Bandits’ Byrne, Smith finalist for NLL MVP and offensive player of the year

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The National Lacrosse League has announced the finalists for its annual end-of-season awards and three members of the Buffalo Bandits are finalists for the awards.

Forwards Josh Byrne and Dhane Smith are finalists for NLL MVP along with Toronto Rock goaltender Nick Rose.

Byrne and Smith are also finalists for Offensive Player of the Year along with New York Riptide forward Jeff Teat.

Transition player Ian MacKay is a finalist for transition player of the year along with Shane Simpson of the Calgary Roughnecks and Jake Withers of the Halifax Thunderbirds.

Byrne had a record-setting regular season – he led the NLL in points with 135, was third in the league with 53 goals and second in the league in assists with 82. All three marks were new career highs in only one season. He finished the year just shy of the NLL record for points in a single season, which is 137 set by Smith in 2016.

Smith is a two-time NLL MVP, winning the award in 2016 and 2022. He is one of five players in league history to win at least two MVP awards. He also had a record-setting regular season – he finished second in the NLL with 134 points and led the NLL with 101 assists. He became the first player in NLL history to surpass the 100 assist mark and also broke the previous single-season assist record he set in 2023.

MacKay is one of the most versatile members of the team, with the ability to contribute greatly on offense and defense. He led the team with 160 turnovers, which ranked eighth in the NLL. He also scored 12 goals and 17 assists for 29 points and totaled 19 caused turnovers and 12 blocks.

End-of-season award winners will be announced before Game 1 of the NLL Finals.

The Bandits will face the Albany FireWolves in a best-of-three series in the NLL Finals. The first game will take place on May 17 at 7 p.m. at MVP Arena in Albany. The second game will take place on May 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo. If necessary, Game 3 will take place on May 24 at 7 p.m. at MVP Arena in Albany.