What's Next 2026: Carolina Chaos

2026 Season Result: 5-7, missed playoffs

Draft Selections: 1.2, 2.2, 3.2, 4.2

Pending Free Agents:

Chris Aslanian, M

Charlie Bertrand, M

Liam Byrnes, D

Jackson Eicher, A

Mark Glicini, SSDM

Justin Inacio, FO

Austin Kaut, G

Greg Langermeier, SSDM

Nick Rowlett, FO

Christian Scarpello, SSDM

SEASON RECAP

Carolina came into the season with a new head coach in Steven Brooks and a promising young core. The consensus was that Spencer Ford had a very successful 2026 draft. He showed up on draft day with just two picks, and left four high level players in Chad Palumbo, Eric Spanos, Ty English, and Peter Detwiler. Combining that with presumably high level sophomore seasons from Owen Hiltz and Jackson Eicher was expected to have this group take steps forward this year.

Early on, things were promising. They won two of their first three, including games against Boston and Philadelphia. But things sputtered after their homecoming weekend. They lost four of their last six games, and the offense struggled mightily. The primary issue was ball movement and generating quality scoring opportunities off the pass, rather than the dodge. The team leader in assist opportunities was Ross Scott with 28 on the season, a number that barely puts him top 20 in the PLL. Mikey Boehm, who played six games this year spread across two teams, would have been second on the team in assist opportunities if he played for the Chaos. Carolina finished with 45 assists as a team, last in the PLL by a wide margin; half the teams in the league were over 70 this year. They were also last in scores, which isn’t quite the chicken and the egg exercise it might seem. In the PLL if you can’t score assisted goals, you can’t score many at all.

Carolina finished 5-7 and missed the playoffs. But the results are all bad news. Their five wins including beating Boston twice, beating Philly, and beating the Outlaws. That’s beating the eventual champ, the team that lost in the title game, and a semifinalist. All that despite losing Jack Rowlett for the season at Fairfield weekend. They also lost Eric Spanos and faceoff man Justin Inacio to injury, and even Rowlett’s injury replacement, Henry Bard, in early August. They went the whole season without Charlie Bertrand, who suffered a knee injury before the season even started.

But the offense had bright spots. Teddy Malone was a post draft add who developed into a serious scoring threat, posting a 24 point season. Palumbo looks like a home run draft pick, as he was a finalist for Midfielder and Rookie of the Year. He scored clutch goals, and looked ready for the moment in every game, despite being a late arrival as he wrapped up his college campaign with a title at Princeton.

OFFSEASON PLAN

The offense needs some juice, particularly in the passing department. Carolina was last in the league in scores with 129, and tied for second to last in two pointers hit with just four on the year. They failed to hit double digits three times. They pick second in the draft, but with the new “5 in 5” rule in place, this draft projects to be light on high impact offensive talent. If New York goes defense first (not a wild assumption given their struggles on that side of the field this year), Carolina will be able to take whoever they regard as the top offensive weapon in the draft. At this point, that looks like maybe Dom Pietramala as a shooter, or Ryan Colsey as a flexible piece that can go between midfield and attack. Neither of those will likely do enough to push this offense to where it needs to go, as neither are really regarded as feed first players. Ford could feasibly go big game hunting and try and grab one of Denver’s high end weapons, thinking they won’t be able to get everyone signed under the salary cap. Targeting players like Pat Kavanagh wouldn’t be crazy, and Ford pushed hard to try and land Jared Bernhardt originally when he first joined the PLL. Otherwise, Ford may be able to try and grab the benefits of other teams pursuing top free agents. Should a team like California break the bank for big name free agents, Carolina could add multiple players who suddenly need a new team or were considered cap casualties. That might not sound exciting, but those types of players can be All Star caliber in the PLL. The defensive side of the ball should need a bit of depth. Blaze Riorden has a new deal through 2029, keeping that position solid for the foreseeable future. Jarrod Neumann also has a deal through 2028, and Jack Rowlett through 2029. With Rowlett, Ford and Brooks need to be sure he’s a full go following a scary neck injury this season. Henry Bard flashed some good play before injury shortened his season. Grabbing another pole or two to push for time wouldn’t be crazy.