The second year of the Premier Lacrosse League Top 50 is here. Nothing to argue about, right?
Last year, there was something of a debate when Matt Rambo, the inaugural season MVP, was voted No. 1 overall ahead of Tom Schreiber. Well, Schreiber checks in at No. 1 this time around after a stellar PLL Championship Series on a loaded Archers offense.
The best player in the PLL as voted by the players: @TomSchreiber26
The PLL Top 50 | #PLLTop50 pic.twitter.com/0P2Ys4Raxb
— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) December 15, 2020
Voted on entirely by the players, the PLL Top 50 is a representation of the respect the athletes have for their peers. This year, we get to see how those opinions have changed since 2019. For instance, no one ranked in the 2019 Top 50 rose higher than Josh Byrne, whose stellar PLL Championship Series performance for the Chaos saw him rise from No. 34 to No. 9. Joe Nardella, the faceoff hero for the Whipsnakes, rose one spot less from No. 29 to No. 5.
At the same time, several notable figures in the game fell. Both Marcus Holman (No. 7 to No. 39) and Jake Froccaro (No. 16 to No. 48) fell 32 spots.
The PLL Top 50 is a fun way to see how the players rank their teammates and opponents, so we broke down the list by a handful of categories below.
PLL Top 50
*As voted by the players
Rank |
Player |
Team |
Pos. |
2019 Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom Schreiber | Archers | M | 2 |
| 2 | Matt Rambo | Whipsnakes | A | 1 |
| 3 | Zed Williams | Whipsnakes | A | NR |
| 4 | Michael Ehrhardt | Whipsnakes | LSM | 4 |
| 5 | Joe Nardella | Whipsnakes | FO | 29 |
| 6 | Blaze Riorden | Chaos | G | 6 |
| 7 | Matt Dunn | Whipsnakes | D | 7 |
| 8 | Jordan Wolf | Chrome | A | 8 |
| 9 | Josh Byrne | Chaos | A | 34 |
| 10 | Kyle Bernlohr | Whipsnakes | G | 18 |
| 11 | Matt Kavanagh | Redwoods | A | 10 |
| 12 | Grant Ament | Archers | A | NR |
| 13 | Zach Currier | Waterdogs | M | NR |
| 14 | Ned Crotty | Chrome | M | 25 |
| 15 | John Haus | Whipsnakes | M | NR |
| 16 | Garrett Epple | Redwoods | D | 19 |
| 17 | Will Haus | Chrome | M | NR |
| 18 | Curtis Dickson | Chaos | A | NR |
| 19 | Mike Chanenchuk | Whipsnakes | M | 11 |
| 20 | Justin Guterding | Chrome | A | 21 |
| 21 | Trevor Baptiste | Atlas | FO | 5 |
| 22 | Bryce Young | Whipsnakes | D | 27 |
| 23 | Rob Pannell | Atlas | A | NR |
| 24 | Tucker Durkin | Atlas | D | 12 |
| 25 | Jack Near | Redwoods | M | NR |
| 26 | Tyler Warner | Whipsnakes | M | 39 |
| 27 | Scott Ratliff | Archers | LSM | 33 |
| 28 | Jack Rowlett | Chaos | D | NR |
| 29 | Jesse Bernhardt | Chrome | D | NR |
| 30 | Sergio Perkovic | Redwoods | M | 38 |
| 31 | Eddy Glazener | Redwoods | D | NR |
| 32 | Ryder Garnsey | Redwoods | A | 30 |
| 33 | Will Manny | Archers | A | 13 |
| 34 | Matt McMahon | Archers | D | 47 |
| 35 | Eric Law | Atlas | A | 32 |
| 36 | Myles Jones | Redwoods | M | 26 |
| 37 | Bryan Costabile | Atlas | M | NR |
| 38 | Connor Kelly | Waterdogs | M | 37 |
| 39 | Marcus Holman | Archers | A | 7 |
| 40 | Kieran McArdle | Waterdogs | A | 48 |
| 41 | Tim Troutner | Redwoods | G | 50 |
| 42 | Paul Rabil | Atlas | M | 14 |
| 43 | Cade van Raaphorst | Atlas | D | NR |
| 44 | Jordan MacIntosh | Chrome | M | 49 |
| 45 | Jack Concannon | Atlas | G | 31 |
| 46 | Jake Bernhardt | Whipsnakes | M | 20 |
| 47 | Connor Farrell | Chrome | FO | NR |
| 48 | Jake Froccaro | Chaos | M | 16 |
| 49 | Dominique Alexander | Archers | M | 28 |
| 50 | Brent Adams | Redwoods | M | 36 |
Team
Naturally, each of the seven PLL clubs were represented, though one team stood out above the rest.
Whipsnakes: 11 players
Redwoods: 9 players
Atlas: 8 players
Archers: 7 players
Chrome: 7 players
Chaos: 5 players
Waterdogs: 3 players
Position
Breakdowns by position can be deceiving, as each team employs one starting goalkeeper and one primary faceoff specialist. But once again, the attack and midfield positions dominated the rankings.
Midfield: 18 players
Attack: 14 players
Defense: 9 players
Goalkeeper: 4 players
Faceoff: 3 players
Long-stick midfield: 2 players
National Team Connections
A majority of the PLL’s top players have played on U.S. national teams in their careers. Here’s everyone who took part from the Top 50. Anyone who played in a world championship competition qualifies.
Senior: Tom Schreiber, Michael Ehrhardt, Trevor Baptiste, Marcus Holman, Jordan Wolf, Tucker Durkin, Paul Rabil, Jake Bernhardt, Ned Crotty, Rob Pannell, Jesse Bernhardt, Will Haus, John Haus
U19: Matt Kavanagh, Bryan Costabile, Jack Rowlett
Indoor: Matt Rambo, Trevor Baptiste, Blaze Riorden, Marcus Holman, Matt Dunn, Connor Kelly, Paul Rabil, Kieran McArdle
What We Wrote
-
Strength of the Wolf: How Zed Williams Brought Joy to His Family, by Nelson Rice — Story
-
Versatile Joe Nardella 'the Most Elite Guy in the League,' by Nelson Rice — Story
-
After Winning 5 Titles in 407 Days, Zach Currier Seeks New Challenge in PLL, by Michelle Bonner — Story
-
Trevor Baptiste 'What Does Black Mean to You?' as told to Matt Hamilton — Story
-
Rob Pannell Opens Up About His Decision on 'Overtime' Season 3, Ep. 4, by Matt Hamilton — Story
-
Eddy Glazener, Self-Proclaimed Late-Bloomer, is 'Irreplaceable,' by Nelson Rice — Story
-
5-and-5: Ryder Garnsey's Five Favorite Highlight Tapes, by Nelson Rice — Story
-
5-and-5: Will Manny's Five Favorite Feeders, by Matt Hamilton — Story
-
Scott Ratliff: 'Get Uncomfortable. That's How You Grow,' as told to Kenny DeJohn — Story
-
From Unheralded Recruit to Rookie of the Year: The Tim Troutner Story, by Nick Fodera — Story
