The Bandits’ quest for a three-peat begins in November when they start training camp in Oakville, Ontario.
On Friday, the team announced their roster for training camp. The roster consists of 14 forwards, five transition players, 10 defensemen and three goalies.
See below for a full breakdown of the Bandits training camp roster:
No. 1 Tehoka Nanticoke, F
Nanticoke posted 43 points (27+16) in his fourth season with the Bandits after being drafted third overall by the team in 2021. He helped Buffalo win its second straight title with a 12-point stat line (6+6) in the playoffs.
No. 2 Chris Cloutier, F
Cloutier enters his sixth NLL season and his fifth one starting in Buffalo after being acquired from Philadelphia midway through the 2019 season. The 28-year-old accumulated 68 points (30+38) in 18 games last season.
No. 3 Thomas Whitty, T
Whitty is entering his first season with Buffalo after being acquired in a trade with Rochester on Sept. 10. Last season, in 16 games for the Knighthawks, Whitty recorded five assists, 81 loose-ball recoveries and 14 blocks.
No. 4 Ian MacKay, T
MacKay comes into his sixth NLL season fresh off a 29-point (12+17) campaign in 2023-24. He had a team-best 160 loose-ball recoveries as well as 19 caused turnovers and 12 blocked shots.
No. 5 Cam Wyers, D
Wyers comes into his second year with Buffalo after signing to a two-year contract in 2023 out of Loyola (Md.) In his rookie season he notched five assists alongside 79 loose-ball recoveries, 20 caused turnovers and 21 blocked shots, the second-most on the team.
No. 6 Paul Dawson, D
Entering his 19th season in the NLL, Dawson joined the Bandits in March last season in a trade with Colorado, playing six games with Buffalo following the acquisition. In those six games, he picked up 18 loose balls, caused five turnovers and blocked eight shots.
No. 7 Emerson Clark, F
Clark joined Buffalo before the 2023-24 season after he was acquired in a trade with Las Vegas in November 2023. A former AHL and ECHL hockey player, Clark played five games with Buffalo, recording two assists, 11 penalty minutes, and eight loose balls.
No. 8 Dylan Robinson, D
A 2022 first-round pick by Buffalo, Robinson enters his third season with the Bandits fresh off a six-point sophomore season. In addition, he had 63 loose ball recoveries and nine forced turnovers.
No. 12 Sam La Roue, F
A 2020 second-round pick by the Bandits, La Roue is on the final year of a three-year contract signed in 2022. He played in three games last season, recording two assists and picking up four loose balls.
No. 17 Taylor Dooley, D
Dooley, a four-year player at Mercer, was drafted 15th overall in the first round of the 2024 NLL Draft by the Bandits. He played attack at Mercer, playing 36 games, notching 81 points (50+31). His best season with the Bears came in 2023 when he scored 15 goals and recorded 13 assists in 16 games.
No. 18 Lukas Nielsen, F
Nielsen was the seventh-overall pick in the 2024 NLL Draft, selected out of the BC Junior A Lacrosse League. Nielsen won MVP of the league in 2024 after leading the league with 50 goals and notching 75 points in 18 games.
No. 19 Taite Cattoni, F
Cattoni, a three-year NLL player, was acquired in the offseason from Philadelphia. Through his three years in the league, he’s recorded 62 points (22+40) in his career and is coming off a 21-point (6+15) season with the Wings.
No. 20 Nick Weiss, T
Weiss enters his tenth season with the Bandits after being acquired from Vancouver in 2015. Last season, Weiss recorded a career-high 29 points (5+24), picking up 113 loose balls and coming in second and third on the team in caused turnovers and blocked shots with 21 and 13, respectively.
No. 21 Justin Martin, D
Coming into his eighth season with the Bandits, Martin continued to harass offenses last season, tying his career-high for caused turnovers with 11. Additionally, the Oakville, Ontario native picked up 23 loose balls and blocked nine shots.
No. 22 Josh Byrne, F
Byrne comes into the 2024-25 season after finishing with a career-high 135 points (53+82) and taking home numerous accolades for the first time in his career. Not only did he make First-Team All-NLL and win both NLL MVP and NLL Offensive Player of the Year, but he also won the NLL Finals MVP for his 33 points (12+21) in the playoffs.
No. 23 Steve Priolo, D
Priolo, the Bandits captain, enters his 14th season with the team after recording 13 points (5+8) last season. He finished last season second on the team in loose-ball recoveries and led the team in caused turnovers and blocked shot with 24 in each stat category.
No. 24 Christian Watts, F
A East Aurora native and 2022 fifth-round pick in the NLL Draft, Watts finished his rookie season in the NLL with an assist and three loose-ball recoveries in two games.
No. 25 Matt Spanger, D
Spanger enters his eighth NLL season after notching six points in 10 games last season. Additionally, he recovered 33 loose balls and forced 12 turnovers for the Bandits. Through his career, he’s totaled 44 points (13+31) and 335 loose-ball recoveries.
No. 41 Connor Farrell, T
Farrell played his first season of indoor lacrosse in the 2023-24 season after being signed by the Bandits in March. He totaled seven games and recorded two assists, 46 loose-ball recoveries and won 56 percent of the faceoffs he took.
No. 42 Trent Robertson, D
A second-round pick by the Bandits in the 2024 NLL Draft, Robertson enters his first professional season after notching eight assists in 22 games for the Brampton Excelsiors in the Ontario Jr. Lacrosse League.
No. 44 Steve Orleman, G
Orleman joined the Bandits in October last year after playing two seasons with the New York Riptide (now Ottawa Black Bears). In his rookie season in 2022, he broke the NLL rookie saves record (656) and made the NLL All-Rookie team. In his first season with the Bandits, he appeared in nine games, saving 80 percent of the shots he faced in 46 minutes of play time, allowing just eight goals.
No. 46 Evan Constantopoulos, G
Constantopoulos, a 2023 second-round pick by the Bandits, spent the majority of last season on the practice squad. Constantopoulos also appeared in 14 games with the Oakville Buzz Jr. A program in the Ontario Junior Lacrosse League. In those appearances, he had a goals-against average of 8.56 and save percentage of .837.
No. 48 Matt Vinc, G
Entering his 19th NLL season and sixth with Buffalo, Vinc has played over 260 games in the NLL. Last season, he played 16 games for the Bandits, going 11-5 with a goals-against average of 11.34 and .78 save percentage.
No. 55 Kellen Pulera, F
Pulera, a 2023 fourth-round pick, signed with the Bandits in August after playing five seasons of college lacrosse between Marist and St. Bonaventure. In his college career, he totaled 71 points (63+8) across 46 games. His best season came as a junior at Marist when he recorded 31 goals and received Second-Team All-Conference honors.
No. 73 Vance Adams, F
Adams, the final pick of the 2024 NLL Draft, comes from the Ontario Jr. B Lacrosse League where he played for the Akwesasne Thunder. In 56 games with the Thunder, he notched 37 points (9+28).
No. 77 Zack Belter, D
Belter was drafted in the first round of the 2022 NLL Draft by the Bandits and played his rookie season in 2023-24. In eight games played last season, the St. Bonaventure alum recorded an assist, 17 loose-ball recoveries and caused six turnovers.
No. 81 Clay Scanlan, F
Scanlan enters his first NLL season after playing the 2024 season with the Langley Thunder in the Western Lacrosse Association. With the Thunder, Scanlan finished third on the team in goals with 23 and fourth in points with 47 in 17 games played.
No. 88 Ryan Sharkey, D
Sharkey, a 2022 fourth-round pick by the Bandits, is familiar with Buffalo after playing four seasons at Canisius. In 39 career games with the Golden Griffins, Sharkey finished with 70 loose-ball recoveries and 29 caused turnovers, being named First-Team All-Conference in 2022 and Second-Team All-Conference in 2021.
No. 91 Kyle Buchanan, F
Buchanan enters his 12th NLL season and fourth with Buffalo. In the 2023-24 season, he finished fifth on the team in goals (23) and points (47) and sixth on the team in assists (24).
No. 92 Dhane Smith, F
A two-time NLL MVP (2016, 2022) Smith enters his 12th season in the NLL, all in Buffalo. Last season, Smith set the NLL record for assists with 101 in combination with 33 goals, finishing second on the team in both goals and points, just behind Byrne.
No. 95 Chase Fraser, F
Fraser enters his seventh NLL season coming off a career-best year. He finished the 2023-24 season with 57 points (31+26), with the third-most goals on the team and fourth-most assists.
No. 96 Cory Highfield, T
A former second-round pick by Rochester, Highfield was acquired by Buffalo in February. During his time with Buffalo, he played in five games and recorded an assist, 14 loose-ball recoveries and a caused turnover.