Syracuse men’s lacrosse: three former Orange selected in NLL Draft 1st round

May 23, 2026; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Syracuse Orange attack Finn Thomson (23) celebrates after scoring a goal against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first half in a semifinal of the NCAA Mens Lacrosse Championship at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAG

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What is the story about?

The National Lacrosse League held their 2026 draft last night and three former Orange were selected in the 1st round.

Attack Finn Thomson was the 1st overall pick by the Rochester Knighthawks. Thomson led the Orange last season with 45 goals and while he wasn’t drafted by the PLL, he made the California Redwoods and scored 7 goals on 11 shots in his 9 games this summer. It’s that goal-scoring ability that made him the top choice for the indoor draft.

The Calgary Roughnecks traded up from the 10th pick

to grab the 5th pick where they selected Joey Spallina. Spallina was recently named PLL Rookie of the Year after scoring 36 points in 10 games with the Maryland Whipsnakes.

The final NLL 1st round selection from Syracuse went with the next pick as the Buffalo Bandits selected Dante Bowen. Bowen just finished his PLL season with the Redwoods and now he’ll join a Bandits team that won three consecutive NLL titles from 2023-2025.

All three of these players will be looking to dethrone Syracuse alums Sam English, Owen Hiltz, and the Toronto Rock. English was the MVP of last year’s NLL championship series. The NLL season begins in late November and games will stream on ESPN+ and TSN+.