Buffalo Bandits forward Josh Byrne has been named the NLL’s Most Valuable Player, the league announced Friday.

Byrne, who was also named the Offensive Player of the Year on Thursday, became just the fourth player in franchise history to be named MVP, joining coach John Tavares (3x), general manager Steve Dietrich, and teammate Dhane Smith (2x).

Byrne posted a league-best 135 points (53+82) in 18 games this season and was named MVP over fellow finalists Smith and Nick Rose of the Toronto Rock.

Despite Byrne’s success this season, Smith recalled a time early in Byrne’s career when he saw the forward’s untapped potential. Smith noticed Byrne was hesitant as he worked to learn his role in the lineup, so the Bandits’ alternate captain decided to pull him aside.

“It came to a time where I had to talk to him and be like, ‘Hey, you’re the guy just as much as anybody else,’” Smith recalled.

Byrne took Smith’s advice and went on to post career highs in each of his next three seasons. The 30-year-old set career highs in goals (53), assists (82), and points (135) during the 2023-24 regular season to lead the Bandits to a playoff berth and earn recognition from the league.

“He’s playing like he’s one of the best players in the league, and he deserves it. We go as far as he goes,” Smith said.

Byrne has taken the Bandits far in 2023-24 as the team will take on the Albany FireWolves in a best-of-three series for the NLL Cup beginning this weekend. He has recorded 17 points (8+9) in three postseason contests, which ranks tied for second in the league.

While Byrne’s knack for finding the back of the net has continued throughout the season, it’s been his ability to facilitate the ball and take on different roles that has led his ascent to MVP. He said he has learned how to do this from Smith, who has been named the league MVP twice in his own career.

“I don’t necessarily have to take the ball to the rack every possession,” Byrne said. “I’m talking with Dhane a lot about how he’s been successful and also understanding to pick and choose your times to go one-on-one and what not. I think that part of it has helped me kind of understand the game a bit better and to understand how to utilize some of our great players a bit better.”

Byrne averaged 7.5 points per game in 2023-24 and either scored or assisted on seven of Buffalo’s 11 game-winning goals during the regular season. He then tallied the overtime winner in the Bandits’ 10-9 win over the Georgia Swarm in the Quarterfinals to advance to the best-of-three Semifinals against the Toronto Rock.

“In that game he put us on his back when we needed it,” Bandit forward Kyle Buchanan said. “Just being able to beat guys over the top and how dynamic he is shooting the ball from the outside obviously paid off in overtime.

“He can play the game and score in so many different ways. He’s just an unbelievable talent. … He’s just such a well-rounded offensive player.”

Bandits coach John Tavares, who knows what it’s like to win MVP after having won it in 1994, 2000, and 2001, doesn’t believe Byrne has reached his full potential yet.

“I think he’s gotten better with every year, honestly. And I don’t know if he’s at his peak yet, but he’s a great player,” Tavares said after Byrne’s 11-point performance against Saskatchewan on March 8.

“He’s a triple threat – he can pass, he can shoot from the outside, and can get inside. … He’s a student of the game and he wants to be one of the best, if not the best. He’s working towards that and he’s well on his way.”

Byrne tallied four goals and seven assists against Saskatchewan in Week 15, including an assist on Tehoka Nanticoke’s game-winning overtime goal to lead the Bandits to a 15-14 win. He followed that up with 48 points (18+30) in the final six games of the season, pacing the Bandits as they made their playoff push, posting wins in five of their last six contests.

The New Westminster, British Columbia native signed a five-year contract extension in January and will look to build off the success he had this season as the Bandits open up the NLL Finals in Albany on Friday.

Smith has watched Byrne evolve his game since that conversation the two had a few seasons ago and knows the team will follow Byrne’s lead when they take the field for Game 1.

“He’s playing aggressively. He’s playing like he always could,” Smith said. “He plays with so much passion that it’s easy to follow him.”