Five RMLL Players Worth Keeping an Eye on This NLL Season

Photo: Brinley Wilson / HUDL

November 13, 20265 min read

By Arik Krause | NetFront Sports

There is something different about watching a player reach the NLL when you remember seeing him in a local rink.

For followers of Rocky Mountain lacrosse, the connection goes beyond cheering for Calgary or Saskatchewan. Players who came through the Raiders, Mountaineers and Miners give fans another reason to follow the professional game, even when that means checking on a team across the country.

Heading into the 2026-27 season, these are five players with Rocky Mountain junior backgrounds I will be watching closely. All five were selected in the NLL draft, although their paths since then have taken different turns.

Zach Moen could give Calgary fans another hometown favourite

Of the players on this list, Zach Moen might have the easiest story for local fans to get behind.

The Calgary Roughnecks selected him 14th overall in September after he helped the Raiders win the 2026 Minto Cup, the first championship for an Alberta team. He also earned RMJALL Defensive Player of the Year honours. That is a pretty convincing final argument for a defender trying to get noticed by professional scouts.

What interests me is whether he can carry that confidence into Calgary’s defensive group. The Roughnecks have identified Moen among their camp newcomers, competing alongside returning players and several offseason additions. He will have to earn his opportunities.

I would like to see Calgary give him enough exhibition work to find out where he stands. There is a temptation to focus almost entirely on offensive additions, but developing a reliable young defender can pay off for years.

Moen has already put together a summer worth remembering. Earning a role with his hometown NLL team would be a fitting next step.

Alex Lemieux is a Miners product worth following in Saskatchewan

Edmonton Miners fans should have a reason to keep an eye on the Rush this winter.

Alex Lemieux earned first-team recognition with the Miners in 2024 before continuing his development beyond junior lacrosse. Saskatchewan selected him 26th overall in the 2026 draft, with Langley Thunder senior experience also on his résumé.

That distinction matters. Lemieux is a Miners alumnus, but he is not stepping straight out of the Rocky Mountain junior game and into his first experience against older competition.

To me, that makes him particularly interesting. I want to see whether the senior experience helps him settle into an NLL camp and make a convincing case for himself.

The Rush signed him to a three-year agreement and named him to their training-camp roster.

I am more interested in whether he can earn regular defensive work than whether he produces an early highlight. If Saskatchewan starts trusting him with meaningful assignments, that will be a much better indication of how his season is going.

Brinley Wilson has an offensive opportunity worth chasing

Brinley Wilson is the forward on this list I am most curious about.

Georgia selected the Raiders attacker 36th overall in September and signed him to a three-year agreement in October. The Swarm also drafted forwards David Anderson and Kyle Lewis, making the competition for offensive opportunities an obvious camp storyline.

That is what makes Wilson’s situation appealing. He has a chance to show where he fits among several offensive additions, and I want to see what Georgia asks him to do.

Young forwards often get judged almost exclusively by their scoring totals. I think that can miss a lot, especially when a player is trying to establish himself alongside teammates who are already accustomed to getting the ball.

Can Wilson help the offence function when the play is designed for someone else? Can he make himself useful enough that the coaching staff wants him back on the floor?

Those are the things I will be watching. Goals will get attention, but finding a role could be the more important achievement in his first season.

Jayden Richards gives Mountaineers fans a reason to watch the Rush

Jayden Richards is exactly the kind of player I do not want getting lost behind the first-round names.

Saskatchewan selected the Calgary Mountaineers defender 50th overall in the fourth round and included him among the rookies on its announced training-camp roster.

A fourth-round selection does not arrive with the same attention or expectations as a first-rounder. That does not make his attempt to earn a place any less interesting, particularly for people who watched him with the Mountaineers.

Richards and Lemieux also give us two Rocky Mountain connections to follow within the same camp. I will be interested in how Saskatchewan evaluates them and whether either can work his way into the lineup.

With Richards, I want to see how he handles the pace and how quickly he looks comfortable making decisions. A defender who is constantly reacting a moment late can have a long night in professional lacrosse.

If he can show that he belongs in those situations, he gives himself a chance. That is a more worthwhile starting point than expecting a rookie to make a spectacular first impression.

Tyden Redlick gets a fresh opportunity in Halifax

Tyden Redlick might be my favourite story of the five.

San Diego selected the Edmonton Miners goaltender 84th overall in the sixth round of the 2024 draft. Two years later, he has a new opportunity after signing a two-year contract with Halifax in October.

His time with the Seals included a rookie season on the practice roster and one appearance the following season. He also continued playing junior lacrosse, finishing this past summer with time in Burlington and Six Nations before joining the Six Nations Chiefs as their third goaltender for their Mann Cup championship run.

That is a lot of different dressing rooms and a lot of work for relatively little NLL playing time. It is also why I think his next step is worth following.

Halifax lists Warren Hill, Riley Hutchcraft and Justin Geddie alongside Redlick among its goaltenders, so there is competition ahead of him.

I would love to see him earn a meaningful opportunity. Goalies can spend a long time waiting for one, and Redlick has already spent two seasons trying to work his way into the league.

For Miners fans, he is an easy player to pull for. For everyone else, a sixth-round goaltender trying to turn a fresh start into a career is a pretty good reason to check the Halifax lineup.