Vancouver Warriors 2026-2027 Outlook

Gary Groob

Gary Groob has been involved with Lacrosse for the majority of his life, whether playing, coaching, or covering the sport for the media. An avid fan, with a real drive about helping to "grow the game", Gary became part of podcasts about the game in 2010. Through the podcasts, Mr. Groob was given an opportunity to write about lacrosse, and the rest as they say, is history. Through many miles (flying and driving) Gary has made inroads with the National Lacrosse League, Major Series Lacrosse, Ontario Series Lacrosse, the Ontario Lacrosse Association, CUFLA, as well as the Arena Lacrosse League, covering the leagues, their teams, and players, working for, and in concert with all of them. In the year 2019, Mr. Groob was made the media person for the Arena Lacrosse League, voted onto the board of directors of the Brampton Excelsiors Lacrosse Club, as well as being made administrator of the Lacrosse page "Global Lacrosse" with a membership of 14,000+ members in over 90 Countries. Gary was also made an administrator of Lacrosse History Past Present and Future in 2022 with a membership of 19,000+. Gary also has been the media person for Ontario Series Lacrosse (Senior B) since 2023. Mr. Groob also covers the Green Gaels for their excursions to Prague at the Ales Hrebesky tournament since 2022. In 2024, when Major Series Lacrosse was in need of a media person, Gary stepped in as their interim media person. His tasks were running their social media, as well as their website until a full time person was found to fill the role. In 2025 Gary was voted onto the Board of Directors for Ontario Series Lacrosse. Mr. Groob hosts a weekly lacrosse interview show formerly on Spanglish Sports World, and ZingoTV channel 250, now on StreamPunkEnt.com, Youtube, as well as Spotify. Groob also hosts a lacrosse talk show and podcast for All Lacrosse All The Time seen live Sunday nights at 8pm (ET), and archived on the All Lacrosse All The Time YouTube page, as well as Spotify. Gary also wrote a weekly lacrosse editorial column for La Portada Canada News both in print and online for three years from 2021-2024. In 2025, Mr. Groob joined the ownership ranks, becoming a minority owner of StreamPunk Entertainment, ensuring Lacrosse will always have voice in media. Gary was voted onto the board of directors as the social media director for Ontario Series Lacrosse (OSL) in November of 2025. In 2026 Mr. Groob was nominated for the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame, made a voting member of the NLL media, was put as a voting member in the Ales Hrebesky Tournament awards, and was nominated for the Tom Borelli Award as media person of the year for the NLL. In the spring of 2026 Gary was made Director of Social Media for the MSL, and the Director of Communications for CUFLA. Mr. Groob's other sports interests include Hockey, Football, Boxing, Wrestling, and Baseball, competing competitively in Boxing and Wrestling for many years.

November 6, 2026

Vancouver Warriors 2026–27 Outlook

2025–2026 Record: 13–5, first place in the regular season. Lost 10–7 to Halifax in the quarterfinals.

New Faces

Luca Antongiovanni. Michael Sowers’ playing rights were acquired in the Dispersal Draft.

Entry Draft selections: Matt Collison, Marcus Khan, Jeremy Wudrick, Blake Young, Joel Mullen, Henry Dodge, Joel McCormick.

Key Losses

Payton Cormier, traded to the Buffalo Bandits in the deal bringing Luca Antongiovanni and a first-round pick to Vancouver.

Steph Charbonneau to Colorado – Free Agent.

Offense

The Warriors already had plenty of firepower…now add Matt Collison! The big left-hander brings size, an outside shot and the ability to create room in the middle. Selected third overall, Collison should give opposing defenses another difficult matchup.

Keegan Bal was superb last season, finishing with 124 points. Curtis Dickson added 42 goals, while Jesse King and Adam Charalambides contributed 80 and 68 points respectively. Add Marcus Klarich, coming off a 51-point season, and there are threats throughout this lineup.

Marshal King is another player to watch. Acquired from Las Vegas last season, King has already made an impression in training camp with his shooting, athleticism and ability to work with the ball. With Ryan Sheridan also returning, there should be plenty of competition for offensive minutes.

The biggest question is whether this group can produce when the pressure is highest. Vancouver’s offense helped carry the team to first place, but was held scoreless in the second half of its playoff loss to Halifax. Finding ways to stop those scoring droughts will be important.

Defense/Transition

When you have Brett Mydske, Ryan Dilks, Matt Beers and Jeff Cornwall anchoring the defense, experience is certainly not an issue. This is a physical group that understands its responsibilities and makes opponents work for their chances. All four have agreed to return.

Reid Bowering remains another important piece. His pursuit of loose balls and willingness to get into shooting lanes give Vancouver extra possessions while taking opportunities away from the opposition. He led the Warriors with 111 loose balls and 20 blocked shots last season.

Transition is dangerous as well. Owen Grant gives Vancouver a player who can defend, collect loose balls and get up the floor quickly. Antongiovanni adds another young option, while the additions of Blake Young and Joel Mullen should create competition for spots on the back end.

At the faceoff dot, Alec Stathakis gives the Warriors a strong starting point. He won 261 of 440 draws last season, good for 59 percent. Continued success there would give an already talented offense more opportunities to go to work.

Goaltending

Christian Del Bianco remains a major reason this team is so difficult to play against. He finished last season with a 13–5 record, a 9.42 goals-against average and an .813 save percentage. When the defense does give up a quality chance, Del Bianco gives Vancouver every opportunity to recover.

His ability to move the ball also fits Curt Malawsky’s desire to push the pace in transition. Del Bianco can turn a save into an offensive opportunity before the opposition has time to get organized.

Connor O’Toole returns as the backup, giving the Warriors another familiar face in net. First-round pick Marcus Khan adds a young goalie with plenty of potential, creating competition at training camp. Working alongside Del Bianco and O’Toole should provide Khan with valuable experience as he adjusts to the professional game.

Overall

Coming off a first-place finish followed by an early playoff exit, the Warriors should have plenty of motivation. This team has the offensive talent, defensive experience and goaltending to compete with anyone.

The biggest questions surround taking that next step. Can Collison make an immediate impact? Will Marshal King give the offense another dependable option? Can Vancouver carry its regular-season success into the playoffs?

The Warriors have to be considered one of the championship contenders heading into the season. Much of the established group is returning, and the younger additions should push everyone to be better. However, as last season showed, earning a strong playoff position is only part of the battle. We shall wait and see.

All Lacrosse All The Time continues to preview NLL teams as they head into the 2026–2027 season.