, Georgia Swarm | Keegan Bal, Vancouver Warriors Tom Schreiber, Toronto Rock |
| GM of the Year | Glenn Clark, Albany FireWolves | Jamie Dawick, Toronto Rock Curt Malawsky, Vancouver Warriors |
| Les Bartley Award | Glenn Clark, Albany FireWolves | Curt Malawsky, Vancouver Warriors Matt Sawyer, Toronto Rock |
| Executive of the Year Award | John Catalano, Halifax Thunderbirds | Mike Hancock, Toronto Rock Oliver Marti, Albany FireWolves |
| Teammate of the Year Award | Zach Greer, Las Vegas Desert Dogs | not announced |
| Tom Borrelli Award | Adam Levi, NLL.com, NLLPA, Inside Lacrosse, "Lacrosse Matrix" podcast | Teddy Jenner, TSN, "Off the CrosseBar" podcast Graeme Perrow, NLL Chatter |
Stadiums and locations
Attendance
Regular season
Playoffs
| Georgia Swarm | Albany FireWolves | New York Riptide | Philadelphia Wings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gas South Arena | MVP Arena | Nassau Coliseum | Wells Fargo Center |
| Capacity: 11,355 | Capacity: 14,236 | Capacity: 13,917 | Capacity: 19,543 |
| Buffalo Bandits | Halifax Thunderbirds | Rochester Knighthawks | Toronto Rock |
|---|---|---|---|
| KeyBank Center | Scotiabank Centre | Blue Cross Arena | First Ontario Centre |
| Capacity: 19,070 | Capacity: 10,595 | Capacity: 11,200 | Capacity: 17,383 |
| Calgary Roughnecks | Colorado Mammoth | San Diego Seals | Saskatchewan Rush |
|---|---|---|---|
| WestJet Field at Scotiabank Saddledome | Ball Arena | Pechanga Arena | Co-op Field at SaskTel Centre |
| Capacity: 19,289 | Capacity: 18,007 | Capacity: 12,920 | Capacity: 15,190 |
| Vancouver Warriors | Las Vegas Desert Dogs | Panther City Lacrosse Club |
|---|---|---|
| Rogers Arena | Michelob Ultra Arena | Dickies Arena |
| Capacity: 18,910 | Capacity: 12,000 | Capacity: 12,200 |
| Home team | Home games | Average attendance | Total attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bandits | 9 | 16,974 | 152,767 |
| Calgary Roughnecks | 9 | 11,713 | 105,417 |
| Colorado Mammoth | 9 | 10,380 | 93,416 |
| Halifax Thunderbirds | 9 | 9,165 | 82,484 |
| Vancouver Warriors | 9 | 8,874 | 79,867 |
| Toronto Rock | 9 | 8,636 | 77,727 |
| Philadelphia Wings | 9 | 8,364 | 75,276 |
| Saskatchewan Rush | 9 | 8,085 | 72,767 |
| Las Vegas Desert Dogs | 9 | 6,350 | 57,154 |
| Georgia Swarm | 9 | 6,231 | 56,079 |
| Rochester Knighthawks | 9 | 5,526 | 48,738 |
| New York Riptide | 9 | 4,891 | 44,021 |
| San Diego Seals | 9 | 4,667 | 42,002 |
| Albany FireWolves | 9 | 3,963 | 35,665 |
| Panther City LC | 9 | 2,704 | 24,332 |
| League | 135 | 7,768 | 1,047,712 |
| Home team | Home Games | Average Attendance | Total Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bandits | 3 | 17,749 | 53,247 |
| Toronto Rock | 2 | 7,032 | 14,064 |
| San Diego Seals | 2 | 4,903 | 9,805 |
| Albany FireWolves | 3 | 2,930 | 8,790 |
| League | 10 | 8,591 | 85,906 |
Related articles
This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on 2024 NLL season, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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