2025 Premier Lacrosse League season
2025 Premier Lacrosse League season | |
---|---|
League | Premier Lacrosse League |
Sport | Field Lacrosse |
Defending champions | Utah Archers (2024) |
Duration | May 30 – September 14 |
Number of teams | 8 |
Draft | |
Top draft pick | CJ Kirst |
Picked by | Philadelphia Waterdogs |
Regular season | |
Top scorer | Connor Shellenberger (New York Atlas) |
The 2025 Premier Lacrosse League season is the 7th season of the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL). The regular season began on May 30 and will run through August 9. The playoffs will run from August 22 through September 14.
Player Movements
Retirements
- Chris Gray (Atlas, Redwoods)
- 2x All-Star, NCAA All-time Points Leader
- Kyle Bernlohr (Whipsnakes)
- 6x All-Star, 1x 1st Team All-Pro, 1x Goalie of the Year, 2x PLL Champion (2019, 2020)
- Mike Channenchuck (Whipsnakes)
- 5x All-Star, 1x 1st Team All-pro, 1x 2nd Team All-pro, 2x PLL Champion (2019, 2020)
Free Agency
Free Agency Free Agency occurred from March 3 to May 7. Eligible players were any player with an expired contract or any player who was not on an active roster for 30% of the clubs' games.[1]
Notable Movements include:
- Rob Pannell (Redwoods to Whipsnakes)
- Dylan Molloy (Atlas to Redwoods)
- CJ Costabile (Chaos to Atlas)
- Zach Geddes (Chaos to Outlaws)
College Draft
The college draft took place on May 6 at 7 pm (ET) and was broadcast on ESPN+.[2] The Philadelphia Waterdogs had the first pick, selecting the NCAA career goals record holder, CJ Kirst. The Denver Outlaws and California Redwoods made the most selections with 5, including California making two first-round selections. The Boston Cannons and the Carolina Chaos made the fewest selections with 3.
Trades
In the explanations below, (PD) indicates trades completed prior to the start of the draft (i.e. Pre-Draft), while (D) denotes trades that took place during the 2025 draft.
First Round
- No. 3: Outlaws → Cannons (PD). On November 7, the Cannons traded Pat Kavanaugh for the 2025 3rd overall pick and Denver's earliest 2026 second round pick. [5]
- Cannons → Redwoods (PD). On March 21, the Redwoods traded Owen Grant to the Cannons for the 3rd overall pick and their 2026 4th.[6]
- No. 5: Chaos → Archers (D). During the 2025 Draft, the Archers traded the 8th and 16th overall picks to the Chaos for the 5th and 21st overall picks.[7]
- No. 8: Archers → Chaos (D). See pick 5.
Second Round
- No. 15: Whipsnakes → Waterdogs (PD). On August 6, the Waterdogs traded Ryan Conrad to the Whipsnakes for a 2025 2nd.[8]
- No. 16: Archers → Chaos (D). See pick 5.
Third Round
- No. 17: Waterdogs → Whipsnakes (PD). The Whipsnakes traded Zed Williams and the 23rd overall pick to the Waterdogs for Matt Brandau and the 17th overall pick. [9]
- No. 18: Redwoods → Archers (PD). During the 2024 PLL Draft, the Archers traded the 2024 32nd pick to the Redwoods for their 2025 3rd.[10]
- No. 20: Cannons → Whipsnakes (PD). On November 28, 2023, the Cannons traded Matt Rees, the 2024 22nd pick, and their 2025 3rd for Connor Kirst and Bryce Young.[11]
- No. 21: Chaos → Archers. See pick 5.
- No. 23: Whipsnakes → Waterdogs (PD). See pick 17.
- No. 24: Archers → Whipsnakes (PD). On August 13, the Whipsnakes traded Jackson Morrill for a 2025 3rd.[12]
Fourth Round
- No. 26: Redwoods → Outlaws (PD). On March 28, the Outlaws traded Brendan Nichtern to the Redwoods for the 26th overall pick.[13]
- No. 29: Chaos → Redwoods (PD). On April 9, the Redwoods traded Garrett Degnon to the Chaos for the 29th overall pick.[14]
- No. 31: Whipsnakes → Redwoods (PD). On June 11, the Redwoods traded Levi Anderson to the Whipsnakes for a 2025 4th.[15]
Summary
Selections by NCAA conference
Conference | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ACC | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 11 |
Atlantic 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Big East | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
Big Ten | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
Ivy League | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
Patriot League | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Non-Division I [b] | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Schools by number of draft selections
Selections | Schools |
---|---|
4 | Syracuse |
3 | Notre Dame, Maryland |
2 | Cornell, Duke, Penn, Penn State, Denver, Virginia |
1 | Princeton, Georgetown, Saint Joseph's. Yale, Florida, Johns Hopkins, Harvard, Michigan, Richmond, Army |
Selections by Position
Position | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Attack | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
Defense | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
Defensive
Midfield |
0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
Faceoff | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Goalie | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
LSM | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Midfield | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
- Notes
- ^ Florida's lacrosse program is affiliated with the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association, playing at the club sport level.[3] Hess spent his 4 years of NCAA eligibility with Georgetown where he was a First-Team All-American in 2024.[4]
- ^ Dylan Hess, Florida
Mid-Season Player Movement
Jared Bernhardt
On May 29, the PLL reported that former Tewaaraton Award winner, Jared Bernhardt, was meeting with PLL teams to discuss a return to lacrosse.[16] After graduating from Maryland, Bernhardt chose to play football at Ferris State, and pursue his dream of playing in the NFL.[17] After winning the DII National Championship, he signed with the Atlanta Falcons, making their 53-man roster in 2022. Bernhardt appeared in two games before he suffered a groin injury and was placed on IR.[18] He was waived for the final time in 2024.[18]
After meeting with several teams, Bernhardt signed with the Denver Outlaws on June 2nd.[19] He joined fellow Tewaaraton Award winners Logan Wisnauskas, Brennan O'Neill, and Pat Kavanaugh in Denver.
Free Agency
On July 9, Jules Heningburg signed with the Boston Cannons. He spent the 2024 season with the Chaos and was waived after training camp. The 4x All-Star returned to the PLL with 3 points in his debut.[20]
On July 15, Dox Aitken made his return to lacrosse, moving from the hold-out list to the New York Atlas' 25-man roster.[21] Aitken previously chose to pursue football, playing for the semi-pro Ohio Valley Ironmen of the International Football Alliance. On June 26, they canceled the remainder of their season after starting the season 3-0 with a combined score of 166-0.[22]
Trades
On June 9, the Outlaws traded Sam Handley to the Redwoods for a 2026 third-round pick.[23] The 2023 fourth-overall pick scored 30 points in his first two seasons, but was pushed out of the offensive rotation by the arrival of Jared Bernhardt.[23][24]
Tour map
Tour venues
Week | Venue | Home Team | Location | Capacity[a] | Image | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Tom & Mary Casey Stadium | New York Atlas | Albany, NY | 8,500 | ![]() |
||
2 | American Legion Memorial Stadium | Carolina Chaos | Charlotte, NC | 10,500 |
|
||
3 | Villanova Stadium | Philadelphia Waterdogs | Villanova, PA | 12,500 | |||
4 | Homewood Field | Maryland Whipsnakes | Baltimore, MD | 8,500 | ![]() |
||
5 | Torero Stadium | California Redwoods | San Diego, CA | 6,000 | ![]() |
||
6
(All-Star Game) |
CPKC Stadium | All-Star | Kansas City, MO | 11,500 | ![]() |
[25] | |
7 | Martin Stadium | Neutral Site | Evanston, IL | 12,023 | ![]() |
||
8 | Rafferty Stadium | Neutral Site | Fairfield, CT | 3,500 | ![]() |
||
9 | Zions Bank Stadium | Utah Archers | Herriman, UT | 5,000 | ![]() |
||
10 | Peter Barton Stadium | Denver Outlaws | Denver, CO | 2,000 | |||
11 | Harvard Stadium | Boston Cannons | Boston, MA | 25,000 | ![]() |
||
12
(Quarterfinals) |
TCO Stadium | Neutral Site | Eagan, MN | 6,000 | ![]() |
||
13
(Semifinals) |
Subaru Park | Neutral Site | Chester, PA | 18,500 | ![]() |
||
14
(Championship) |
Sports Illustrated Stadium | Neutral Site | Harrison, NJ | 25.000 | ![]() |
Schedule
The addition of home cities and conferences brought slight changes to the schedule. Every team has one weekend where they are the home team and play a weekend doubleheader. There are two weekends (Chicago and Fairfield) when there is no home team and every team plays. Each team will play in-conference opponents twice and out-of-conference opponents once. All games are streamed on ESPN+ during the season.
- Notes
Source:[26]
Regular Season Standings
2025 Eastern Conference Standings | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | W | L | SF | SA | Diff | ||||||||
New York Atlas ZY | 7 | 3 | 137 | 120 | 17 | ||||||||
Maryland Whipsnakes X | 4 | 6 | 119 | 108 | 11 | ||||||||
Philadelphia Waterdogs X | 4 | 6 | 124 | 127 | -3 | ||||||||
Boston Cannons | 4 | 6 | 127 | 138 | -11 |
2025 Western Conference Standings | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | W | L | SF | SA | Diff | ||||||||
Denver Outlaws ZY | 7 | 3 | 131 | 113 | 18 | ||||||||
California Redwoods XY | 5 | 5 | 126 | 130 | -4 | ||||||||
Carolina Chaos XY | 5 | 5 | 110 | 125 | -15 | ||||||||
Utah Archers | 4 | 6 | 98 | 111 | -13 |
Top Team in Each Conference Receive a first-round bye |
Top 3 Teams in Each Conference Qualify for the 2025 Playoffs |
Bottom Team in Each Conference Misses 2025 Playoffs |
X = Clinched Playoffs |
Y = Qualified for the Championship Series |
Z = Clinched #1 Seed |
Source: Standings - Premier Lacrosse League
Postseason
Bracket
Quarterfinals August 23 (Eagan, MN) | Semifinals September 1 (Chester, PA) | PLL Championship Game September 14 (Harrison, NJ) | ||||||||||||
#1 | Atlas | |||||||||||||
#2 | Whipsnakes | |||||||||||||
#3 | Waterdogs | |||||||||||||
#1 | Outlaws | |||||||||||||
#2 | Redwoods | |||||||||||||
#3 | Chaos |
Regular-season statistical leaders
Statistic | Player | Position | Team |
---|---|---|---|
Points | Connor Shellenberger (46) | Attack | New York Atlas |
One-point goals | Dylan Molloy (26) | Attack | California Redwoods |
Two-point goals | Marcus Holman (5) | Attack | Boston Cannons |
Scoring Points | Dylan Molloy (27) | Attack | California Redwoods |
Assists | Asher Nolting (26) | Attack | Boston Cannons |
Shots | Pat Kavanagh (90) | Attack | Denver Outlaws |
Shot Percentage | Reid Bowering (50%) | Midfield | New York Atlas |
Touches | Pat Kavanagh (454) | Attack | Denver Outlaws |
Faceoff Percentage | Justin Inacio (60.9%) | Face-off | Carolina Chaos |
Save Percentage | Austin Kaut (62.5%) | Goaltender | Carolina Chaos |
Caused Turnovers | Ajax Zappitello (17) | Defense | Maryland Whipsnakes |
Groundballs | Trevor Baptiste (87) | Faceoff | New York Atlas |
Source:[27]
Statistic | Team |
---|---|
Offensive | |
Scores per Game | New York Atlas (13.7) |
Shots per Game | Denver Outlaws (45.5) |
Shot Percentage | New York Atlas (30.4%) |
One-point goals | New York Atlas (123) |
Two-point goals | Boston Cannons and Denver Outlaws (12) |
Turnovers (High) | New York Atlas (195) |
Turnovers (Low) | Boston Cannons (156) |
Defensive | |
Scores Against Average (Low) | Maryland Whipsnakes (10.8) |
Scores Against Average (High) | Boston Cannons (13.8) |
Two-Points Goals Against (Low) | Maryland Whipsnakes (7) |
Two-Point Goals Against (High) | Philadelphia Waterdogs (15) |
Caused Turnovers | Boston Cannons (81) |
Groundballs recovered | New York Atlas (355) |
Saves Per Game | Boston Cannons (13.8) |
Save Percentage | Utah Archers (59.1%) |
Power Play and Penalty Kill | |
Power Play Goal Percentage | Boston Cannons (42.1%) |
Power Play Goals | New York Atlas (10) |
Penalty Kill Percentage | New York Atlas (79.2%) |
Penalty Kills | Boston Cannons (33) |
Penalties (Low) | Maryland Whipsnakes (19) |
Penalties (High) | Boston Cannons (34) |
Penalty Minutes (Low) | Maryland Whipsnakes (12) |
Penalty Minutes (High) | Boston Cannons (27.5) |
Source:[28]
Awards
Players of the Week
Date Awarded | Player | Team | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
June 3 | Chris Kavanagh | California Redwoods | [29] |
June 10 | Blaze Riorden | Carolina Chaos | [30] |
June 17 | Michael Sowers | Philadelphia Waterdogs | [31] |
June 24 | Jeff Teat | New York Atlas | [32] |
June 30 | Pat Kavanagh | Denver Outlaws | [33] |
July 5 | Brennan O'Neill | West | [34] |
July 15 | Connor Shellenberger | New York Atlas | [35] |
July 22 | Connor Shellenberger (2) | New York Atlas | [36] |
July 29 | Brennan O'Neill | Denver Outlaws | [37] |
August 5 | Chris Kavanagh (2) | California Redwoods | [38] |
August 12 | Connor Shellenberger (3) | New York Atlas | [39] |
Individual Season Awards
On August 18, the PLL announced the finalists for the 2024 End of Season Awards via Media Social Plataforms.
List of awards and finalists
The winner of the award are highlighted in Bold.
Jim Brown Most Valuable Player
- Pat Kavanagh (Denver Outlaws)
- Brennan O'Neill (Denver Outlaws)
- Connor Shellenberger (New York Atlas)
- Michael Sowers (Philadelphia Waterdogs)
Eamon McEneaney Attackman of the Year
- Pat Kavanagh (Denver Outlaws)
- Brennan O'Neill (Denver Outlaws)
- Connor Shellenberger (New York Atlas)
- Michael Sowers (Philadelphia Waterdogs)
Gait Brothers Midfielder of the Year
- Matt Campbell (Boston Cannons)
- Jared Bernhardt (Denver Outlaws)
- Bryan Costabile (New York Atlas)
- Andrew McAdorey (California Redwoods)
Dave Pietramala Defensive Player of the Year
- Graeme Hossack (Utah Archers)
- JT Giles-Harris (Denver Outlaws)
- Gavin Adler (New York Atlas)
- Jack Rowlett (Carolina Chaos)
Oren Lyons Goalie of the Year
- Liam Entenmann (New York Atlas)
- Logan McNaney (Denver Outlaws)
- Blaze Riorden (Carolina Chaos)
Paul Cantabene Face-Off Athlete of the Year
- Trevor Baptiste (New York Atlas)
- Joe Nardella (Maryland Whipsnakes)
- TD Ierlan (California Redwoods)
Brodie Merrill Long Stick Midfielder of the Year
- Jake Piseno (Denver Outlaws)
- Troy Reh (Carolina Chaos)
- Mason Woodward (Utah Archers)
George Boiardi Hard Hat Award - Awarded to the SSDM of the year
- Brian Tevlin (California Redwoods)
- Ryan Terefenko (Denver Outlaws)
- Danny Logan (New York Atlas)
- Dylan Hess (Philadelphia Waterdogs)
2025 Rookie of the Year
- Chris Kavanagh (California Redwoods)
- Logan McNaney (Denver Outlaws)
- Owen Hiltz (Carolina Chaos)
- Aidan Carroll (Maryland Whipsnakes)
Comeback Player of the Year
- Jack Kielty (Boston Cannons)
- Dylan Molloy (California Redwoods)
- Brad Smith (Maryland Whipsnakes)
Dick Edell Coach of the Year
- Tim Soudan (Denver Outlaws)
- Mike Pressler (New York Atlas)
- Anthony Kelly (California Redwoods)
Dave Huntley Sportsmanship Award
- Ryan Ambler (Utah Archers)
- Joe Nardella (Maryland Whipsnakes)
- Mark Glicini (Carolina Chaos)
Welles Crowther Humanitarian Award
- Jake Piseno (Denver Outlaws)
- Romar Dennis (California Redwoods)
- Piper Bond (Utah Archers)
Jimmy Regan Teammate Award
- Brian Tevlin (California Redwoods)
- Trevor Baptiste (New York Atlas)
- Austin Kaut (Carolina Chaos)
Brendan Looney Leadership Award
- Mike Manley (Denver Outlaws)
- Matt Dunn (Maryland Whipsnakes)
- Blaze Riorden (Carolina Chaos)
Coaching Changes
Offseason Changes
On December 5, 2024 Andy Towers resigned as head coach of the Carolina Chaos, over disputes with the PLL.[40][41] He was replaced by Roy Colsey on January 30, 2025.[42]
In March 2025, Nat St. Laurent stepped down as head coach of the California Redwoods.[43] He was replaced by Anthony Kelly on March 20, 2025.[44]
References
- ^ "PLL Free Agency Tracker". Premier Lacrosse League.
- ^ "Draft". Premier Lacrosse League.
- ^ "University of Florida Lacrosse". Gator Lacrosse. University of Florida.
- ^ "Dylan Hess". Georgetown Hoyas Men's Lacrosse Roster. Georgetown University.
- ^ Adams, Topher. "Pat Kavanagh traded from Cannons to Outlaws for third overall pick". Premier Lacrosse League.
- ^ Griffin, Sarah. "Redwoods send Owen Grant to Cannons for No. 3 pick in blockbuster trade". Premier Lacrosse League.
- ^ "Premier Lacrosse League". Premier Lacrosse on X.
- ^ Lamberti, Adam. "Ryan Conrad trade boosts Whipsnakes' championship hopes". Premier Lacrosse League.
- ^ Lamberti, Adam. "Whipsnakes trade Zed Williams to Waterdogs for Matt Brandau, draft pick swap". Premier Lacrosse League.
- ^ "Premier Lacrosse League". Premier Lacrosse on X.
- ^ Lamberti, Adam. "TRADE: Maryland Whipsnakes acquire LSM Matt Rees". Premier Lacrosse League.
- ^ Lamberti, Adam. "Archers acquire Jackson Morrill from Whipsnakes for 2025 draft pick". Premier Lacrosse League.
- ^ Adams, Topher. "Brendan Nichtern, 2022 Rookie of the Year, traded to Redwoods". Premier Lacrosse League.
- ^ Lewis, Hayden. "Chaos acquire Garrett Degnon from Redwoods for fourth-round pick". Premier Lacrosse League.
- ^ Lamberti, Adam. "Redwoods trade Levi Anderson to Whipsnakes for 2025 draft pick". Premier Lacrosse League.
- ^ "OFFICIAL: Former Tewaaraton winner Jared Bernhardt is returning to the lacrosse field". PLL on Instagram.
- ^ "Bulldog National Champion Alum Jared Bernhardt Makes NFL 53-Man Roster With Atlanta Falcons". Ferris State Bulldogs News.
- ^ a b "Jared Bernhardt News". Fox Sports.
- ^ Adams, Topher. "Jared Bernhardt signs with Denver Outlaws in return to lacrosse". Premier Lacrosse League.
- ^ Griffin, Sarah. "From the booth to the Boom Squad: Jules Heningburg finds his fit with the Cannons". Premier Lacrosse League.
- ^ Lamonaca, Paul. "Dox Aitken activated to Atlas' 25-man roster". Premier Lacrosse League.
- ^ Demcher, Jordan "Jordie". "Semi-Pro Football Team, The Ohio Valley Ironmen, Had To Cancel The Rest Of Their Season After Winning The First 3 Games By A Combined 166-0". Barstool Sports.
- ^ a b Shore, Phil. "Redwoods acquire Sam Handley from Outlaws for draft pick". Premier Lacrosse League.
- ^ "Sam Handley Player Stats". Premier Lacrosse League.
- ^ "Dr. Mark & Cindy Lynn Soccer Stadium — Campus Tours". louisville.edu. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
- ^ "2025 PLL Schedule". Premier Lacrosse League.
- ^ "Leaderboards". PLL Stats Players.
- ^ "Leaderboards". PLL Stats Teams.
- ^ "Chris Kavanagh is your Player of the Week!". x.com/PremierLacrosse. June 3, 2025.
- ^ "25 Saves for Blaze!!!". x.com/PremierLacrosse. June 10, 2025.
- ^ "Seven for Sowers!". x.com/PremierLacrosse. June 17, 2025.
- ^ "Jeff Teat dropped 8 points... Again!". x.com/PremierLacrosse. June 24, 2025.
- ^ "Pat Kavanagh is your Player of the Week!". x.com/PremierLacrosse. June 30, 2025.
- ^ "All smiles for the @Lexus All-Star MVP, @BrennanONeill2". x.com/PremierLacrosse. July 5, 2025.
- ^ "Shelly is your @ChampionUSA Player of the Week!". x.com/PremierLacrosse. July 15, 2025.
- ^ "Could this be Connor Shellenberger's MVP season?". x.com/PremierLacrosse. July 22, 2025.
- ^ "Brennan O'Neill took over". x.com/PremierLacrosse. July 29, 2025.
- ^ "Chris Kavanagh among all rookies..." x.com/PremierLacrosse. August 5, 2025.
- ^ "Who but Connor Shellenberger?!?". x.com/PremierLacrosse. August 12, 2025.
- ^ "Andy Towers Steps Down After Reported Staff Disagreement with PLL". USA Lacrosse. Retrieved 2025-01-29.
- ^ "The Inside Story on Why Andy Towers Stepped Down as Chaos Head Coach". December 17, 2023.
- ^ "Carolina Chaos hire Roy Colsey as coach, Spencer Ford as GM". ESPN.com. 2025-01-30. Retrieved 2025-07-02.
- ^ "Nat St. Laurent Steps Down From Redwoods, Joe Spallina Named California General Manager". www.insidelacrosse.com. Retrieved 2025-07-02.
- ^ PLL (2025-03-20). "Premier Lacrosse League Names Anthony Kelly Head Coach of California Redwoods". Premier Lacrosse League. Retrieved 2025-07-02.