# 2018 NLL season

The 2018 National Lacrosse League season, also known as the 2017–18 season, was the 32nd season in NLL history. It began on December 8, 2017, and ending on June 9, 2018, with the Saskatchewan Rush winning their 3rd title in 4 years.

## Teams

2018 National Lacrosse League :
| Division | Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
| East | Buffalo Bandits | Buffalo, New York | KeyBank Center | 19,070 |
| East | Georgia Swarm | Duluth, Georgia | Infinite Energy Arena | 10,500 |
| East | New England Black Wolves | Uncasville, Connecticut | Mohegan Sun Arena | 7,074 |
| East | Rochester Knighthawks | Rochester, New York | Blue Cross Arena | 10,662 |
| East | Toronto Rock | Toronto, Ontario | Air Canada Centre | 18,800 |
| West | Calgary Roughnecks | Calgary, Alberta | Scotiabank Saddledome | 19,289 |
| West | Colorado Mammoth | Denver, Colorado | Pepsi Center | 18,007 |
| West | Saskatchewan Rush | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | SaskTel Centre | 15,195 |
| West | Vancouver Stealth | Langley, British Columbia | Langley Events Centre | 5,276 |

## Final standings

Reference:
East Division :
| P | Team | GP | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | GF | GA | Diff | GF/GP | GA/GP |
| 1 | Georgia Swarm – xy | 18 | 11 | 7 | .611 | 0.0 | 6–3 | 5–4 | 226 | 215 | +11 | 12.56 | 11.94 |
| 2 | Rochester Knighthawks – x | 18 | 10 | 8 | .556 | 1.0 | 5–4 | 5–4 | 236 | 210 | +26 | 13.11 | 11.67 |
| 3 | New England Black Wolves – x | 18 | 9 | 9 | .500 | 2.0 | 4–5 | 5–4 | 194 | 242 | −48 | 10.78 | 13.44 |
| 4 | Toronto Rock | 18 | 8 | 10 | .444 | 3.0 | 3–6 | 5–4 | 237 | 216 | +21 | 13.17 | 12.00 |
| 5 | Buffalo Bandits | 18 | 8 | 10 | .444 | 3.0 | 4–5 | 4–5 | 232 | 240 | −8 | 12.89 | 13.33 |
West Division :
| P | Team | GP | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | GF | GA | Diff | GF/GP | GA/GP |
| 1 | Saskatchewan Rush – xyz | 18 | 14 | 4 | .778 | 0.0 | 6–3 | 8–1 | 254 | 196 | +58 | 14.11 | 10.89 |
| 2 | Colorado Mammoth – x | 18 | 11 | 7 | .611 | 3.0 | 5–4 | 6–3 | 214 | 199 | +15 | 11.89 | 11.06 |
| 3 | Calgary Roughnecks – x | 18 | 8 | 10 | .444 | 6.0 | 5–4 | 3–6 | 227 | 211 | +16 | 12.61 | 11.72 |
| 4 | Vancouver Stealth | 18 | 2 | 16 | .111 | 12.0 | 0–9 | 2–7 | 186 | 277 | −91 | 10.33 | 15.39 |
x: Clinched playoff berth; c: Clinched playoff berth by crossing over to another division; y: Clinched division; z: Clinched best regular season record; GP: Games Played W: Wins; L: Losses; GB: Games back; PCT: Win percentage; Home: Record at Home; Road: Record on the Road; GF: Goals scored; GA: Goals allowed Differential: Difference between goals scored and allowed; GF/GP: Average number of goals scored per game; GA/GP: Average number of goals allowed per game

## Playoffs

| Division semifinals (Single elimination) | Division semifinals (Single elimination) | Division semifinals (Single elimination) | Division finals (Single elimination) | Division finals (Single elimination) | Division finals (Single elimination) | Finals (Best-of-3) | Finals (Best-of-3) | Finals (Best-of-3) |
| | | | E1 | Georgia | 8 | | | |
| East Division | East Division | East Division | E1 | Georgia | 8 | | | |
| East Division | East Division | East Division | E2 | Rochester | 9 | | | |
| E2 | Rochester | 15 | E2 | Rochester | 9 | | | |
| E3 | New England | 11 | | | | | | |
| E3 | New England | 11 | | | | E2 | Rochester | 1 |
| | | | | | | W1 | Saskatchewan | 2 |
| | | | W1 | Saskatchewan | 15 | | | |
| West Division | West Division | West Division | W1 | Saskatchewan | 15 | | | |
| West Division | West Division | West Division | W3 | Calgary | 13 | | | |
| W2 | Colorado | 12 | W3 | Calgary | 13 | | | |
| W3 | Calgary | 15 | | | | | | |
*Overtime

### NLL Final (best of three)
#### (E1) Buffalo Bandits vs. (W3) Colorado Mammoth

Rush wins series 2–1.

## Awards
### Annual awards

| Award | Winner | Other Finalists |
| Most Valuable Player | Mark Matthews, Saskatchewan | Robert Church, Saskatchewan Kevin Crowley, New England |
| Goaltender of the Year | Matt Vinc, Rochester | Christian Del Bianco, Calgary Dillon Ward, Colorado |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Graeme Hossack, Rochester | Robert Hope, Colorado Kyle Rubisch, Saskatchewan |
| Transition Player of the Year | Joey Cupido, Colorado | Zach Currier, Calgary Challen Rogers, Toronto |
| Rookie of the Year | Jake Withers, Rochester | Zach Currier, Calgary Austin Shanks, Rochester |
| Sportsmanship Award | Lyle Thompson, Georgia | Jordan Gilles, Colorado John Lafontaine, New England |
| GM of the Year | Curt Styres, Rochester | Mike Board, Calgary Derek Keenan, Saskatchewan |
| Les Bartley Award | Derek Keenan, Saskatchewan | Pat Coyle, Colorado Mike Hasen, Rochester |
| Executive of the Year Award | Matt Hutchings, Colorado | Andy Arlotta, Georgia Al Ryz, Saskatchewan |
| Teammate of the Year Award | Craig England, Buffalo | Chris Corbeil, Saskatchewan Brandon Miller, Toronto |
| Tom Borrelli Award | Stephen Stamp | Jake Elliott Teddy Jenner |

### All-Pro First Team

* Kevin Crowley, New England Black Wolves
* Mark Matthews, Saskatchewan Rush
* Robert Church, Saskatchewan Rush
* Joey Cupido, Colorado Mammoth
* Graeme Hossack, Rochester Knighthawks
* Matt Vinc, Rochester Knighthawks

### All-Pro Second Team

* Curtis Dickson, Calgary Roughnecks
* Joe Resetarits, Rochester Knighthawks
* Lyle Thompson, Georgia Swarm
* Zach Currier, Calgary Roughnecks
* Kyle Rubisch, Saskatchewan Rush
* Dillon Ward, Colorado Mammoth

### All-Rookie Team

* Josh Byrne, Buffalo Bandits
* Zach Currier, Calgary Roughnecks
* Eric Fannell, Rochester Knighthawks
* Austin Shanks, Rochester Knighthawks
* Colton Watkinson, New England Black Wolves
* Jake Withers, Rochester Knighthawks

## Stadiums and locations

| Buffalo Bandits | Georgia Swarm | New England Black Wolves | Rochester Knighthawks | Toronto Rock |
| KeyBank Center | Infinite Energy Arena | Mohegan Sun Arena | Blue Cross Arena | Air Canada Centre |
| Capacity: 19,070 | Capacity: 11,355 | Capacity: 7,700 | Capacity: 11,200 | Capacity: 18,819 |
| Calgary Roughnecks | Colorado Mammoth | Saskatchewan Rush | Vancouver Stealth |
| Scotiabank Saddledome | Pepsi Center | SaskTel Centre | Langley Events Centre |
| Capacity: 19,289 | Capacity: 18,007 | Capacity: 15,190 | Capacity: 5,276 |

## Attendance
### Regular Season

| Home Team | Home Games | Average Attendance | Total Attendance |
| Saskatchewan Rush | 9 | 14,639 | 131,754 |
| Buffalo Bandits | 9 | 14,181 | 127,634 |
| Colorado Mammoth | 9 | 14,077 | 126,693 |
| Calgary Roughnecks | 9 | 11,847 | 106,623 |
| Toronto Rock | 9 | 9,700 | 87,301 |
| Rochester Knighthawks | 9 | 6,760 | 60,841 |
| New England Black Wolves | 9 | 5,557 | 50,013 |
| Georgia Swarm | 9 | 4,437 | 39,940 |
| Vancouver Stealth | 9 | 3,507 | 31,568 |
| League | 81 | 9,411 | 762,367 |

### Playoffs

| Home Team | Home Games | Average Attendance | Total Attendance |
| Colorado Mammoth | 1 | 13,884 | 13,884 |
| Saskatchewan Rush | 3 | 12,351 | 37,055 |
| Rochester Knighthawks | 2 | 7,218 | 14,437 |
| Georgia Swarm | 1 | 4,106 | 4,106 |
| League | 7 | 9,926 | 69,482 |