2027 Buffalo Bandits season
Lacrosse team season
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The Buffalo Bandits are a professional box lacrosse team based in Buffalo, New York playing in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The 2027 season will be their 35th season in the NLL. This season will mark the first year without longtime goaltender Matt Vinc, who announced his retirement on August 20, 2026.[1]
| 2027 Buffalo Bandits | |
|---|---|
| League | NLL |
| General Manager | Steve Dietrich |
| Coach | John Tavares |
| Captain | Steve Priolo |
| Alternate captains | Dhane Smith, Nick Weiss |
| Arena | KeyBank Center |
2028 season → | |
Regular season
NLL Standings Reference:[2]
| P | Team | GP | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | GF | GA | Diff | GF/GP | GA/GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Albany FireWolves | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | −-0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 2 | Buffalo Bandits | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | −-0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 3 | Calgary Roughnecks | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | −-0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 4 | Colorado Mammoth | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | −-0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 5 | Georgia Swarm | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | −-0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 6 | Halifax Thunderbirds | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | −-0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 7 | Las Vegas Desert Dogs | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | −-0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 8 | Rochester Knighthawks | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | −-0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 9 | San Diego Seals | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | −-0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 10 | Saskatchewan Rush | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | −-0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 11 | Toronto Rock | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | −-0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 12 | Vancouver Warriors | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | −-0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Game log
The Bandits' schedule was released on September 22, 2026.
Current roster
| Active (21-man) roster | Inactive roster | Coaches | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
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Roster updated 2026-3-21 | ||||||
Dispersal Draft
On September 10, 2026, the NLL announced that the league would undergo a dispersal draft, with the franchise terminations of the Ottawa Black Bears and the Philadelphia Wings, bringing the league down to 12 teams. The 2026 NLL Disperal Draft was held on September 15, 2026. The Bandits' selections are listed below.[3]
| Round | Overall | Position | Player | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Goaltender | Zach Higgins | Selected from Ottawa |
| 1 | 11 | Transition | Dalton Young | Selected from Philadelphia (trade with Vancouver) |
| 2 | 21 | Forward | Larson Sundown | Selected from Ottawa |
| 2 | 23 | Transiton | Scott Dominey | Selected from Philadelphia (trade with Vancouver) |
| 3 | 27 | Forward | Travis Longboat | Selected from Philadelphia (trade with Rochester) |
| 3 | 33 | Forward | Justin Sykes | Selected from Ottawa |
Entry Draft
The 2026 NLL Entry Draft was held on September 24, 2026. The Bandits' selections are listed below.[4]
| Round | Overall | Player | College/Club | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Dante Bowen | Syracuse Orange (NCAA Division I) | |
| 1 | 16 | Traded to Vancouver[A] | ||
| 2 | 21 | Owen Rice | Kahnawake Hunters (Ontario Junior B Lacrosse League) | from San Diego |
| 3 | 41 | Obrigh Tallchief | D'Youville University Saints (East Coast Conference) | from Toronto |
| 4 | 48 | Ray Cortes | D'Youville University Saints (East Coast Conference) | |
| 5 | 57 | Micah Hanson | Canisius Golden Griffins (Metro Conference) | |
| 6 | 64 | Kyle Gonsiorek | Jacksonville Dolphins (Atlantic Sun Conference) | from Philadelphia via Calgary |
| 6 | 65 | Nate Ruff | Robert Morris Colonials (NCAA Division I) | from Oshawa via Calgary |
| 6 | 74 | Nikhil Lowe[B] | Brampton Excelsiors (Ontario Junior B Lacrosse League) | from Vancouver |
Notes
- The Bandits traded Luca Antongiovanni and the 16th overall selection in the 2026 Entry Draft to the Vancouver Warriors in exchange for Payton Cormier, and the 11th and 23rd overall selections in the 2026 NLL dispersal draft.