Buffalo Bandits

Today marked the end of an era, the end to a legendary career. That’s right ladies and gentlemen, John Tavares, the 24-year NLL veteran who holds every major all-time offensive record, has announced his retirement from professional lacrosse. Tavares has spent his entire career with the Buffalo Bandits, where he played in 306 games, amassing 815 goals while adding 934 assists for a total of an astounding 1,749 points. The…

Buffalo Bandits General Manager Steve Dietrich today announced the team has agreed to terms on a one-year contract with transition player Nick Weiss. Weiss was acquired from the Vancouver Stealth during the 2014 NLL Entry Draft and recorded 12 points (7+5) in 17 games during his first season in Buffalo. He also finished fifth among Bandits players with 92 loose ball recoveries. The Port Hope, Ontario native has 25 points…

Buffalo Bandits General Manager Steve Dietrich today announced the team has agreed to terms on a three-year contract with forward Mark Steenhuis, pending league approval. Steenhuis finished third on the team in scoring during the 2015 season with 95 points (36+59) in 17 games. The St. Catharines, Ontario native has finished in the top three in team scoring in nine of his 13 seasons since joining the Bandits in 2003. Over his 14-year NLL…

The Buffalo Bandits announced on August 10 that they have come to terms with unrestricted free agent forward Daryl Veltman. Veltman is a former first overall pick from the 2008 NLL Draft, where he was selected by the Boston Blazers. Veltman had the best time of his career there when he amassed 77 points (34 G, 43 A) in his rookie season, followed by a 65 point (23 G, 42…

The Buffalo Bandits off season talk for the past few years has been dominated by speculation of the future of John Tavares. The 46 year old veteran is an unrestricted free agent once again, and this year the Bandits did not franchise him. There was talk once again during the 2015 season that Tavares may not return, and when speaking to the Buffalo News this week, he added fuel to…

Buffalo Bandits General Manager Steve Dietrich today announced the team has agreed to terms on a one-year contract with defenseman Billy Dee Smith.               Smith had five points (1+4) and 32 loose ball recoveries while playing a career-high 17 games during the 2015 season. He is fourth all-time in Bandits history with 163 games played, and also ranks first in team history with 526 penalty minutes and 10th with…

It’s the NLL’s version of Hot Stove season (to use a baseball term), and that means general managers are as active as ever. Leading up to the draft in September, we will be discussing the off season with as many general managers as possible. First up is Buffalo bandits general manager Steve Dietrich. Question: How did the Veltman signing come to fruition? We wanted to add an impact left handed scorer coming in…

The Buffalo Bandits have been one of the most active teams in this year’s NLL free agency period. They’ve retained their top free agent in goalie Anthony Cosmo, and they’ve retained other role players such as Dave Brock and Mitch Wilde. The Bandits became the first team on Saturday to sign a major free agent from another team when they signed Daryl Veltman. Veltman, a left handed forward, was one…

Recent Signings and Free Agent Acquisitions: July 15th: (T) Kevin Brownell – 2 yr deal (T) Brandon Goodwin – 2 yr deal (D) Jamie Batson – 2 yr deal (T) Mitch Jones – 1 yr deal August 3rd: (T) David Brock – 2 yr deal (T) Alex Kedoh Hill – 2 yr deal August 4th: (T) Matthew Bennett – 1 yr deal (F) Tyler Ferreira – 1 yr deal (D)…