My full ballot for the 2026 PLL Awards

PLL Award season has concluded, and hardware has been handed out.

Award finalists are chosen via votes by PLL players, coaches, and GMs. The winners are then chosen by votes from PLL coaches, GMs, hall of famers, PLL front office members, award namesakes, and members of the media. I am fortunate to be included in the voting process for the winners. In other big four sports leagues, entire ballots are made public. The NBA is the leader at this. You can view entire voting totals and voter ballots on the NBA site and they do ranked choice voting so you really tell how a voter felt about a candidate. In my view, if you have been trusted - deemed worthy of knowing enough to intelligently vote for awards that are meaningful markers of a player’s career - you should be comfortable with your ballot being public and standing by your decisions. So I share mine.

Here is my ballot for (almost) all the PLL awards this year. I didn’t include my votes for things like Teammate of the Year or the Leadership Award. This is just how I voted for awards driven entirely by on the field performance.

Comeback Player of the Year

Finalists: Mike Sisselberger, Xander Dickson, Dillon Ward

My Vote: Xander Dickson

Actual Winner: Xander Dickson

This award was new as of last year. It can be a bit of an “eye of the beholder” exercise to determine who should win it. When I think about it, I start by considering the question, what is this player coming back from? The award suggests that there is some kind of adversity to be overcome, so what is the nature of that adversity? How that gets answered determines how I vote. Last year, Dylan Molloy won this award, but I voted for Brad Smith. Why? Smith was coming back from multiple knee surgeries to a team that found itself light in the midfield and had to lean on him to be their number one option when they planned for him to be a second or even third option. And he excelled. All star level play. Molloy’s comeback was basically from the player pool. He got a change of scenery and was energized by his new role. That’s worthy of recognition too, but it’s just a different type of comeback story. It shouldn’t be a surprise that I voted for Dickson. His injury last year brought the title game to a standstill. Surgery to repair the break, rehab, and the long road back to the field. And if you were to never know that Dickson got injured, and just looked at his year by year stats, you would never guess an injury happened. Dickson turned in his third straight 20+ goal season and set a career high in shots taken. He played at or above his career average in just about every offensive category. Returning from that injury to the same elite form is remarkable.

Paul Cantabene Faceoff Athlete of the Year

Finalists: Mike Sisselberger, TD Ierlan, Andrew McMeekin

My Vote: TD Ierlan

Actual Winner: Andrew McMeekin

I say it every year, one of the great things about the faceoff award is that it can be pretty binary. Two men enter, one man leaves, Thunderdome style, a winner and a loser every time. So a good place to start for this award is just how each finalist did against the other two.

McMeekin vs Siss and Ierlan

June 27 vs Ierlan: 13/29 (44.8%), 1 assist, 11 GB, 0 TO vs Boston

July 31 vs Siss: 15/21 (71.4%), 7 GB, 1 TO

August 8 vs Ierlan: 12/23 (52.2%), 9 GB, 1 assist, 1 TO

Grand total: 40/73 (54.5%), 27 GB, 2 assists, 2 TOs

Siss vs Ierlan and McMeekin

May 8 vs Ierlan: 7/16 (43.8%), 5 GB, 1 TO

June 19 vs Ierlan: 12/31 (38.7%), 8 GB,

July 31 vs McMeekin: 6/20 (30%), 5 GB

Grand total: 25/67 (37.3%), 18 GBs, 1 TO

Ierlan vs Siss and McMeekin

May 8 vs Siss: 10/17 (58.8%), 8 GB, 0 TO

June 19 vs Siss: 19/31 (61.3%), 11 GB, 1G, 0 TO

June 27 vs Meek: 18/30 (60%), 8 GB, 1 assist, 0 TO

August 8 vs Meek: 11/22 (50%), 10 GB, 0 TO

Grant total: 58/100 (58%), 29 GB, 1 goal, 0 TOs

It pretty quickly boils down to a McMeekin vs Ierlan debate. They were pretty even against each other; TD went about 55% across two games against McMeekin. If you consider this to be more of a team contest, or team results to have more weight, Boston did win both matchups against California this year. McMeekin’s strength is his offensive production. He averaged a point per game in his nine regular season games this year, and led all faceoff men in shots taken. He gets the ball to the offensive end and makes things happen. TD doesn’t score as much, he had just three points in the regular season. But he was better of the two in the head to head, and there’s another area TD dominates. He just never loses the ball after he gets it. TD had three turnovers all season; three in 12 games. He didn’t commit his first until after the all star break. He won’t score as much as McMeekin, but he’ll basically never throw away a possession and give the other team a full :52 after a faceoff. I value that a ton when I evaluate faceoff men, and I trust the offense to do the scoring. So I went with TD Ierlan.

Eamon McEneaney Attackman of the Year

Finalists: Chris Kavanagh, Michael Sowers, CJ Kirst, Marcus Holman

My Vote: Michael Sowers

Actual Winner: Michael Sowers

The 2026 Michael Sowers season might be one we appreciate more with the help of some distance. In the moment, it was easy to get caught up in other things happening with the Waterdogs. CJ Kirst’s prolific goal scoring and highlight plays, a young midfield group that appears to be full of budding superstars like Kyle Lewis, Matt Collison, and Silas Richmond. Sean Byrne’s outstanding rookie season in net. And of course you can’t turn on Waterdogs film without being amazed by Zach Currier. But make no mistake, Sowers turned in a season worthy of end of year hardware. He is the league’s only 20/20 player. Since the PLL launched, the other players to achieve this are Connor Shellenberger last year, Jeff Teat in 2024, and Asher Nolting in 2023. Shellenberger and Teat both won MVP and Attackman of the Year. Sowers joins 2024 Teat as the only players to break the 50 point mark. Sowers has double digit goals with his left and right hand. It was the passing that separated him for me though. His league leading 22 assists came on an also league leading 66 assist opportunities. You could combine the assist opportunity numbers for TJ Malone and CJ Kirst and still be less than how many Sowers had. The 33% conversation rate meant Sowers was consistently getting the ball to teammates where they had high percentage scoring opportunities. It’s a metric that tells me no attackman in the PLL made their teammates better quite like Sowers did this year.

Gait Brothers Midfielder of the Year

Finalists: Tre Leclaire, Aidan Carroll, Zach Currier, Chad Palumbo

My Vote: Zach Currier

Actual Winner: Zach Currier

Once again, Zach Currier is really messing up the works here. In the case of the other three finalists, we’re evaluating offensive production. Goals, shooting percentage, watching back some film to see dodging ability, it’s all the things that happen on one end of the field. With Currier, it’s what happens literally everywhere else. Consider that Currier had more ground balls this year than the other three finalists combined…and doubled. Currier had 68, the other three combined had 25. Currier had nine caused turnovers, as many as all pro defender Matt Dunn. The other three finalists, combined, had five. Put the ball anywhere within a few yards of Currier, and he is automatic. As the Waterdogs leaned into using younger players on the offensive end, Currier’s role became something new. He wasn’t really just a midfielder, or just an SSDM, he just is a category all his own. Currier on faceoff wings is quite clearly the best in the business, he’s dangerous in transition, he’ll wreck your substitution patterns since he can stay on and play either end of the field. The other finalists will have more points than he does, but Currier will alter the way a team plays and prepares against his team more than any other midfielder, maybe even any other player, in the league.

Oren Lyons Goalie of the Year

Finalists: Emmet Carroll, Brett Dobson, Blaze Riorden

My Vote: Brett Dobson

Winner: Brett Dobson

Dobson was the backstop of the league’s best defense which was also statistically one of the best defenses the outdoor pro game has ever seen. Dobson had a sub-10 SAA, no goalie started 6+ games in the regular season did better. He posted a 59% save percentage, the only comparison is Sean Byrne who started seven games for the Waterdogs and went 62.3%. On a per game basis, Dobson was one of two PLL goalies at 13 saves or better. It’s now been more than two years since he had a sub 50% game in net. You can go just by what’s on the stat sheet, you can get into the move advanced analytic numbers, you can turn on the film and watch. Dobson is the clear choice any way you go about this award..

Dave Pietramala Defensive Player of the Year

Finalists: JT Giles-Harris, Brendan Lavelle, Brett Makar, Gavin Adler

My Vote: Brendan Lavelle

Actual Winner: Brendan Lavelle

Not an easy one. Statistically, Brett Makar is at the top of the list. The next closest to him in CTs (Ajax Zappitello) is four back, the next closest in GBs from the position (Lavelle) had 19 fewer. Makar had nine points, including hitting a pair of twos on the year. Makar was also on by far the worst team defense in the PLL last year, which takes us to the old “can the MVP be on a last place team” debate. While I did not vote for Makar, I wouldn’t disagree with someone who did. Individual awards are for individual achievement, as I wrote about here. Makar, on an individual level, turned in a DPOY caliber season. I ultimately decided to go with Lavelle. Utah entered this season without Graeme Hossack, who joined Six Nations Chiefs. That means the guy who guards Brennan O’Neill, Dylan Molloy, Coulter Mackesy, and some of the league’s best dodgers isn’t there anymore, and Lavelle has the assignment now. And won it. Routinely. On a weekly basis, Lavelle turned in eraser performances against MVP caliber dodgers as the top cover man on the league’s best defense. I would also invite you to turn on the Archers/Waterdogs game in Fairfield and just stay focused on Lavelle. CJ Kirst had one goal on six shots in 39 touches, and Lavelle was all over the defensive end when Kirst didn’t have the ball as a help defender. It was as good an individual performance as I saw in any game this year.

George Boiardi Hard Hat SSDM of the Year

Finalists: Beau Pederson, Piper Bond, Brian Tevlin

My Vote: Piper Bond

Actual Winner: Brian Tevlin

Hardest race to decide for me. To get it out of the way early, Ryan Tefefenko should have been up for this award this year. He won it a year ago and was every bit the dynamic two way threat again this year. Four finalists seems reasonable to me given most teams in the league roster three shorties on gameday. Regardless, this was down to Pederson vs Bond for me. Pederson is as good a cover shorty as the league has. He is in the Danny Logan category there. If you want to watch rookies realize that PLL shorties are different, watch them dodge guys like Pederson. There’s just nowhere to go, and that makes Pederson an extremely valuable asset. That said, I went with Bond. The Archers loudly and boldly tried something new. They dressed four SSDMs each week, asking them to impact both ends of the field. The strategy would mess with opponents’ sub games and personnel groups, they’d gas opposing midfielders by forcing them to go up and down, it would alter the way games got played. And though it was a little bumpy out of the gate, Utah stuck to their guns and their system. Piper Bond was emblematic of the system working. He had seven points, a career high, seven CTs, also a career high, and shot 50%. He picked up 20 GBs, he only turned the ball over three times. Bond led the charge on this system defining the Archers season, and it was a season that saw them win the west.

Brodie Merrill LSM of the Year

Finalists: Jared Conners, Jake Piseno, Ethan Rall

My Vote: Ethan Rall

Actual Winner: Ethan Rall

I was happy to see Conners on here, he had a very good season that didn’t get a lot of shine in the moment. Conners entered the PLL with comps to Michael Ehrhardt from some league media folks. He has not been Michael Ehrhardt (because nobody is and this is why I don’t like player comps), but he has been reliable and clearly a high level pro. This year was his best. Career high in CTs and GBs. He really showed a lot more willingness to shoot and be involved on offense this year, the skill set which was part of those Ehrhardt comps. Conners took 19 shots this year, by far his career high. But when it comes to the top spot, I went with Rall. Offensively, Piseno was more productive. This matters because the position has evolved and it’s now part of the job description to be dangerous on offense in transition. To me, the key trait though is still coverage. Ethan Rall was not only outstanding in coverage, but at his very best in the highest leverage moments. I could immediately recall multiple times Ethan Rall made a game winning caliber play out of a timeout in the final moments of a game this year to seal a Cannons win. That’s as under a microscope, it’s all on you as it gets. Come out of a timeout and guard Jared Bernhardt, guard Aidan Carroll, guard whoever and win the matchup. And Rall did it time and time again this year.

Dick Edell Coach of the Year

Finalists: Brian Holman, Chris Bates, Bill Tierney

My Vote: Chris Bates

Actual Winner: Bill Tierney

In some sports, this award can just default to the coach who had the best regular season record. Lacrosse has gone that route too (Tim Soudan won it last year with Denver). Last year I didn’t vote for Soudan, I voted for Anthony Kelly. When I consider this award, I try to evaluate the measure by which a team overachieved. What was the expectation when the year started, and what heights did the team reach. To me, that makes this a slam dunk for Chris Bates. Bates and the Archers entered this season having lost Tom Schreiber, Grant Ament, Matt Moore, and Graeme Hossack in the offseason. That’s the starting point. Arguably the best midfielder ever and their captain, the best defender in the league, a weapon who has won attackman of the year and been a finalist for midfielder of the year. All four are all stars and won two titles with the Archers. They weren’t going to be there. On top of that, Bates spent the 1st overall pick in the draft on a short stick defensive midfielder, one of maybe two positions on the team you could point to and say the Archers don’t need help there. The plan was to run a lineup with four dominant and dynamic shorties. The start was rough, but after the All Star break the season basically became a victory lap for Bates and staff on their roster design and their system. They won the west and had the league’s best score differential. They had an all time great defense, thanks in no small part to their shorties. In the last six games of the year they went 5-1, and were held under 13 goals just once. The difference between outside expectations and actual results was so vast that this was the easiest vote on the ballot for me.

Jim Brown MVP

Finalists: Brett Dobson, Michael Sowers, CJ Kirst, Marcus Holman

My Vote: Michael Sowers

Actual Winner: CJ Kirst

The case I made for Sowers for AOTY carries through to here. To me, he improved the level of his teammates more than any other player in the PLL in 2026. CJ Kirst looked like he might be a lock for this award around the season’s midway point. And in fairness to Kirst, it’s not like he did anything to hurt his own chances. He had 34 goals, the most in a season since the PLL launched in 2019. He shot a preposterous 40%. When you absolutely must have a goal immediately, accept no substitutes. Kirst is the guy who needs the ball in his stick. Dispute that at your own peril. And that’s a compelling case in and of itself. But as I noted with Sowers, I highly value just how much a player does to elevate the production and impact of the other five guys on the field while also scoring themselves, and Kirst is on the podium for that but not quite Sowers. The other player I considered for this was Dobson, and the reasoning speaks to the classic sports talk show topic of “is it the best player, or the most VALUABLE player” and defining those terms. I don’t like to use a hypothetical scenario as the basis for giving out awards. So I don’t think you can start at “what would the Archers look like without Brett Dobson” in the face of just actually looking at film and data. Dobson’s case, based entirely on data, is incredibly strong. And with the case laid out for GOTY in place as foundation, it’s fair to wonder what the Archers would look like without him. I would venture that they’re a totally different team.

Rookie of the Year

Finalists: Andrew McMeekin, Joey Spallina, Ryan Stines, Chad Palumbo

My Vote: Andrew McMeekin

Actual Winner: Joey Spallina

Had Sean Byrne played a few more games he’d be in the mix for sure; he has been dominant since becoming the Dogs starter. But it’s tough to be up for the award when you are a starter for about half the season. This is as tight a race as we’ve seen since the league launched. Joey Spallina finished top five in points and top three in assists despite missing two games this year. Ryan Stines was drafted to an offense that usually has Grant Ament, Matt Moore, and Tom Schreiber, but had none of them. Stines was asked to do a ton as a rookie and delivered a 30 point campaign, leading the Archers in assists. Palumbo quickly became a go to dodger for Carolina, and had a knack for scoring in big moments. He had a 20 goal season. He hit the game winner in the home market against Denver, he hit a buzzer beater against the Woods to send the game to OT. But to me, McMeekin spent the second half of the year running away with this award. He finished at 62.5% facing off, only specialist in the league over 60%. He had nine points, including seven assists himself when all other faceoff men in the league this year combined for nine. He only turned the ball over five times. He was, at worst, the league’s second best faceoff man this year. Brian Holman said that McMeekin’s play this year changed his mind on the importance of the faceoff position. That kind of impact earns him this award.

All Pro Ballot

A - CJ Kirst

A - Michael Sowers

A - Marcus Holman

2A - Chris Kavanagh

2A - Coulter Mackesy

2A - Brennan O’Neill

All pro teams tend to be made up of award winners and finalists, plus another name or two. Of the four AOTY finalists, Chris Kavanagh is the one I dropped to 2nd team All Pro. To round out the team I added Coulter Mackesy and Brennan O’Neill. Mackesy was fourth in the league in points and had his best season as a pro. He probably had a decent case to be an AOTY finalist. If I could add one more player here, it would be Joey Spallina.

M - Zach Currier

M - Aidan Carroll

M - Tre Leclaire

2M - Bryan Costabile

2M - Chad Palumbo

2M - Adam Poitras

Chad Palumbo was the position finalist that I made a 2nd teamer. I filled out the team with Bryan Costabile and Adam Poitras. Costabile was the league leader in two pointers and continues to be a top dodging threat in the league at the position. Like Makar, I think his excellent individual season is being overshadowed by a lack of team success. Adam Poitras impressed me on film on a weekly basis. I don’t know if there’s a better player in early offense or odd number situations that Poitras. He diagnosed and attacked situational offense well enough to put up 22 goals this year, more than every middie other than Carroll and Sam King, who is really an attackman.

D - JT Giles-Harris

D - Brendan Lavelle

D - Brett Makar

2D - Ajax Zappitello

2D - Gavin Adler

2D - Mason Woodward

Gavin Adler goes to the 2nd team for me, and I added Ajax Zappitello and Mason Woodward. Zappi