BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The National Lacrosse League has announced the finalists for its annual season-end awards and three members of the Buffalo Bandits are finalists for awards.
Forwards Josh Byrne and Dhane Smith are finalists for NLL MVP along with Toronto Rock goaltender Nick Rose.
Byrne and Smith are also finalists for Offensive Player of the Year along with New York Riptide forward Jeff Teat.
Transition player Ian MacKay is a finalist for Transition Player of the Year along with Shane Simpson of the Calgary Roughnecks and Jake Withers of the Halifax Thunderbirds.
Byrne had a record-setting regular season — he led the NLL in points with 135, was third in the league with 53 goals and was second in the league in assists with 82. All three marks were new single-season career highs. He finished the year just shy of the NLL record for points in a single season, which is 137 set by Smith in 2016.
Smith is a two-time NLL MVP, he won the award in 2016 and 2022. He is one of five players in league history to win at least two MVP awards. He also had a record-setting regular season — he was second in the NLL in points with 134 and led the NLL with 101 assists. He became the first player in NLL history to surpass the 100-assist mark and also broke the previous single-season assist record he set in 2023.
MacKay is one of the most versatile members of the team, with the ability to contribute in a big way on both offense and defense. He led the team with 160 loose-ball recoveries, which ranked eighth in the NLL. He also had 12 goals and 17 assists for 29 points and tallied 19 caused turnovers and 12 blocks.
The winners of season-end awards will be announced ahead of Game 1 of the NLL Finals.
The Bandits will take on the Albany FireWolves in a best-of-three series in the NLL Finals. Game 1 is set for May 17 at 7 p.m. at MVP Arena in Albany. Game 2 is set for May 18 at 7:30 p.m. at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. If necessary, Game 3 will be on May 25 at 5 p.m. at MVP Arena in Albany.
