Clay Scanlan nearly stepped away from his pursuit of being a professional lacrosse player.
Scanlan was drafted by the Halifax Thunderbirds in the second round of the 2019 NLL Draft, five days before his 19th birthday. He bounced between three teams in four years without playing before blossoming into a dynamic offensive option for the Buffalo Bandits.
Scanlan spent three seasons with Halifax from 2019-2022 but was never elevated to the active roster. He then signed with the Panther City Lacrosse Club in September of 2022. However, he was released two months later.
He took his talents to Calgary in September of 2023 but never suited up for the Roughnecks as he was placed on injured reserve in November and released in January of 2024. Scanlan then signed with the Bandits in September of 2024 and finally debuted over five years after being drafted.
“It was very difficult,” Scanlan told Bandits.com. “There’s times I really wanted to give up, and the thing that kept me going was all these young kids. My little brothers, my nephews, my nieces and their friends and other kids looked up to me, and I wasn’t just doing it for me anymore. That was kind of my final push of, OK, we’re still doing this.’”
Scanlan’s unconventional journey brought the Irving, New York, product back to his home state and into the threads of the team he grew up watching 37.5 miles from his hometown.
Scanlan went from a kid in the KeyBank Center stands to a champion on the floor with the team he idolized in front of the same family and friends that inspired him to keep going.
Hoisting the championship trophy made his turbulent road all the more worthwhile and Scanlan has relished in the reinvigorated jolt to his career he’s found in Buffalo.
“Honestly, (it’s) a dream come true,” Scanlan said of playing for the Bandits. “I get to pick (the minds of) some of the best lacrosse players in the world to ever play the game. I get to pick their brains and add it into my game however I like and just be around them. For them to be supportive, I can ask them anything, and they’ll give me their input on it, and it’s helped my game so much.”
Scanlan flipped between the practice squad and the active roster during the 2024-25 season, when he played in 11 regular season games and two playoff games.
“Big play Clay” was an integral piece of the Bandits’ third straight championship as he tallied 16 points in 11 games. He shined on the sport’s biggest stage with two goals in Game 2 of the NLL Finals against the Saskatchewan Rush.
His performance on the floor as a rookie set the stage for an increased role in 2025-26. He’s recorded six points in four games and matched his single-game career-high in points with three against Las Vegas on Jan. 3.
“He’s taking advantage of all the minutes he’s gotten from last year to this year,” Tavares said. “He has the ability to score from the inside and outside. He just doesn’t get the ball a lot, and the guy sets a lot of picks, and he’s relentless on loose balls, hustles back on defense. And when he’s on defense, he works his butt off back there. He’s a water bug on that left side. … He’s just getting better with time now.”
Scanlan has maximized his opportunities by often making little plays that don’t appear in a box score. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound forward has thrived at attacking the middle and setting screens, something he rarely did before playing in Buffalo.
Scanlan’s process of becoming an effective pick setter included extensive film sessions by himself and with Tavares. He’s also been able to learn from another comparable player in 13-year NLL veteran Kyle Buchanan.
Josh Byrne called Scanlan “a left-handed Bucky” on Nov. 29 and Tavares echoed those comments, saying that Scanlan plays with the kind of shiftiness and deception that Buchanan has utilized during his accomplished career.
“For the last couple of years, he’s had to learn how to play without the ball,” Tavares said. “That’s where the style of Kyle Buchanan comes in. Kyle’s a savant when it comes to playing without the ball. He knows where to pick, where to hit the gaps, how to get out of the way, when not to shoot. He’s an amazing offensive player, a very high IQ.
“… [Scanlan] is definitely the younger version in terms of bringing energy, getting loose balls, coming through the middle, setting some picks, and then given the opportunity, he can score and especially in tight.”
Tavares added that Scanlan has yet to unlock another weapon in his arsenal: his outside shot. The seven-year Bandits head coach said Scanlan has done “a phenomenal job” of playing his off-ball role and noted his offensive upside will continue to flourish with the ball in his stick more often.
Scanlan said he’s not the type of player to always need the ball and has embraced the opportunity to play with some of the league’s best in Dhane Smith, Byrne, Buchanan, Ian MacKay, Ryan Benesch and Tehoka Nanticoke.
Scanlan’s team-first approach has allowed the shooters around him to thrive as the Bandits rank third in the NLL in goals (51). Scanlan said the aforementioned offensive core has helped him become an everyday player and that playing for the Bandits is something he never takes for granted.
“(I learned) to never give up,” Scanlan said. “It was a long, rough road, and it was hard, but I’m glad I didn’t give up. … I’m happy I stuck with it, and it just goes to show that anyone can do it.”