It took a month of speculation, reports, and ups and downs, but we’ve finally made it to a Dispersal Draft. This draft will see Panther City’s players find new homes as the franchise announced on Friday that it would be ceasing operations, effective immediately. This draft will take place on Monday, Sept 2 at 11:00 a.m. ET and be directly followed by the opening of NLL Free Agency.

With the league being a little vague on the rules of Monday’s draft, we have to rely on Dispersal Drafts of the past. For that, we’d have to look back to 2011, when the Boston Blazers’ dispersal took place.

With that in mind, here are some things to keep in mind, courtesy of our friend John Hoffman at Swarm It Up:

Picks in the Dispersal Draft are able to be traded for Players, other Dispersal Draft Picks, or NLL Draft Picks
Any team can choose to pass on their pick, but if they do, they will be done for the remainder of the draft. The draft will end once every player is picked OR Every team has passed on picking
Players on the Draft List are available to be picked. That means teams could scoop up players like Justin Sykes and Mike Sisselberger
Any player that is not selected will become a Free Agent

Additionally, it’s unclear how the status of impending free agents will work with this draft. Similar to the Expansion Drafts, teams could opt to not select pending UFA’s, as they would only have an hour to sign a player before they hit the open market.

Those Pending Free Agents Include: Callum Crawford, Tony Malcom, Connor Sellars, Tyler Burton, Brandon Goodwin, and John Lintz

Under the assumption that these will be the rules, let’s take a look at how the draft could shake out. This Mock will also not include trades. We’ll solely be picking based on where the teams are currently picking.

1) Colorado Mammoth - Will Malcom, LF

A tough season in Colorado landed them in this position for both the dispersal and NLL Draft — they, however don’t have their own first in the Entry Draft. It’ll pay off, as the Mammoth land the very same player they originally lost to Panther City in Expansion three years ago.

Malcom has cemented himself as a top forward in the NLL over the past two seasons, throwing together a 35-goal, 96-point regular season last year before vaulting the 100-point plateau for the first time in his short career to date in 2024.

Colorado gets the added depth to a lefty side that is already loaded with talent, having Eli McLaughlin, Connor Robinson, and Dylan Kinnear already in the lineup. This immediately gives the Mammoth one of the best offensive units in the league in what they’ll be hoping is a 180-turn back to their regular form in 2025.

2) Las Vegas Desert Dogs - Jonathan Donville, RF

Vegas has an interesting decision to make here at No. 2. They could opt to move the pick, or they could add at any position they see fit. Could they look to add Damude here? Possibly. But with a young duo in Landon Kells and the newly acquired Justin Geddie, it’s likely they give it another go to see what they have in that pair this season.

That leaves the best player on the board, which is Donville, the 2021 first-overall selection who has gotten off to a strong start to his NLL career.

Donville took home the 2023 Rookie of the Year with a 90-point year, and he followed that up with 79 points this past season. Vegas does have a lot of depth up front, but some questions. The righties include Rob Hellyer, Jack Hannah, Sean Westley, Marshal King, and Kyle Killen. That’s already a loaded right side. But if you have the chance to add a young forward capable of posting 90-100 points, you take him every time.

The rest can be figured out later. But unless they’re taking Damude, Donville is the pick at No. 2.

3) Philadelphia Wings - Nick Damude, G

This is where the draft gets interesting. Philadelphia is in a position where they don’t need a forward — they’ll likely take one first overall in the 2024 Draft in two weeks — and despite needing defenders, it’s a bit of a stretch to take one top three. They could very well trade this pick for future assets. But if they keep the pick and Malcom and Donville go with the first two picks, the next-best player on the board is Panther City’s starting goalie, who will turn 26 in the first month of the season.

Damude had a great 2023-24 campaign, finishing with an 11.04 GAA and a .799 save percentage while leading Panther City to a playoff berth.

With this pick, the Wings grab the best player on the board, but it also brings questions, as they already have a very solid starter in Zach Higgins and a young backup in Deacon Knott. It’s a good problem to have three quality goaltenders. But that’ll allow them the luxury to either flip Damude for more assets or possibly flip Higgins depending on who they’d want to keep.

4) Vancouver Warriors - Jason Knox, LF

Another trade candidate, Vancouver will ideally be hoping that Damude will fall to them in order to give them someone to trade for a certain BC goaltender they’ve been after for a few years now.

But in this instance, they’ll continue to bolster their offence with the addition of Knox. The lefty’s first year in the NLL was strong, as he potted 23 goals and ended with 50 points for the year. The 23-year-old stands at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds and would add to a Vancouver offence that hit its stride to end last season.

Curt Malawsky’s side will also be adding 2023 draftees Payton Cormier and Brock Haley to the fold this season. With Cormier and Knox joining Adam Charalambides and Ryan Martel, this unit could be one of the best in the NLL when the 2024-25 season is said and done.

5) Calgary Roughnecks - Mathieu Gautier, LF

It’s been a rough off-season already for the Calgary Roughnecks and their fans.

The trades of fan favourites in Zach Currier and Shane Simpson and the news that star goaltender Christian Del Bianco will be moving on rocked the franchise, and we haven’t even reached free agency. Despite the return of one of the greatest Roughnecks of all time in Curtis Dickson, fans in Cowtown need some more feel-good moves from this team heading into the season.

How about adding a young, skilled forward from Alberta!

Gautier has proven himself as a reliable forward since joining the NLL in 2022-23. He’s posted 33 and 34 points, respectively, in his first two years in the league. Most importantly, St. Albert, AB native is just an all-around strong player. The Miners lacrosse system has developed some smart, strong, and skilled players over the last 10 years, and Gautier excels at thinking the game at a high level while being fundamentally sound across the board. That’s a player you’d like paired up with captain Jesse King and Tanner Cook on the left side in Calgary. Gautier and King already have some chemistry, having played together this summer in Victoria.

The Roughnecks could also opt for a defender to make up for the losses through trades on the back end, but adding Gautier as a primer before free agency opens the same day feels like a good start for Calgary.

6) Saskatchewan Rush - Ryan Sheridan, RF

Sheridan seemed like a strong candidate for Vancouver to scoop up, they did add a pair of forwards in Cormier and Haley in the top 10 of last year’s draft — they also passed on Sheridan to take Cormier at fourth overall.

As a result, Sheridan could fall all the way to Saskatchewan, who would happily take a big-bodied righty who plays hard and has a high ceiling. Despite Sheridan only having 19 points last year, he averaged nearly a goal a game with Panther City. He wasn’t afraid to get in the mix and had a nose for the net, coming up with high-quality chances every game he was in.

The Victoria, BC product would be paired alongside Robert Church and Patrick Dodds on the Rush’s right side. Playing in a two-man game with one of the most dynamic forwards in lacrosse is a good way to bump your production, and with Church, Sheridan can be an extremely potent finisher around the net off a pick-and-roll.

At 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, Sheridan is a handful, and with the aforementioned Dodds (6-foot-3, 212 pounds) and the incoming Levi Anderson (6-foot-4, 215 pounds) the Rush will have some massive bodies on the offensive end.

7) Ottawa Black Bears - Matt Hossack, RD

Finally, a defender goes!

When trying to figure out this pick, we bounced back and forth between the Black Bears making Callum Crawford their initial addition. But with him being a UFA, they could save the pick and still sign the Ottawa, On product to a contract an hour later for a homecoming in what could be his final season.

That leads Ottawa to address the defence. It looks like Captain Damon Edwards will not be returning to the Nation’s Capital. That’s a big loss for a young defensive unit. But pairing Hossack up with a core consisting of Callum Jones, Ron John, and Zack Deaken, Ottawa can have an on-floor leader for the season.

8) Rochester Knighthawks - Josh Medeiros, LT

Medeiros had two very different outcomes over the last two seasons. In 2022-23, he finished with a Transition-Player-of-the-Year-calibre campaign, scoring 21 goals and 28 points. Last year, the production got cut to just four goals and eight points — although he did set a new career-high with 13 caused turnovers. Medeiros’ median is probably some where in the middle of those two totals for his career. He looked snakebitten last year and is bound for a bounceback in 2024-25.

Rochester’s offence is outstanding and will continue to grow into a top unit in the league, but their transition game was lacking in 2024. Past Matt Gilray’s 21 points, no other Knighthawks defender had over 10 points. Ryland Rees finished the year without a goal and steady veteran Brad Gilles finished with just four points on the year — his lowest total since his rookie year.

Adding another transition threat to carry the ball up and pose a threat should help Rochester get more production out of the back end this season.

9) Halifax Thunderbirds - Justin Sykes, LT

Halifax has some interesting needs they could address in this drafts. The likes of Randy Staats and Austin Staats are pending free agents, as are veteran stalwarts David Brock and Luc Magnan. But with most of Panther City’s top forwards off the board at this point, we look to transition.

Halifax did have some strong contributors out of the back gate, with Ryan Terefenko, Jake Withers, and Graeme Hossack all having over 15 points. Colton Armstrong will also likely have a bounce back this year. But the Thunderbirds will more than likely be looking to bring in the likes of 2023 draftees Caelan Mander and Andrew Vradenburg more in 2025. Getting younger on the back end looks to be a goal for Halifax, and adding Sykes to the mix would only benefit them in the present and future.

Sykes stands at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, and the last full summer of lacrosse he played, he took home the OJLL’s Transition Player of the Year Award. He plays with a snarl like older brother Matt, but he’s a converted forward who can bring serious punch on top of some strong defensive play.

We’ll see if Sykes makes it this far. At just 23, he’s going to be one of the more intriguing players available in this draft. But anywhere from seventh overall on seems like a good chance for a team to scoop him up.

10) Georgia Swarm - Liam Patten, RD

Georgia is getting a little older on the defensive end heading into this season, and the addition of Patten would certainly give them some more assurance on the back end. The vetran defender is solid in his own end and has played in at least 16 games in each of the past three seasons for Panther City.

With star goalie Brett Dobson set to hold down the crease for years to come, and Toron Eccleston joining the Swarm this year up front, adding some depth on the defensive end seems like the most likely move in Georgia. Who they land on, we’ll have to wait and see. But Patten would be a strong addition to their team.

11) San Diego Seals - Ronin Pusch, LD

Another team that isn’t in need of much, the Seals can add a young defender to develop in Pusch and be happy with their dispersal draft.

Another member of the Edmonton Miners system, Pusch is still just 22 years old, and has a ton of room to grow given the right situation. He appeared in five games in his rookie year and impressed when given the chance.

He might not get as much time on the floor this year with a San Diego squad that’s always adding veteran talent to be in the mix for a title. But if they play the long game and let the talented defender grow alongside the talents on the team, they could have a very solid player.

12) Toronto Rock - Phil Caputo, RF

At this range, you’re either taking a player to strengthen your depth or taking a chance on a younger player. The Rock will know exactly what they’re getting with Caputo, who played in Toronto for three seasons.

The 30-year-old had a productive 2024, with 24 goals and 40 points. Alongside Tom Schreiber, Chris Boushy, Dan Lintner, and Josh Dawick, Caputo will bring some depth on the righty side of the Rock offence while fitting right back into a locker room where he’s familiar with a lot of the faces.

13) Albany Firewolves - Cam MacLeod, G

Albany made it from the basement to the top of the league in 2024, coming just a few games short of a championship. Looking to repeat their success in 2025 will be easier said than done. They’re not sneaking up on anyone anymore, but having Dyson Williams will add another exciting wrinkle to this squad. After trading away Justin Geddie, they could find an instant replacement with a solid, young goalie in MacLeod.

The Georgetown, Ontario product has proven himself to be a reliable backup, steadying the ship for Panther City when he was thrown into action last year.

Doug Jamieson is gonna play a majority of the time in Albany. That’s never going to be a doubt after the incredible season he put forth last year. But having a strong backup is always paramount in the NLL, and MacLeod can step in and further strengthen the play in the cage for the Firewolves.

14) Buffalo Bandits - Elijah Gash, RD

Buffalo is in a position

Gash is more of a blank canvas when it comes to the box game, having only played in four games for Panther City last season. But standing at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, Gash has speed and a motor that you don’t get from many guys at that size. In his small sample size, he also proved that he doesn’t mind mixing it up, and he’s able to provide pressure on the defensive end. That’ll be a great base for John Tavares and Co. to work with.

Buffalo was able to bring in American defender Zach Belter last year and get him up to speed quickly — to the point where he became a regular in the lineup come playoffs. Gash isn’t guaranteed to have the same success, but with his tools and the veterans the Bandits have on the back end, he would certainly be in a good position to succeed with a full NLL season now under his belt.

NLL 2024 Dispersal Mock Draft