MATT VOLZ

Editor in Chief

It’s the middle of March, which means the greatest postseason tournament on Earth has returned for our viewing pleasure.

The men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments always provide jaw-dropping upsets, last-second shots and other wild “where were you when” moments.

It’s an elite playoff format that can’t be matched by anything else, mostly because each tournament features a staggering 68-team field.

So, as I watch the games while writing this, let’s have some fun.

What if we put each NLL team in a March Madness-esque bracket?

For starters, the matchups will be a bit weird because the NLL has 14 teams, not 16.

The opening round of the NCAA tournament features 64 teams. The second round narrows it down to 32 teams, then it goes to 16, eight, four and two in subsequent rounds.

Because the number of teams in the NLL isn’t a multiple of four, the top two teams will receive a first-round bye in our bracket while the remaining 12 battle it out.

I’m going off of each team’s record entering this weekend of play, so the byes will go to the 11-3 Saskatchewan Rush and the 10-4 Vancouver Warriors.

This week, we will go through each first round matchup, with the second round, semifinals and championships to come in the following issues.

With that all set, let’s take a look at our bracket, starting on the left side to determine who will face the top-seeded Rush.

#8 San Diego Seals (6-7) vs. #9 Las Vegas Desert Dogs (5-7)

As most #8 vs. #9 matchups are, this one is a toss-up.

San Diego has been streaky this year, as they’re currently on their second three-game losing streak of the season.

Between those skids, though, the Seals won five out of six games.

Offensively, they’re led by Tre Leclaire and Wesley Berg, who have both surpassed the 50-point mark.

In the offseason, they picked up veteran scorer Connor Robinson from Colorado to boost their offense.

Although Robinson has been solid, scoring 18 goals across 13 games, it’s a bit of a dip from previous seasons where he found himself around the 70-point mark.

On the flip side, the Desert Dogs are looking to make some noise for the first time in the history of their young franchise.

It’s been rough sledding for Las Vegas since coming into the league in 2023. They’ve finished in dead last in each of the past two seasons and have failed to win more than five games in a single season.

With their win over Rochester last Sunday, they tied their highest single-season win total in franchise history.

Their top two goal scorers are both former Bandits playing their first year in Sin City.

Mitch Jones is the headliner, with 26 goals and 72 points in 12 games.

Chris Cloutier left Buffalo for the Desert Dogs in free agency, and he’s rewarded his new team with 25 goals.

Cloutier went to Las Vegas alongside Chase Fraser, and Fraser had a great start to the season before going down with a season-ending injury on Jan. 31.

This would be a great matchup, and I’m going to take the young up-and-comers.

Prediction: Las Vegas wins.

#5 Toronto Rock (8-5) vs. #12 Calgary Roughnecks (4-9)

At first glance, this probably looks like a no-brainer.

But as all NCAA tournament fans know well, upsets happen when you least expect them.

The Rock are back near the top of the league after a dismal 2025 season in which they finished 6-12.

It was over early for Toronto, as Mark Matthews went down with a season-ending injury during an 0-5 start.

They were sellers at the deadline, and franchise goalie Nick Rose was traded to Calgary.

Rose was a free agent in the offseason, and he opted to return to Toronto.

It’s been a positive reunion, as he’s led the Rock to an 8-5 record.

The team he left has struggled mightily this season, limping to a 4-9 mark.

Tanner Cook has been an offensive bright spot for Calgary, and he ranks fourth in the league in goals with 35.

Tyler Pace has done a great job of getting the ball to the team’s scorers, and his 47 assists is tenth best in the league.

Other than that, though, it’s been rough for the Roughnecks.

They’ve won two in a row after a dreadful 2-9 start, but I’m not thinking this one will be an upset.

Prediction: Toronto wins.

#4 Georgia Swarm (8-5) vs. #13 Oshawa FireWolves (4-10)

Out of all the first-round matchups in this bracket, this one might be the most intriguing to watch.

Despite two very different records, these two teams have quite a bit in common.

For starters, they both have a duo of offensive studs that can score on the best of goalies.

Georgia is, unsurprisingly, led by the 1-2 punch of Shayne Jackson and Lyle Thompson.

Both of them have spent their entire careers with the Swarm. For Jackson, that dates back to 2013, when the Swarm still called Minnesota home.

Thompson joined the team in their first season in Georgia 10 years ago, and he’s been a consistent top-of-the-league scorer throughout his career.

By his standards, it’s been a bit of a down year, though he’s still put up 50 points in 13 games.

On the other side, the FireWolves have had a tough season in their first year in Oshawa, but they’re led by some top-tier offensive talent.

Alex Simmons and Tye Kurtz took the FireWolves to the NLL Finals as rookies in 2024, bursting onto the scene with their excellent scoring abilities.

Now in their third year as pros, individual success has remained despite team success fading.

Simmons has put up 34 goals and 83 points, ranking him in the top five across the league in both categories.

Kurtz isn’t far behind, as his 32 goals puts him seventh in the league.

The other major similarity between these two teams is strong goaltending.

Oshawa’s Doug Jamieson hasn’t been quite as good as he’s been in years past, but he’s stopped nearly 80% of the shots he’s faced.

For Georgia, though, Brett Dobson has been an MVP candidate in net.

Dobson, a graduate of nearby St. Bonaventure University and a native of Oshawa, leads all starting goalies in both save percentage and goals against average (GAA).

He’s only allowing 7.7 goals per game, which ranks ahead of second place by nearly two full goals.

As the saying goes, defense wins championships. Give me Georgia in this one.

Prediction: Georgia wins.

#3 Colorado Mammoth (9-5) vs. #14 Philadelphia Wings (3-11)

To put it simply, it has not been a good season for Philadelphia.

They rank dead last in nearly every offensive category, which includes a league-worst 126 goals.

With the recent trade of Joe Resetarits to Buffalo, the Wings now have just one player with 40 or more points.

That player is Brennan O’Neill, the first overall pick of the 2024 draft.

O’Neill turns 24 on April 12, and he’s led the team all year with 29 goals and 57 points.

Defensively, Philadelphia gives up a ton of shots. That doesn’t help goalie Nick Damude, who has actually put together a decent season despite poor defense in front of him.

Damude is riding an 80.2% save percentage, but he’s still surrendering more than 11.5 goals per game.

That’s a number that has led to the Wings allowing more goals than any other team through March 20.

It doesn’t bode well for them going up against Colorado, who ranks as one of the league’s best offensive teams.

The Mammoth have spread the wealth offensively, as they boast three players with 60+ points.

Andrew Kew is the star sniper, and his 37 goals are tied with Ottawa’s Jeff Teat for the most in the NLL.

Combined with an excellent goalie in Dillon Ward, Colorado is an easy pick here.

Prediction: Colorado wins.

#6 Ottawa Black Bears (8-6) vs. #11 Halifax Thunderbirds (5-8)

The Black Bears are enjoying something they’ve never experienced before — team success.

They came into the league as the New York Riptide in 2020, and they’ve had a losing season each year.

In their first season in Ottawa last year, they were slightly better but still missed the playoffs at 8-10.

The lone bright spot for them over the last half decade has been Teat, the franchise’s first draft pick at #1 overall in 2020.

Teat is a natural-born goal scorer, and he’s led the league in goals in each of the last three seasons.

He’s on pace to do that again in 2026.

This year, though, Teat doesn’t have to do it alone.

Rob Hellyer came to Ottawa after a stellar 2025 season with the Seals, and he’s continued to excel offensively.

His 56 assists and 81 points both rank in the top five of the NLL.

Ottawa hasn’t had the best goaltending this season, as Zach Higgins has allowed over 11 goals per game.

On the flip side, Halifax has hit a snag after a great 2025 season.

Last year, the Thunderbirds finished 11-7 and reached the NLL semifinals, losing to Saskatchewan.

It’s been a bit slower in 2026, as they currently sit at 5-8.

They’re 2-3 since the beginning of February, but when taking a closer look at that stretch, Halifax looks better than their record.

Each of those three losses was by exactly one goal, including an overtime loss to Toronto last weekend.

Also, those losses were to Buffalo, San Diego and Toronto, all of whom currently sit in playoff spots.

Halifax, like Ottawa, doesn’t have the strongest goaltending, but they do have something most of the Black Bears don’t: experience.

In a postseason tournament like this one that I completely made up, experience is key.

I’m taking Halifax to pull off the upset.

Prediction: Halifax wins.

#7 Buffalo Bandits (7-6) vs. #10 Rochester Knighthawks (5-7)

Could you ask for anything better than a playoff matchup between two teams located so close together?

Buffalo doesn’t need much of an introduction, obviously, as this entire publication is dedicated to them.

Still, their postseason success is vital to this experiment.

The Bandits are seemingly made for the postseason. They’ve got their stars on offense, but they also have a solid collection of veterans who usually seem to do many of the little things right.

Nobody in the league has blocked more shots than the Bandits since it became an official stat a few years ago, and they still lead the league this year despite having to adjust their whole defensive setup thanks to rule changes.

In net, the Bandits have Matt Vinc, who continues to dunk on Father Time every weekend.

The Knighthawks, Vinc’s former team, could surely use him this season.

Rochester’s goalie tandem of Rylan Hartley and Riley Hutchcraft have combined to give up nearly 12.5 goals per game, and they’ve combined for the lowest save percentage of any team in the league.

Offensively, you can’t talk about Rochester without mentioning Connor Fields.

The Amherst native has put up another great season, with 31 goals and 79 points.

He’s had some help from Ryan Lanchbury, whose 53 assists tie him with Josh Byrne for fifth in the league.

Again, though, defense wins championships, and Buffalo boasts one of the best defensive units in the NLL.

Call me a homer, but I’m taking the thrice-defending champs in this one.

Prediction: Buffalo wins.

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Stats for this story were provided by nllstats.com, a league-wide database run by NLL writer Graeme Perrow.

Check out his commentary on nllchatter.com, as well as his updates on X (@GraemePerrow).