
2025-2026 Record: 11-7, 6th place in the regular season. Defeated Halifax to win their 7th NLL Championship.
New Faces
Ty English, Silas Richmond, Alexis Simard,
Key Losses
Steven Orleman, Justin Martin, Zack Kearney
Offense
The Rock have added even more firepower. Silas Richmond is a big body with great hands! Add Richmond to an already potent lineup featuring CJ Kirst, Owen Hiltz, Mark Matthews, Josh Dawick, Dan Craig, Chris Boushy, Challen Rogers and Isiah Moran-Weekes, and it’s hard to find a weak link.
Defense/Transition
With a defense featuring Brad Kri, Chris Weier, Jake Darlison, Elijah Gash, Billy Hostrawser, Lucas Hucal, Hugh Kelleher, Josh Jackson and Josh Jubenville, no one will be taking liberties. This is one bruising, yet very agile crew.
The transition game is even more impressive. Ty English joins Sam English, Latrell Harris and Phil Mazzuca to give the Rock a formidable group capable of pushing the pace throughout the season.
Losing TD Ierlan could have been a damaging blow at the faceoff dot…enter Nick Rowlett. He was nothing short of spectacular in the playoffs, giving the Rock every reason to expect another strong season on faceoffs.
Goaltending
Nick Rose has finally quieted his detractors, not only winning the NLL Championship, but playing superbly along the way. Although he played summer ball, his appearances were sporadic, giving him a lighter workload heading into the season.
Troy Holowchuk was called into action last year when Rose was hurt and played admirably, solidifying his position as the number two goalie. Dante Mancini is young with plenty of potential. Practicing alongside Rose and Holowchuk, while learning under goalie coach Brandon Miller, should give Mancini valuable experience.
Overall
Coming off a championship, the Rock show no signs of taking their foot off the gas pedal. This team is strong in all facets of the game.
One of the few questions surrounds the goaltending. With Nick Rose another year older, can he recreate what he did last season? Is Holowchuk ready to take on an even bigger role if needed?
The Rock have to be considered one of the favourites to repeat heading into the season. However, with teams making significant strides in the offseason, defending their championship will be a tall order. We shall wait and see.
All Lacrosse All The Time continues to preview NLL teams as they head into the 2026–2027 season. In our next edition, “Muffler” Mike Kostiuk takes a look at the Halifax Thunderbirds.