This season, USA Lacrosse Magazine will be power ranking the 15 National Lacrosse League teams each week as the franchises vie for the 2023 NLL Cup. Before tonight’s season opener between Philadelphia and Halifax, check out how the teams stack up on paper after an intriguing summer.

1. San Diego Seals

A testament to the tremendous teambuilding done by GM Patrick Merrill, the Seals have been on the cusp in the West for the past few years. They’ve jumped up to the favorite position thanks to landing offensive superstars Curtis Dickson and Kevin Crowley as part of a flashy offseason. With that duo on the right, joined by Austin Staats and Dane Dobbie on the left, the Seals will put defenses through hell. San Diego hopes that helps the group avoid the late-season drop off it suffered in 2021-22 and claim the franchise’s first title.

2. Colorado Mammoth

Colorado will be without some key faces as it begins its title defense, but the Mammoth already proved they can handle that by surviving an injury-plagued run to an NLL Cup. Ryan Lee and Chris Wardle both start the season on the sidelines, but Eli McLaughlin returns after getting knocked out of the Finals in Game 1. Only three players are gone from last year’s team, keeping expectations high. Dillon Ward is coming off back-to-back championships in the NLL and Premier Lacrosse League, and Zed Williams reached a new level for the Mammoth during the playoffs.

3. Buffalo Bandits

The Bandits were the class of the league in the regular season, starting out 13-1 and finishing with 14 victories. Yet, Buffalo fell just short in a second straight NLL Finals by dropping Game 3 to Colorado 10-8. Most of the faces are the same, including reigning MVP Dhane Smith and his partner in crime, Josh Byrne. A stacked offensive unit, combined with the best goalie in NLL history, Matt Vinc, and one of the league’s best defenders, Steve Priolo, has Buffalo still among the league’s best. The biggest question entering the year is the status of Chase Fraser, who starts the campaign on the protected player list.

4. Toronto Rock

How close were the Rock to the Bandits last season? Well, Buffalo’s two-game series sweep in the East Finals came down to a last-second goal in each game. The offense has seen some tweaking, with Corey Small and Stephen Keogh inserted and Rob Hellyer traded away, while the defense remains led by defenders Mitch de Snoo and Brad Kri and goaltender Nick Rose. Toronto was close to leaping Buffalo in the opening power rankings, but former Saskatchewan captain and key addition Chris Corbeil starting on injured reserve has the Rock at a respectable fourth.

5. Halifax Thunderbirds

The T-Birds were right there with Buffalo to start the season, winning eight of their first nine games, but ended the season with a thud to drop to the third seed before falling to Toronto in their postseason debut. The offense has been bolstered by bringing in Randy Staats, who missed last season due to injury, and the return of Ryan Benesch. But perhaps the biggest improvement could come from a familiar face. Warren Hill, whose save percentage dropped from .808 to .783 last season, can boost Halifax to a championship when he is at his best.

6. Philadelphia Wings

The Wings did lose Crowley in free agency, but immediately replaced him with Joe Resetarits, the greatest American goal scorer in the history of the league. He joins an offense with continuity that was sparked by a midseason acquisition of Kyle Jackson (though Jackson starts this year on the protected player list). The defense needs to improve after leading East playoff teams in goals allowed, a number that should improve thanks to the signing of Chad Tutton.

7. Saskatchewan Rush

The Rush missed the postseason for the first time since moving to Saskatoon, resulting in a mid-season coaching change. The addition of Jimmy Quinlan on the bench had an impact, leading to a four-game, season-closing win streak that helped him secure the job fulltime. Mark Matthews and Robert Church give the Rush heavy hitters on offense, but the team will have to recover from the departure of Corbeil to Toronto and the retirement of Jeff Shattler. The goalie duo of Eric Penny and Alex Buque remains a volatile variable.

8. New York Riptide

An upset of the Bandits during last year’s regular season showed how good New York can be at its best – and reminded viewers why the Riptide were a hot pick to make a jump last season. That didn’t fully come to fruition – with New York going 6-12 – but a 5-3 stretch in the second half of the season brings optimism. Jeff Teat, Callum Crawford and Connor Kearnan helped the squad finish second in the East in scoring last season. Will the defense step up to that level? Additions Kevin Brownell and Jordi Jones-Smith should help in that regard.

9. Georgia Swarm

No team was hit harder by retirements than the Swarm, who now have to replace goalie Mike Poulin, transition player Joel White and forward Jordan Hall. Poulin creates the biggest hole, which will be replaced by either Craig Wende or rookie Brett Dobson. Yet Lyle Thompson remains among the league’s best weapons, and this group nearly made the playoffs despite being one of the younger units in the league. Two more talented young players have been added to the bunch in last year’s second overall pick Ryan Lanchbury and former Albany forward Andrew Kew.

10. Panther City Lacrosse Club

PCLC put together an admirable first season in the league, making a push for the playoffs by ending the year 5-3. The team’s success was largely driven by the emergence of Will Malcom and Patrick Dodds, who both topped 80 points, and the leadership of Tracey Kelusky, named the league’s coach of the year. GM Bob Hamley will be rewarded for his patience this year by adding former first overall pick Jonathan Donville following his final year at Maryland.

11. Albany FireWolves

This FireWolves team looks far different than the one that barely snuck into the playoffs last season, starting with the departure of Resetarits and the team’s second-leading scorer, Benesch. Additional trades sent off Kew and Reilly O’Connor and brought in Kieran McArdle and Ethan Walker along with draft picks. Now, all five of the team’s top scorers are gone. Doug Jamieson remains a steadying force between the pipes, but Albany has a lot of gelling to do if it looks to compete in the East.

12. Calgary Roughnecks

The Riggers are embarking on a new era now without both Dobbie and Dickson, who helped lead the franchise to a championship in 2019. Talent remains from the group that ended last season 6-3 after a rough start, including one of the top transition players in the league, Zach Currier, and one of the top goalies, Christian del Bianco. On offense, the keys are turned over to Jesse King, coming off a career season, and Tyler Pace. The Roughnecks already scored the second fewest goals in the West last season. Quite simply, will there be enough production to compete with the best the division has to offer?

13. Vancouver Warriors

The Warriors ended last season on a five-game slide, resulting in a fourth straight losing season for the franchise. That resulted in a coaching change, with veteran bench boss Troy Cordingley now at the helm. Little has gone right in Vancouver since its rebrand, but the group does have a player to build around for decades in Reid Bowering and has gotten great production out the front door from Keegan Bal and Kyle Killen. GM Dan Richardson also made one of the more intriguing additions of the offseason by signing veteran and future Hall of Famer Shawn Evans.

14. Las Vegas Desert Dogs

Panther City showed an expansion team can win right out of the gates, and Las Vegas looks to continue that trend. The team has some proven veterans, led by Hellyer, and hopes young players like Charlie Bertrand and Connor Kirst continue their positive trajectory from their former clubs. Like most expansion teams, there are questions between the pipes. The Desert Dogs have a promising young goaltender in Landon Kells, but his NLL game experience is limited to 10 minutes in Calgary. If things don’t click immediately, the talk will quickly turn to coach Shawn Williams’ son, likely 2023 first overall pick Dyson Williams.

15. Rochester Knighthawks

The Knighthawks took a slight step forward last season, but a two-win improvement still meant 4-14. A swap with Las Vegas prior to the draft gave Rochester the first overall pick and the chance to snag Thomas McConvey, but they’ll have to wait on him as he plays out his final year of college. That leaves the offense in the hands of Holden Cattoni, new addition Connor Fields and promising youngster Ryan Smith. Ryland Rees starting the year on IR is a big loss to a back end already featuring one of the less experienced goalie duos.