2025 Premier Lacrosse Championship Series Preview

The Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) Championship Series begins Tuesday, Feb. 11 as the New York Atlas and Maryland Whipsnakes square off at 9 p.m. eastern. 

I had PLL fantasy expert Paul Lamonaca and lacrosse betting expert Hutton Jackson on the podcast to break down the Championship Series. Here are my three big takeaways from the episode. 

Championship Series An Audition For Steven Brooks

While talking with Lamonaca - who will be covering the Atlas during the sixes event - we got to talking about acting head coach Steven Brooks. I asked Lamonaca what he thinks of Brooks being a head coach in the PLL in the near future. "He's a player's coach," Lamonaca said. "He's one of the best minds in professional lacrosse right now." 

To give my own perspective on Brooks, I compared him to new Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson. Johnson was considered one of the best young offensive minds in football like Brooks is to lacrosse. Further, many people believed it was a matter of when - not if - Johnson became a head coach in the NFL and it seems the same can be said for Brooks in the PLL. 

Dickson Going For Gold

Lamonaca gave Atlas attackman Xander Dickson an endorsement for the Championship Series Golden Stick award. "He's essentially going to be able to play box lacrosse with a six-by-six net which is any player's dream," he stated. During the PLL regular-season, Dickson tallied 24 goals and 6 assists while shooting 41% across 10 games. Dickson should benefit from the likes of Bryan Costabile and Dylan Molloy who will look to stretch the field and create openings for players like Dickson to exploit. Additionally, the Atlas have several players that can find Dickson in transition with Payton Rezanka, Ronan Jacoby, Tyler Carpenter, and Koby Smith all viable options for pushing transition off of a clean save or takeaway. 

Hutton's Championship Series Favorites

According to DraftKings, the Utah Archers are the favorites to win the Championship Series. "I do like Archers more than I have in years prior," Jackson said. "Cannons are probably my pick still just because of the continuity from last year's Championship Series.

As for the Women's Lacrosse League (WLL) Championship Series, the four teams will be the California Palms, New York Charging, Boston Guard, and the Maryland Charm. According to DraftKings, the Guard are the favorites to win the Championship Series title. "I know the Guard are the favorite - probably because of Charlotte North," Jackson stated. "The roster I think is the strongest right now is the Charging". 

As for me, I think the Atlas have a strong chance - currently No. 2 on DraftKings. Liam Entenmann should be one of the top goalies in the Championship Series. Bryan Costabile thrived in sixes in 2023 and now he'll be joined by and Xander Dickson, Dylan Molloy, and Myles Jones who can fill it up. Look for Ronan Jacoby, Payton Rezanka, Tyler Carpenter, and Koby Smith to be X-factors for the Atlas in the transition game. 

Looking at the WLL, I really like the Palms roster - and I'm starting to wonder if I'm alone in that. If Taylor Moreno can be anything like she was during Athletes Unlimited in 2022 and 2023, the Palms could win the Championship Series on her back. In front of her will be two of the better defenders in the WLL Championship Series field in Emily Nalls and Kayla Wood. On Offense, Ally Mastroianni finished fourth on the Athletes Unlimited leader board last summer while Sam Geiersbach tallied 18 goals and 6 assists across 12 games. Isabella Peterson was a rookie in AU last summer totaling 26 goals - including a four goal game and a six goal outburst - while shooting 44% on the season. She is credited with being the All-Time goal and point leader at James Madison. 

For the full episode featuring Paul Lamonaca and Hutton Jackson, you can click here.