The Journey: Charlie Bertrand's Rise Through the Lacrosse Ranks

The walls on the side of Durgee Junior High School were busy in the spring of 2013. Charlie Bertrand, then going into his freshman year of high school, spent afternoons launching lacrosse balls at the brick with his long pole. 

Betrand he was faced with a choice. He could embrace a future as a defenseman and have a shot to make varsity at Baldwinsville (N.Y.) High School, or he could keep shooting and hope his offensive game rounded into form. 

“I thought I picked it up pretty well,” Bertrand said. “For a couple weeks, it was wall ball and 1-on-1s.” 

Bertrand was prepared to change positions, but his junior varsity goalie wasn’t so sure. Former Syracuse All-American Doug Jackson saw potential in the abnormally tall Bertrand, who could shoot like few high schoolers he had seen before. 

“I saw him out there at Dungee throwing it around with a d-pole,” Jackson said. “I was like, ‘What is going on?’ The way the kid can shoot, and plus he’s a lefty, I just didn’t get it. I told him to bring his short stick to tryouts.” 

Jackson’s intervention brought to light two important aspects of Bertrand’s development. Bertrand was eager to adapt to whatever put him in the best position to succeed, but his shooting ability was what would separate him from the competition. 

With each year, Bertrand built off his unique skills and developed into one of the greatest players in his high school’s history. It was the start of an unlikely journey, one in which Bertrand has faced more than a few hurdles. 

This year, his career reached a new level. Bertrand was named to the 23-man U.S. men’s national team roster headed to San Diego to defend its gold medal in the World Lacrosse Men’s Championship this summer. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound attackman never believed he’d be in this position, but he’s worked diligently and adapted to work his way up the ladder. 

It’s all come into place. Bertrand quit his job in mechanical engineering to become a full-time athlete. Living in Las Vegas, where he plays for the NLL’s Desert Dogs, Bertrand is soaking in the experience. 

“Just walking out and standing there for the national anthem will be surreal,” Bertrand said. “The last few years have given me confidence, and I just wanted to prove that I can play at the highest level.” 

Bertrand’s adaptability was put to the test almost as soon as he could stand, making him a prime target for his older brothers, Ronnie and Connor. By the age of 2, he was fully suited and standing guard in the cage. 

“The pads are so much bigger than him, and he can’t really talk,” Ronnie Bertrand recalled. “We’re just flinging mini hockey pucks at him, but when you’re the younger brother, you don’t have a choice.” 

Between the holes that the Bertrand brothers made in the basement walls (Connor learned very early in life how to spackle), Charlie Bertrand found his love for both hockey and lacrosse. He grew up a Buffalo Sabres fan and declared hockey his favorite spot. 

By high school, the tide started to change. Lacrosse became a bigger part of his life, and with the help of Jackson, he focused his energy on the sport that would eventually make him a star. 

“He either hit the cage or he hit the scoreboard,” Jackson said. “Every shot originated from his ankle like he was playing hockey. But when he was on, he was on.” 

Bertrand had many of the tools that could make him a dominant force, but as his prep career finished, Division I teams overlooked him. 

Merrimack, then a competitive Division II program led by Mike Morgan, saw his potential. The Warriors were one of his only offers, and the school offered a mechanical engineering major for which Bertrand was looking. 

“It was a bit of a feeling like you got slighted,” Bertrand said. “But I didn’t know how good I could be. I had that belief in myself that I knew I could offer something to a school.” 

Bertrand arrived at Merrimack in the fall of 2016 ready to show his teammates, and college lacrosse altogether, what he had to offer. His shot was still his anchor, but his movement had improved significantly. 

“I remember that first practice,” then-assistant coach Kyle Smith said. “He could move pretty well, had dexterity in both hands, pretty fluid and could just let the ball fly. I was like, ‘Oh my God, this kid’s going to be a great player.’ I went over to Coach Morgan and asked, ‘How did we get this kid?’” 

Even as a freshman, Bertrand emerged as an offensive leader for a Merrimack team with national championship hopes. He led the team, which fell in the 2017 Division II national title game, with 75 points. The next season, he carried Merrimack to the Division II title and won Player of the Year honors. He repeated the same feats in 2019, setting a school record with 78 goals. 

Still, Bertrand wasn’t convinced of his potential. 

“He was so humble that he did not want attention,” Smith said. “I almost had to reverse psychology it. I tried to get the inner dialog going in his head.” 

By the end of his junior year, Bertrand planned to finish his career at Merrimack and head to England to earn an MBA and find a job in mechanical engineering. 

Just six games into 2020, Bertrand’s trajectory took a turn. The COVID-19 pandemic canceled his senior season and forced him into a decision — with an extra year of eligibility, he could transfer to a Division I contender and prove to himself he could hang with the game’s best. 

Virginia was the lone title contender that spoke to him. Lars Tiffany showed Bertrand film of his Merrimack games and where he could fit into his system.  

Bertrand decided to forego his England plan and chase his dreams for another year. Before Bertrand even got to Charlottesville, his future teammates got scouting reports from those who faced him in Division II. 

“I have a bunch of friends who went to Le Moyne,” former Virginia defenseman Jared Conners said. “They told me all about him. They were like, ‘He’s ruining our careers. We’d be winning all these national championships, but we have to deal with Charlie Bertrand.’” 

Bertrand was content not being the go-to threat at Virginia. Eventually, he found the ball in his stick in crucial moments during Virginia’s run to the 2021 national championship (Bertrand’s third NCAA title). 

He then made the Redwoods LC roster in the summer of 2021 and started a full-time mechanical engineering job at Raytheon in September of that year. His first full professional season came in the winter of that year, when he became a regular on the Rochester Nighthawks in the NLL.  

Bertrand was settling in as a pro, moving out West and consulting with the likes of Rob Pannell and Jules Heningburg on how to make a living in the sport. Then, the opportunity of a lifetime presented itself. 

Bertrand suited up for U.S. men’s national team tryouts and advanced through the final stages. He saw his name among the 23 players that will fight for gold — a surreal feeling for a player who, up until the last two years, wasn’t sure lacrosse would be in his future. 

“He’s had to fight to get where he is,” Ronnie Bertrand said. “He wasn't always a sure-fire roster spot player. We grew up watching Paul Rabil and Kyle Harrison and thought that would be so cool to play at that level. We never thought that he'd get there.” 

“You just have to believe in the process,” Bertrand said. “This is a dream to be here.” 

Support the U.S. men’s national team in its quest for gold this summer at the World Lacrosse Men’s Championship in San Diego from June 21-July 1. Purchase tickets here to support the U.S. live. #ThisIsHome.