It’s the most wonderful time of the year. No, not the holiday season. Rather, the NLL season! The season kicks off in just about a week, and if this season is anything like last, we’re in for a treat. This little blurb is going to get y’all set up for what’s going on in the 716. We’re going to discuss the boys in the orange and black, the defending champs, the Buffalo Bandits.
The Bandits finished last year 14-4 and of course, ran through the NLL playoffs en route to their fifth championship in franchise history. What Buffalo did in last year’s postseason will be talked about for years to come, as they dominated, only losing game two of the championship best two-out-of-three series. So what’s the issue? Well, the Bandits were pretty banged up all year and there were a bunch of guys that were without a contract coming into the 2023-24 season. Fear not Bandits faithful, all of the major components were re-signed, including a few new faces. The only exception was Ethan O’Connor, who landed himself in Rochester on a two-year deal. Let’s take a peak at who was re-signed and what their impact is going to be going into this season.
One of, if not the biggest elephant in the room going into the offseason was what the Bandits were going to do for a goaltender. Devlin Shanahan hadn’t seen much time, but he was under the tutelage of eight-time goalie of the year, Matt Vinc. Vno is 41 years young, and has done it all, so that dreaded “R” word was getting thrown around quite a bit. (Retire would be the correct response) Much to the surprise of a lot of people, myself included, Vinc signed a two-year extension with the team. No, it isn’t windy, that’s still the exhales of Banditland. Vinc had one of his best postseasons in his career this past, so it’s very relieving to see him come back for two more years.
Sticking with the goaltenders, we said Shanahan will still be in Buffalo. But, the Bandits brought in two more new faces between the pipes for some competition. The first, being the acquisition of Steve Orleman from the Riptide. In a three-team trade, Buffalo sent a 2026 third round pick to New York and Nathaniel Kozevnikov to Saskatchewan. Orleman brings a young new style to the team, as he was named to the NLL All-Rookie Team in 2022. The next face was through the draft. With the 38th pick, the Bandits selected Evan Constantopoulos from the OJLL. The youngster is a big dude, standing 6’6”, but is spry. He ranked in the top five in GAA and save percentage in the OJLL.
Buffalo had three more draft picks in the 2023 Entry Draft. With the 53rd pick, they selected Jake Rosa from local St. Bonaventure College. Rosa finished with 115 points in four collegiate seasons. Next, with pick 68, they selected Kellen Pulera from the UCBLL, which is co-sponsored by the Bandits and Knighthawks. Pulera, a Buffalo native, has totaled 79 points in his indoor career. Finally, with pick 82, Buffalo selected Duncan Carte. The big defenseman played in the ALL, and totaled four points in six games.
The next biggest offseason move was the resigning of Dhane Smith to a five-year contract extension. Yes, that says five years. Smith’s accolades speak for themselves, but here’s a few for you to chew on. 96 assists last year, breaking his own record. Two-time NLL MVP, 950 career points, and also holds the record for points in a season with 137 in 2016. Whew. The magnitude of this signing cannot be stressed enough. The assistant captain comes in with 11 seasons under his belt, each one more dazzling than the last.
The next two signings were on the offensive side of the ball as well. The first, being Tehoka Nanticoke signing a two-year extension. TN1 is going into his third pro season, and was tied in last year’s playoffs in goals, finishing the postseason with 23 points in six games. The next signing was Chase Fraser to a one-year deal. Fraze was pretty banged up this past regular season, recording 13 points in only four games played. Chase got healthy, and recorded another 13 points in the playoffs. The upside to these two, when healthy, is as good as it gets.
The Bandits brought back their Swiss-army knife as well. Ian MacKay was inked to a three-year extension. Mickey finished the 2022-23 season with new career highs in goals, points, and loose-ball recoveries. He also tied his previous career high in games played. In his four seasons with the Bandits, MacKay has totaled 104 points and 407 loose-ball recoveries in 64 career games. The importance of MacKay no matter where on the field he plays, is something to watch for the next three years.
Who are we kidding, Buffalo darn near resigned everyone. Alex Kew, Brandon Robinson, Adam Bomberry, Kyle Buchanan, Carter McKenzie, Nick Weiss, Justin Martin, Bryce Sweeting, Steve Priolo, and Frank Brown ALL got new one-year deals, while, Brad McCulley and newbie Cam Wyers, got signed for two years.
Buffalo obviously wasn’t messing around this offseason with all of the signings they made, and also, trying to keep the band together to make a run at another NLL Cup. Under coach John Tavares and GM Steve Dietrich, it could be pretty safe to put your money on the Bandits. Buffalo’s season opens up December 9th at 7pm in Albany. The home-opener and banner raising ceremony is week two, December 16th at 7:30 pm when San Diego comes to town. The new schedule and format will definitely shake things up, as every team plays each other at least once and the playoffs will be the top eight teams, no more conferences. Buffalo is primed to be right at the forefront, but one thing is for certain, it’s going to be a bumpy ride. Buckle up!
