Buffalo Bandits forwards Dhane Smith and Kyle Buchanan, goaltender Matt Vinc and senior director of lacrosse operations Scott Loffler have been named finalists for the NLL’s end-of-season awards, the league announced Wednesday.
Smith was named a finalist for both NLL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year while Vinc is a finalist for Goaltender of the Year, Buchanan for the NLL’s Sportsmanship Award and Loffler for Executive of the Year.
The winners of each end-of-season award will be announced throughout next week ahead of Game 1 of the NLL Finals.
Here’s more on each finalist.
Dhane Smith (MVP and Offensive Player of the Year)
Smith broke his own NLL single-season assists record with 102, one higher than his total from last season. His 134 points tied for the NLL lead with teammate Josh Byrne.
Smith has been named MVP twice in his career (2016, 2022) and was named co-MVP of the team by Bandits fans this season alongside Vinc. He has 11 points (5+6) through three playoff games, tied for second on the team behind Ian MacKay.
“It’s nice to have a guy that can find anyone,” Buchanan said of Smith earlier this season. “Whether it’s myself or guys across the floor, he can find us and he can also go to the net. He’s probably a triple threat that can go back and play defense and drop in transition too. So, obviously a superstar in the league and he keeps getting better every year.”
Matt Vinc (Goaltender of the Year)
Vinc is nominated for Goaltender of the Year for the 10th time in his 19-year career and has won the award eight times.
Vinc finished the regular season with a 10.71 goals-against average, third in the league among goaltenders to play over half the season. He stopped over 79 percent of shots faced, tied for fourth.
Vinc proved that he’s still well in his prime through three playoff games. He’s allowed seven goals and stopped 92.22 percent of shots he’s faced, 10 percent higher than any goaltender still in the playoffs.
“He’s in phenomenal shape,” head coach John Tavares said following Vinc’s 48-save performance in Buffalo’s 5-4 win over San Diego in the NLL Quarterfinals. “He can play a lot more years if he wants. Truth be told, he’s a goalie, so he’s not running around. But he can play for five or six more years if he wants to. I’m glad he’s on our team and he had a phenomenal game today.”
Kyle Buchanan (NLL Sportsmanship Award)
This is the fourth time that Buchanan has been a finalist for the NLL’s Sportsmanship Award, including winning the award in 2015 as a member of the New England Black Wolves. The award celebrates a player who embodies exemplary sportsmanship values on and off the lacrosse field.
Buchanan finished third on the team in goals (34) and points (55) as well as spending just four minutes in the penalty box this season. He’s had just eight penalty minutes during his Bandits career and has been penalty-free this season since the Feb. 14 game against the Toronto Rock, which saw 27 different penalties called.
Scott Loffler (Executive of the Year)
Loffler has been a finalist for Executive of the Year twice before in 2015 and 2016. Loffler was a critical part in breaking the NLL attendance record this season, with 166,238 people attending the Bandits’ nine home games this season.
On top of that, Loffler, alongside Las Vegas vice president of business development Jonah Haas, helped to create the Tucker Out Lymphoma Cup, a round-robin trophy honoring Tucker Williams, the son of former Bandits player and Las Vegas head coach Shawn Williams and brother of Albany forward Dyson Williams.