2026 Buffalo Bandits season
| 2026 Buffalo Bandits | |
|---|---|
| League | NLL |
| 2026 record | 4–5 |
| Home record | 2–3 |
| Road record | 2–2 |
| Goals for | 100 |
| Goals against | 105 |
| General Manager | Steve Dietrich |
| Coach | John Tavares |
| Captain | Steve Priolo |
| Alternate captains | Dhane Smith, Nick Weiss |
| Arena | KeyBank Center |
2027 season → | |
The Buffalo Bandits are a professional box lacrosse team based in Buffalo, New York playing in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The 2026 season is their 34th season in the NLL.
The Bandits entered the season as the defending champions for the third straight year, and will attempt to become the first team in league history to win four straight NLL championships.
Regular season
NLL Standings Reference:[1]
| P | Team | GP | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | GF | GA | Diff | GF/GP | GA/GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saskatchewan Rush | 8 | 7 | 1 | .875 | 0.0 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 102 | 77 | +25 | 12.75 | 9.62 |
| 2 | Colorado Mammoth | 8 | 6 | 2 | .750 | 1.0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 91 | 71 | +20 | 11.38 | 8.88 |
| 3 | Vancouver Warriors | 7 | 5 | 2 | .714 | 1.5 | 1–2 | 4–0 | 78 | 60 | +18 | 11.14 | 8.57 |
| 4 | Georgia Swarm | 8 | 5 | 3 | .625 | 2.0 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 81 | 62 | +19 | 10.12 | 7.75 |
| 5 | Toronto Rock | 7 | 4 | 3 | .571 | 2.5 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 78 | 72 | +6 | 11.14 | 10.29 |
| 6 | San Diego Seals | 7 | 4 | 3 | .571 | 2.5 | 1–3 | 3–0 | 74 | 78 | −4 | 10.57 | 11.14 |
| 7 | Las Vegas Desert Dogs | 7 | 4 | 3 | .571 | 2.5 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 74 | 78 | −4 | 10.57 | 11.14 |
| 8 | Rochester Knighthawks | 7 | 4 | 3 | .571 | 2.5 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 87 | 85 | +2 | 12.43 | 12.14 |
| 9 | Ottawa Black Bears | 9 | 4 | 5 | .444 | 3.5 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 104 | 111 | −7 | 11.56 | 12.33 |
| 10 | Buffalo Bandits | 7 | 3 | 4 | .429 | 3.5 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 78 | 82 | −4 | 11.14 | 11.71 |
| 11 | Halifax Thunderbirds | 8 | 3 | 5 | .375 | 4.0 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 71 | 80 | −9 | 8.88 | 10.00 |
| 12 | Oshawa FireWolves | 9 | 2 | 7 | .222 | 5.5 | 2–2 | 0–5 | 85 | 106 | −21 | 9.44 | 11.78 |
| 13 | Philadelphia Wings | 7 | 1 | 6 | .143 | 5.5 | 1–3 | 0–3 | 65 | 86 | −21 | 9.29 | 12.29 |
| 14 | Calgary Roughnecks | 7 | 1 | 6 | .143 | 5.5 | 0–3 | 1–3 | 72 | 95 | −23 | 10.29 | 13.57 |
Game log
The Bandits' schedule was released on September 19, 2025. The team's home opener was announced by the league on September 12.
| Game | Date | Opponent | Location | Score | OT | Attendance | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | November 29, 2025 | Georgia Swarm | KeyBank Center | W 15–11 | 19,070 | 1–0 | |
| 2 | December 13, 2025 | Halifax Thunderbirds | KeyBank Center | L 8–9 | OT | 17,192 | 1–1 |
| 3 | December 28, 2025 | @ Calgary Roughnecks | Scotiabank Saddledome | W 13–7 | 11,715 | 2–1 | |
| 4 | January 3, 2026 | Las Vegas Desert Dogs | KeyBank Center | W 15–13 | 19,070 | 3–1 | |
| 5 | January 10, 2026 | @ Rochester Knighthawks | Blue Cross Arena | L 9–12 | 8,546 | 3–2 | |
| 6 | January 16, 2026 | Ottawa Black Bears | KeyBank Center | L 9–10 | 17,190 | 3–3 | |
| 7 | January 31, 2026 | @ Colorado Mammoth | Ball Arena | L 9–20 | 9,114 | 3–4 | |
| 8 | February 7, 2026 | Philadelphia Wings | KeyBank Center | L 11–13 | 19,070 | 3–5 | |
| 9 | February 14, 2026 | @ Halifax Thunderbirds | Scotiabank Centre | W 11–10 | 10,595 | 4–5 | |
| 10 | February 20, 2026 | @ Vancouver Warriors | Rogers Arena | ||||
| 11 | February 27, 2026 | Saskatchewan Rush | KeyBank Center | ||||
| 12 | February 28, 2026 | @ Toronto Rock | TD Coliseum | ||||
| 13 | March 13, 2026 | Colorado Mammoth | KeyBank Center | ||||
| 14 | March 21, 2026 | @ San Diego Seals | Pechanga Arena | ||||
| 15 | March 28, 2026 | @ Saskatchewan Rush | SaskTel Centre | ||||
| 16 | April 4, 2026 | Vancouver Warriors | KeyBank Center | ||||
| 17 | April 11, 2026 | Rochester Knighthawks | KeyBank Center | ||||
| 18 | April 18, 2026 | @ Oshawa FireWolves | Tribute Communities Centre |
Roster
| Active (21-man) roster | Inactive roster | Coaches | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Roster updated 2026-2-14 | ||||||
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Entry Draft
The 2025 NLL Entry Draft was held on September 6, 2025. The Bandits' selections are listed below.[2]
| Round | Overall | Player | College/Club | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | Waukiigan Shognosh | Peterborough Lakers Jr. A (OLA Junior A Lacrosse) | |
| 2 | 21 | Coltrane Tyson | UMass Minutemen (NCAA) / Brampton Excelsiors (MSL) | from Philadelphia |
| 2 | 32 | Jimmy Freehill | Denver Pioneers (NCAA) | |
| 3 | 39 | Carter Coffey | Orangeville Northmen Jr. A (OLA Junior A Lacrosse) | from Ottawa |
| 4 | 61 | Jaden Kennedy | Onondaga Community College (NJCAA) / Seneca WarChiefs (First Nations Junior B Lacrosse League) | |
| 5 | 74 | David Burr | Robert Morris Colonials (NCAA) | from Saskatchewan |
| 5 | 75 | Liam Keane | Robert Morris Colonials (NCAA) | |
| 6 | 89 | Traded to the Philadelphia Wings[A] | ||
Notes
- ^ The Bandits traded their sixth round selection to the Philadelphia Wings in exchange for a sixth round selection in the 2027 NLL Entry Draft.
References
- ^ "Standings". National Lacrosse League.
- ^ "2025 NLL Entry Draft Order". Retrieved May 25, 2025.