We’re coming up to the end of 2021, and we’ll soon have a fresh year of lax in front of us. But you can’t wait to watch what will happen, you need to know now. So, we have some 2022 lacrosse predictions for you – 22 to be exact.
New NCAA champions, the first full NLL season in seemingly forever, another PLL campaign, and so much more will come in 2022. Let’s take a look at the crystal ball for all the answers, or at least 22 of them.
22 Lacrosse Predictions for 2022
1: syracuse Returns to Glory
With the addition of Gary Gait and Dave Pietramala, the Orange are poised to return to glory this upcoming season. Syracuse has had the talent over the years to be a complete team in the ACC but has fallen short every time it mattered most. But they’ve built a coaching staff unlike many others in NCAA history, so don’t be surprised if Syracuse makes some noise in the ACC.
Winners. pic.twitter.com/LbcMsYirqE
— Syracuse Men’s Lacrosse (@CuseMLAX) June 21, 2021
2: Johns Hopkins Becomes a big ten contender
Peter Milliman was the perfect coaching hire for the Blue Jays last season. Milliman has proven that he can build a program, and Hopkins certainly needs some help. The Blue Jays showed signs towards the end of the season of what this team is made of when they made a run to the Big Ten Championship Game. This team has all of the tools to become a contender in the Big Ten in 2022.
Scenes from Tuesday morning practice on Homewood. #GoHop pic.twitter.com/UoErRD70ti
— JHU Men's Lacrosse (@jhumenslacrosse) October 19, 2021
3: The Ivy League returns with a vengance
The lacrosse world has certainly missed the Ivy League after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. The Ivy League will make its return this upcoming season, and there is no doubt that these players are eager to touch the field. Most Ivy League teams schedule difficult out-of-conference slates, and teams like Penn and Yale are in control of how high they want to climb in the national rankings.
❗️❗️ #ILPL pic.twitter.com/aKtGeFFMUn
— Penn Men's Lacrosse (@PennMensLax) December 1, 2021
4: Chris GRay wins the Tewaaraton
Chris Gray is returning for his fifth year in hopes of winning a national title as a Tar Heel. Gray finished as a Tewaaraton finalist last year and has all the opportunity in the world to bring home the award in 2022.
Congratulations to Chris Gray for being ranked fourth in @Inside_Lacrosse Top 50 player list for the 2022 season! 💪
— UNC Men's Lacrosse (@UNCMensLacrosse) November 29, 2021
🔗 https://t.co/m0baYZzJ8p#GoHeels | #FamilyAcademicsLacrosse pic.twitter.com/9uL1xhbwLg
5: Colin Kirst Makes a splash
Rutgers goalie Colin Kirst had a phenomenal 2021 season, and that success will carry over to the 2022 season as well. Kirst has the potential to be the best goalie in college lacrosse this year and be a hot prospect in the 2022 PLL Draft.
Going to have two great leaders as captains this year!
— Rutgers Men's LAX (@RUmlax) December 9, 2021
Excited to announce Ryan Gallagher and Colin Kirst as the #RUMLax captains for the 2022 season
📰: https://t.co/EsskESd9ZE pic.twitter.com/lwFGDpwyac
6: Boston College wins the NCAA Championship…Again
With Charlotte North returning and a dominant recruiting class stepping on campus, the Golden Eagles are slated to repeat their championship run in 2022. While it won’t be a cake walk to the national championship game, there is no real reason why Boston College can’t win it all for a second year in a row.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS pic.twitter.com/hW6ggIr4Z6
— BC Women's Lacrosse (@BCwlax) May 30, 2021
7: Charlotte North Wins the Tewaaraton…Again
Charlotte North has proven that she is one of the best NCAA lacrosse players to ever play the game. With Izzy Scane out of the Tewaaraton running due to an ACL injury, North should have no issue securing the Tewaaraton for a second-consecutive season.
No brainer. Let’s run it back @BCwlax
— Charlotte North (@charlotteocho8) June 7, 2021
🎥: @bgreenberg96 pic.twitter.com/LM5msthKg2
8: Buffalo Bandits are crowned nll champions
It has been a long time coming, but the Buffalo Bandits have all of the tools at their disposable to win the NLL Championship. The additions of Connor Fields and Tehoka Nanticoke have elevated this team to a level it has not been at in the past.
Victory lap‼️#LetsGoBandits pic.twitter.com/yAqPBPH67e
— Buffalo Bandits (@NLLBandits) December 5, 2021
9: JEff Teat Wins nll rookie of the year
Jeff Teat had a dominant performance during his first NLL game, tallying up three goals and four assists. There is no question that he’s already playing at an All-Star caliber level and is the face of the Riptide organization. The only road bump in his way is how well Nanticoke performs on a team competing for a title, which is a position the Riptide are not currently in.
When you go to sleep tonight, don’t count sheep, but instead count Jeff Teat goals… 🐑🛌💤 pic.twitter.com/gUAhr92gP2
— New York Riptide (@newyorkriptide) December 6, 2021
10: Ryan Lee Wins NLL MVP
Ryan Lee has all of the qualities you look for in an MVP-caliber player. The NLL is filled with guys who could potentially win this postseason award, but Lee’s performance to start the 2021-22 season shows why he appears to be the clear frontrunner.
🗣️ 𝐑𝐘𝐀𝐍 𝐋𝐄𝐄 𝐈𝐒 𝐀 𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐂𝐎𝐃𝐄
— NLL (@NLL) March 9, 2020
After review, the one-time diving goal from Leezer is ruled a GOOD goal…and it's got a chance at being a Top 5 goal of the season. pic.twitter.com/eKLLQDram1
11: Matt Vinc cements his legacy
The 39-year-old Buffalo legend Matt Vinc will finish his career following this season. Vinc has a solid defense in front of him, which certainly helps the low-quality shots that he will face all year. Vinc is the best NLL goalie of all time and will finish the year with a plethora of awards and accolades.
Matt Vinc showed why he's the reigning (and SEVEN TIME) goaltender of the year when it mattered most this weekend.
— NLL (@NLL) December 10, 2019
Presented by @Epochlax pic.twitter.com/BknuDvBiGx
12: The Archers get over the playoff hump
The Archers have no excuse to not win a title this during the 2022 season. The team is full of weapons at every position but has not been able to climb over the playoff hump. This year will be different, and my prediction is Archers Lacrosse Club will obtain its first PLL Championship.
Thankful 🧡 pic.twitter.com/ejrEMUiz6s
— Archers Lacrosse Club (@PLLArchers) November 25, 2021
13: Grant Ament wins pll mvp
Grant Ament will enter his third season as a professional in 2022 and has already become an elite player in this league. His presence on the field is felt even when he doesn’t have the ball, and his IQ improved drastically from his first season to his second. Ament is on pace to become the face of the league, and I think this is the year earns the recognition he deserves.
The work hasn’t stopped during the offseason for @GrantAment 💪🏹👣 pic.twitter.com/iGLzOs2CXx
— Archers Lacrosse Club (@PLLArchers) November 17, 2021
14: Chrome finish as the PLL’s worst team
I love many of the players on the Chrome’s roster, but I don’t think the team fundamentally clicks. Team chemistry is arguably one of the most important factors required to be a competitive lacrosse team and the Chrome appear to have none, and that’s the basis of my prediction. Chrome will need a drastic rebuild similar to what Ben Rubeor did with the Atlas if it wants to compete in this league.
Happy #PLLDay to the best fans in the world!
— Chrome Lacrosse Club (@PLLChrome) October 22, 2021
We can’t wait to see what’s in store for the future⚔️ pic.twitter.com/pHCcuycJKi
15: Chaos finish the regular season with a losing record
The 2021 Chaos team was certainly a team of destiny ,and I don’t see that level of success rolling into the 2022 season. For one reason or another, the playoffs bring a different beast out of this team, so it’s hard to say what will happen once the postseason hits. But the Chaos will certainly fall into a slump during the regular season in 2022.
Tag yourself 🍻 #ThirstyThursday pic.twitter.com/PBE0lt8sV9
— Chaos Lacrosse Club (@PLLChaos) December 3, 2021
16: Redwoods enter a rebuild following 2022 season
Redwoods have too many weapons on its roster to explain for the team’s lack of success. I can see the Redwoods trading away one or two All-Star players on their roster to improve the team’s depth. I’m pretty sure Redwoods fans are tired of seeing this team fall flat in big games year after year.
"When you look back on this season, what's one word to describe it?" @NatStLaurentPLL's response 👇 pic.twitter.com/21lo5jIXa1
— Redwoods Lacrosse Club (@PLLRedwoods) August 26, 2021
17: More PLL Expansion
With the PLL’s rumored deal with ESPN, the league is in a position to have a very successful 2022 season. The league will certainly look to expand, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it added two teams instead of just one.
"We selected Beans LC as the new team name after assembling focus groups that consisted of our PLL players, majors sports league leaders, social media experts, and manufacturers of beans all around the world.”
— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) April 1, 2020
– @PaulRabil on @PLLBeans 💣https://t.co/cDkCq7Hsfo
18: nfhs and usa lacrosse delay new chest pad rule
NFHS and USA Lacrosse recently come out and announced there won’t be any delay with retailers getting their hands on the newly-required ND200 chest protectors before the 2022 season. Players across the country have struggled to get their hands on the new chest protectors, and I see the NFHS delaying the rule to the 2023 season.
We've heard your concerns about the availability of shoulder pads meeting the new NOCSAE ND200 standard.
— USA Lacrosse (@USA_Lacrosse) December 8, 2021
We've spoken with multiple manufacturers and retailers, and they don't expect that supply chain issues would affect the start of next season. https://t.co/6qZARbaYmM
19: USA Women’s Team Bring Homes Gold
USA Lacrosse is hosting the 2022 World Lacrosse Women’s World Championship this upcoming summer. The USA Women’s Lacrosse team has lost in the gold medal game the previous two times the World Championship was held on United States soil since the event started back in 1982. The Americans will wear gold.
See you soon, @englandlacrosse 🤝
— U.S. Women's National Team (@USAWLax) December 10, 2021
Getting nostalgic about the last time we took the field with England at the 2019 Spring Premiere. pic.twitter.com/6ZLNGsIgB5
20: USA men’s u21 Team also Bring Homes Gold
The 2022 World Lacrosse U21 World Championship is being held in Ireland this year with more than 23 international teams participating. The USA team is led by Ohio State head coach Nick Meyers and will bring home U21 gold once again.
Eyes on Ireland. It's official. LET'S RIDE. 🇮🇪
— U.S. Men's National Team (@USAMLax) November 30, 2021
We've named the 23-man U21 roster that will head to Limerick to play at @2022worldu21lax.https://t.co/vu5Y5GgioM
21: the IBLA Continues to gain recognition
The concept of the IBLA is extremely fascinating, and the league keeps improving in quality year after year. More teams continue to emerge, and more highly-skilled players are spending their offseason in the IBLA. My prediction is the IBLA will remain on its positive path and keep laying the groundwork for semi-professional box lacrosse in America.
IBLA Nationals features the winners from all 17 IBLA regions and 33 games from 9/17–9/19 in Lakeland, FL. Visit https://t.co/WfSHgDUDQN for tickets now! pic.twitter.com/Trd3ImPD08
— IBLA (@IBLAOFFICIAL) September 12, 2021
22: the game will continue to grow
Lacrosse has been growing at an exponential rate with no signs of slowing down. With new NLL and PLL TV partnerships with ESPN, the game has never been more accessible. Programs of every skill level continue to grow across the globe, and it’s exciting to see where the sport of lacrosse is headed.
Like ever year, my prediction is lacrosse will grow in 2022.
We had a 💥BLAST💥 over the weekend with the @PLL_Academy coming to town! pic.twitter.com/p9NSjA54Py
— Detroit United Lacrosse (@DETUnitedLax) October 12, 2021