The Premier Lacrosse League debuted their Top 50 players of 2022. The list was voted on by current PLL players. The players voted in September to rank their Top 25 players in the league. The PLL then ranked the Top 50 players based on the rankings.
Tom Schreiber of the Archers was selected as this year’s top player. This is the second time (2020) that Schreiber was selected as the league’s top player. Schreiber had 35 points on the season and was selected as the Gait Brothers Midfielder of the Year in 2022.
Lyle Thompson, Trevor Baptiste, Jeff Teat, and Michael Ehrhardt rounded out the Top 5. Here are the five biggest takeaways from this year’s list.
Team Distribution
The Waterdogs led all teams with 11 players in the PLL Top 50. After going .500 in the regular season, the Waterdogs came alive in the playoffs to capture the championship in Philadelphia. Zach Currier (7) and Michael Sowers (10) were each in the Top 10 for the Dogs.
PLL Finals MVP 💧🐶 Michael Sowers #sportsedit #sports #football #nfl #sportsedits #sportsdesign #graphicdesign #photoshop #sportsgraphics #sportsposters #overtimeedits #sportsdesigns #sportsart #design #sportsdesigner #graphicdesigner #sportsposter #sport #pll pic.twitter.com/tDoRoKUUmQ
— Luke Mallette (@LukeMallette2) September 23, 2022
The Whipsnakes fell just short of the Waterdogs with 9 players selected to the PLL Top 50. The Whips were 9-1 in the regular season before falling to the Waterdogs in the semifinals. Michael Ehrhardt (5) and Matt Rambo (9) were both in the Top 10 for the Snakes.
Matt Rambo doing Matt Rambo things 🤷 pic.twitter.com/ETRPlH3yx1
— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) August 21, 2022
The Atlas and Arches both had 6 players in the PLL Top 50. Trevor Baptiste (3) and Jeff Teat (4) were in the Top 5 for the Bulls. Schreiber was the only player for the Archers in the Top 10.
Position
The attackmen and midfielders took more than half of the spots available. This was especially true with the Top 10. Five of the Top 10 players were attackmen. Lyle Thompson led all attackmen (and the league) with 44 points, followed by Teat with 38, Schreiber with 35, and Rambo and Sowers both notching 32 points on the season.
Look for Charlie Bertrand to continue to move up to the list in 2023. Bertrand had some big games in 2022 for the Redwoods and will continue to hone his skills in the NLL for the Desert Dogs.
Looks like Charlie Bertrand wants to be on @SportsCenter again! pic.twitter.com/PrZBv3rMJz
— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) August 6, 2022
Top 5 Midfielders | Top 5 Attackman |
Tom Schreiber (1) | Lyle Thompson (2) |
Zach Currier (7) | Jeff Teat (4) |
Brad Smith (19) | Josh Byrne (6) |
Dhane Smith (20) | Matt Rambo (9) |
Charlie Bertrand (28) | Michael Sowers (10) |
Trevor Baptiste (3) was the highest FOGO. Batptiste had a dominant 2022 winning 70% of his faceoffs and was named the league MVP.
Blaze Riorden (8) was the highest-rated goalie, Blaze was ranked No.1 on the 2021 list. Danny Logan continued his emergence in 2022 and was the highest-rated SSDM at 12. Michael Erhardt (5) and JT Giles-Harris (14) were the top-ranked long poles, collecting a combined 57 groundballs and forcing 22 turnovers.
JT Giles-Harris splits two to blow up a 5-on-4 fast break. @paulcarcaterra has JTGH as his favorite for the Pietramala Award — and I haven’t heard anyone argue with Carc. pic.twitter.com/M7svtiqAIT
— Joe Keegan (@joekeegs) August 1, 2022
2022 Rookies
Player | Drafted | Ranking |
Logan Wisnauskas | RD 1, PK 1 | 28 |
Brendan Nichtern | RD 2, PK 1 | 32 |
Chris Gray | RD 1, PK 2 | 34 |
Jack Hannah | RD 2, PK 6 | 43 |
The 2022 class were under-ranked and deserved better. Logan Wisnausakas and Brendan Nichtern transformed the Chrome in 2022. The Chrome were 2-7 in 2021. The rookies helped lead the Chrome to a 7-3 regular season before falling to the Chaos in the quarterfinals. Both were in consideration for MVP and Nichtern was the Rookie of the Year. Both should have been included at least in the Top 20, no less than 25.
This ball might be in Nichtern and Wisnauskas's sticks for a combined :02. Two rookies downloading the full field and making decisions very, very fast. pic.twitter.com/SNIlfft6xc
— Joe Keegan (@joekeegs) August 9, 2022
Chris Gray had 34 points in his rookie season. His ranking may reflect the second half slide that the Atlas experienced. Gray and Jeff Teat will have to continue to grow and develop while also having the opportunity to add Sam Handley to the mix in the 2023 draft. A new coach will have to find a way to help the Atlas harness and realize their full individual potential.
Jack Hannah is a gunslinger. The Waterdogs midfielder is a big believer in the old adage of “throwing the ball at the net and good things happen.” Hannah will continue to move his way up the list in 2023.
Moving on Up
Player | 2022 Ranking | 2021 Ranking | Change |
Kieran McArdle | 5 | 43 | Up 38 |
Dillon Ward | 16 | 31 | Up 15 |
Connor Kelly | 30 | 44 | Up 14 |
Danny Logan | 12 | 24 | Up 12 |
Kieran McArdle made moves in 2022. He and fellow Waterdog teammates Dillon Ward along with Connor Kelly helped lead the Waterdogs to their first PLL title. McArdle had his best season in the PLL with 42 points. McArdle had not scored more than 25 points in a PLL season prior. Ward had a memorable 2022 capturing both championships with the Colorado Mammoth in the NLL and with the Waterdogs in the PLL. Kelly notched his best season in professional lacrosse tallying 26 points.
BAR DOWN ⬇️
— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) September 11, 2022
Kieran McArdle gives the @PLLWaterdogs the lead! He has a fourth quarter hat trick. pic.twitter.com/2jN1pfOZS6
Free Falling
Player | 2022 Ranking | 2023 Ranking | Change |
Myles Jones | 45 | 14 | Down 31 |
Jules Heningburg | 49 | 26 | Down 23 |
Bryan Costabile | 36 | 13 | Down 23 |
Grant Ament | 22 | 4 | Down 18 |
Two Redwood midfielders experienced big drops in the 2022 rankings. Myles Jones fell 31 spots and Jules Heningburg dropped 23 spots. The Jones fall is a head scratcher. Jones is one of the most lethal 2-point threats in the game and has continued to evolve as a distributor to match his ability as a shooter. He is a free agent this year and may welcome a change of scenery.
MYLES JONES FROM THE PARKING LOT!
— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) August 21, 2022
And just like that we are tied after that ✌️💣 pic.twitter.com/agc3ByvZO0
Heningburg also seems low. He has completed his transition to midfield and continues to be an effective scorer and distributor. Costabile had a respectable 2022, but the ranking shows how attack-dependent the Atlas became during the season. Grant Ament’s ranking reflects his slow return from injury in training camp.
Hang it in the Louvre. Grant Ament is out of his mind. pic.twitter.com/vgsmfYr4ha
— Jordie (@jordiebarstool) July 29, 2020