Tag Archives: awards

National Lacrosse League Announces Finalists for 2022-23 NLL Awards

The National Lacrosse League (@NLL), the largest and most successful professional lacrosse property in the world, today announced the finalists for its annual season-end awards honoring the best players, coaches, and executives for the 2022-23 NLL season.

Reigning NLL Most Valuable Player, Buffalo Bandits forward Dhane Smith, looks to repeat against last year’s NLL Rookie of the Year, New York Riptide’s Jeff Teat, and Calgary Roughnecks’ standout goaltender, Christian Del Bianco.

All 11 award categories are based on 2022-23 regular season stats and performances, with voting taking place prior to the start of the 2023 NLL Playoffs. Voters ranked their choices from 1st through 5th place with those votes correlating with a point total (noted below). The top three vote getters for each award are listed as the finalists.

The winners will be announced next week leading into Game 1 of the NLL Finals.

Most Valuable Player
• Christian Del Bianco (Coquitlam, BC) – Goaltender – Calgary Roughnecks
• Dhane Smith (Kitchener, ON) – Forward – Buffalo Bandits
• Jeff Teat (Brampton, ON) – Forward – New York Riptide

Rookie of the Year
• Brett Dobson (Oshawa, ON) – Goaltender – Georgia Swarm
• Jonathan Donville (Oakville, ON) – Forward – Panther City Lacrosse Club
• Jack Hannah (Milford, OH) – Forward – Las Vegas Desert Dogs

Goaltender of the Year
• Christian Del Bianco (Coquitlam, BC) – Calgary Roughnecks
• Nick Rose (Orangeville, ON) – Toronto Rock
• Matt Vinc (St. Catharines, ON) – Buffalo Bandits

Transition Player of the Year
• Reid Bowering (Coquitlam, BC) – Vancouver Warriors
• Zach Currier (Peterborough, ON) – Calgary Roughnecks
• Challen Rogers (Coquitlam, BC) – Toronto Rock

Defensive Player of the Year
• Latrell Harris (St. Catharines, ON) – Toronto Rock
• Graeme Hossack (Port Perry, ON) – Halifax Thunderbirds
• Brad Kri (Acton, ON) – Toronto Rock

Sportsmanship Award
• Kyle Buchanan (Nepean, ON) – Buffalo Bandits
• Tom Schreiber (East Meadow, NY) – Toronto Rock
• Lyle Thompson (Onondaga Nation, NY) – Georgia Swarm

Teammate of the Year
• Kyle Buchanan (Nepean, ON) – Buffalo Bandits
• Dan Dawson (Oakville, ON) – Toronto Rock
• John LaFontaine (Whitby, ON) – Albany FireWolves

Les Bartley Award (Head Coach of the Year)
• Mike Hasen – Rochester Knighthawks
• Tracey Kelusky – Panther City Lacrosse Club
• Curt Malawsky – Calgary Roughnecks

General Manager of the Year
• Mike Board – Calgary Roughnecks
• Dan Carey – Rochester Knighthawks
• Jamie Dawick – Toronto Rock

Executive of the Year
• Melissa Blades – Director of Business Operations, Calgary Roughnecks
• Mark Fine – Chief Executive Officer, Las Vegas Desert Dogs
• Matt Hutchings – Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, KSE, Governor, Colorado Mammoth 

Tom Borrelli Award (Media Person of the Year)
• Pat Gregoire – TSN/Halifax Thunderbirds color commentator and co-host, “Off the CrosseBar” Podcast
• Teddy Jenner – TSN play-by-play and co-host, “Off the CrosseBar” Podcast
• Adam Levi – Inside Lacrosse, NLLPA, and NLL.com contributing writer and host, “Lacrosse Matrix” Podcast

Each NLL team had the opportunity to nominate and vote for each of the awards with the exception of Teammate of the Year, as each NLLPA Player Representative nominated a player from their team for this honor that was voted on by the NLLPA and its 15 Player Representatives.

Once nominations were finalized, each NLL team casted three ballots for each award by three members of its organization. Select media were eligible to vote for all awards except Teammate of the Year and Executive of the Year with the same voting system.

Each ballot allowed voting members to select their top five choices for each award among all nominated persons. Points were distributed for each first through fifth place vote as follows:

• 1st Place – 10 points
• 2nd Place – 7 points
• 3rd Place – 5 points
• 4th Place – 3 points
• 5th Place – 1 point

The person that accumulated the most points will be announced as the winner while the top three are the finalists. The All-League and All-Rookie teams are determined by the top vote getters in each correlating award. The All-Rookie team will be made up of six rookies, regardless of position. The All-League First Team and All-League Second Team will be made up of six individuals per team. Each Team will consist of two forwards, one transition player, two defenseman, and one goaltender.

For the latest scores and developments in the National Lacrosse League, please visit NLL.com and find the NLL on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.

SGPN Candidate For SBC’s Sports Media Company of Year

Sports Gambling Podcast Network (SGPN), the leading independent sports wagering analysis/prognostication content provider offering free user content, is among eight companies selected by SBC Awards 2022 as candidates for Sports Media Company of the Year. The announcement of the winner will take place Thursday as the third annual SBC Sports & Betting Conference Summit North America trade show culminates at Pier 60 in Manhattan, New York City.

SGPN’s competition in the category includes some of the most prominent and well-heeled companies in the sports media space, including American Affiliate, Better Collective, Catena North America, MediaTroopers, NBC Sports Next. Playmaker Capital, The Game Day and XLMedia. Almost all are backed by capital resources in the billions or tens of millions of dollars. By contrast, SGPN co-founders Sean Green and Ryan Kramer launched 10 years ago in Green’s one-car garage, taking advantage of new technology to push out their content inexpensively and begin building a following.

In 2017, Green won $200,000 in a DraftKings Fantasy Competition and SGPN used the money to turn the corner as a profitable, sustainable business. With the repeal of the Professional Sports and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) that following year, SGPN was well positioned to seize the moment and grow the enterprise that now includes 60 contributors and 23 different podcasts providing analysis and selections on 18 wagerable sports plus special events. SGPN is headquartered at a state-of-the-art studio in Los Angeles.

Other companies that are shortlisted in various categories at the SBC Awards North America 2022 include: Circa Resort & Casino, DraftKings, FanDuel, Penn Interactive, PointsBet, BetMGM, Resorts Digital Gaming and Rush Street Interactive. Awards will be presented in 27 categories as the highlight of the summit finale in front of 600-plus industry executives following two days of events, symposiums and networking sessions at Meadowlands Exposition Centre in Northern New Jersey.

“This is as big as it gets in our industry,” said Green, a Philadelphia-area native. “We are going up against some of the biggest brands in the space. We started with personal seed money and have continued to grow through traditional channels. Our candidacy for Sports Media Company of the Year is a testament to all the hard work everyone at SGPN has put in over the last 10 years to deliver a high-quality experience for our followers.”

“This is a great way to celebrate our 10th anniversary,” added Kramer, who hails from the North Jersey community of Scotch Plains. “We believed we could package sports wagering information in an insightful and entertaining way and it has caught on. It’s awesome to see our efforts being recognized.”

“With such strong competition among the Awards entrants, just making it on to the shortlists is a real mark of quality, so it will be fascinating to learn who our expert judges select as the big winners on the night,” said Rasmus Sojmark, Founder and CEO of SBC.

The SBC Awards North America Awards is the culmination of a week of events at the SBC Summit North America, the biggest conference and trade show for the sports betting and iGaming industries in the US and Canada. The awards recognize the achievements of operators, affiliates and suppliers from all the major disciplines including payments, marketing, platform providers and data.

National Lacrosse League Announces 2019-20 NLL Award Winners

Shayne Jackson and Lyle Thompson, courtesy Georgia Swarm

The National Lacrosse League (@NLL), the longest running and most successful professional lacrosse league in the world, officially announced the 2019-20 NLL Award winners. All awards are voted on by head coaches, general managers, and the League’s Board of Governors.

Like all major sports, the 2019-2020 season was interrupted, and ultimately cut short due to COVID-19. There was over 15 weeks of game play and much success for the players, teams, and fans of NLL’s 13 active franchises—including two competing for the first time this year. All three divisions featured tight races with three or more teams within two games of the lead, the launch of the Alterna Cup Series, and thrilling overtime victories.

“In an unusual year we congratulate such exceptional players coaches and executives,” said NLL Commissioner, Nick Sakiewicz. “At the end of each season we award top performers and they epitomize everything that is good about the game of lacrosse on and off the field. All our leaders and athletes participate in the top lacrosse league in the world, and this year’s winners have distinguished themselves as the best of the best. We look forward to the time when we can present these awards in person and honor each of them with their teammates in front of their home fans.”

Peter Schmitz, President, Professional Lacrosse Players’ Association (PLPA), also shared his praise, “On behalf of the PLPA, I’d like to congratulate all the award winners for their excellence, commitment, and success. We wish to recognize the effort and talent that it takes to win these awards, especially among so many qualified candidates.”

The voting resulted in major award winners representing a wide array of squads, showcasing the competitive balance of talent and high-level competition in the NLL. Earning the Most Valuable Player Award was Shayne Jackson of the Georgia Swarm. Jackson finished the year with 31 goals and 42 assists totaling 73 points while leading the league in even strength assists with 36. Jackson also tied for the league lead in power play goals with 11 and collected 65 loose balls.

The Rookie of the Year was New York Riptide star, Tyson Gibson. Gibson was the first overall selection by the expansion franchise in the 2019 Entry Draft. Gibson scored 16 goals and had 27 assists for 43 points, which led the team in the Riptide’s inaugural season.

For the third year in a row, Georgia Swarm’s Lyle Thompson won the Sportsmanship Award. He is the only NLL player to ever win it three consecutive times since the award debuted in 2002. He continues to represent the sport of lacrosse to the highest degree and tallied 27 goals and 33 assists on the season.

Making it three consecutive seasons, Halifax Thunderbirds stalwart, Graeme Hossack took home Defensive Player of the Year honors. Hossack lead all defensemen in Time on Floor averaging 27:32 per game, over two minutes higher than the next best player, and finished in the top four amongst all defensemen in goals, points, loose balls, and caused turnovers.

Another back-to-back award winner, the Toronto Rock’s Challen Rogers was named Transition Player of the Year. In 11 games, Rogers scored 11 goals and recorded 14 assists while corralling 51 loose balls.

In his first full year as a full-time starter, New England Black Wolves goaltender, Doug Jamieson won the Goaltender of the Year Award. Jamieson led the league in Save Percentage (.829), which is a league record for save percentage, Goals Against Average (8.80) and tied for the league lead in wins with 8.

For the first time in NLL Awards history, the Teammate(s) of the Year honor was a tie to both Dan Dawson, Toronto Rock, and Mike Poulin, Georgia Swarm. Throughout the season, the players exhibited leadership, sportsmanship, and dedication to their teammates, communities and the sport.

Philadelphia Wings Head Coach and General Manager, Paul Day received dual honors, winning the Les Bartley Award for Coach of the Year and General Manager of the Year. Day led his squad to an 8-6 record after acquiring Goaltender of the Year finalist Zach Higgins and veteran forward Cory Vitarelli during the offseason, and overseeing the development of second-year stars, Trevor Baptiste and Matt Rambo. Day previously won the Les Bartley Award in 2004 when he helmed the Rochester Knighthawks.

The Tom Borrelli Award Media Member of the Year goes to Craig Rybczynski of the Rochester Knighthawks. As the longest-tenured broadcaster in NLL history, calling over 300 straight games, he provides strategic communications, develops community partnerships and interacts with local, regional and national media

John Catalano, of the Halifax Thunderbirds, was honored as the Executive of the Year, overseeing the day-to-day operations following the franchise’s relocation after a long, successful run in Rochester. John played an instrumental role in what was a successful inaugural season for the franchise, both on and off the floor. His guidance and expertise in sales, integrated marketing, game presentation, broadcast, and community relations have landed Halifax on the map as one of the newest staple franchises in the league.

The complete list of 2019-20 NLL Awards winners are as follows:

Most Valuable Player: Shayne Jackson, Georgia
Rookie of the Year: Tyson Gibson, New York
Sportsmanship Award: Lyle Thompson, Georgia
Defensive Player of the Year: Graeme Hossack, Halifax
Transition Player of the Year: Challen Rogers, Toronto
Goaltender of the Year: Doug Jamieson, New England
Teammate of the Year: Dan Dawson, Toronto, AND Mike Poulin, Georgia (t)
Les Bartley Award Coach of the Year: Paul Day, Philadelphia
General Manager of the Year: Paul Day, Philadelphia
Tom Borrelli Award Media Member of the Year: Craig Rybczynski, Rochester
Executive of the Year: John Catalano, Halifax

Additionally, the 2019-20 NLL All-League and All-Rookie Teams have been announced. The teams are comprised of the top vote getters for the season awards.

All-League First Team:
Doug Jamieson, New England, Goaltender
Graeme Hossack, Halifax, Defense
Kyle Rubisch, Saskatchewan, Defense
Challen Rogers, Toronto, Transition
Shayne Jackson, Georgia, Forward
Callum Crawford, New England, Forward

All-League Second Team:
Dillon Ward, Colorado, Goaltender
Robert Hope, Colorado, Defense
Dan MacRae, New York, Defense
Kiel Matisz, Philadelphia, Transition
Rob Hellyer, Toronto, Forward
Cody Jamieson, Halifax, Forward

All-Rookie Team:
Tyson Gibson, New York, Forward
Andrew Kew, New England, Forward
Connor Fields, San Diego, Forward
Clarke Peterson, Halifax, Forward
Ryland Rees, Rochester, Transition
Joe Nardella, New England, Defense

The Venetian Macao Wins ‘Property of the Year’ at the Global Gaming Awards Las Vegas 2019

The Venetian Macao

The Venetian® Macao has won ‘Property of the Year’ at the Global Gaming Awards held on Oct. 14, 2019 in Las Vegas. The integrated resort took the title after beating nine other competitors also nominated in the category.

Dr. Wilfred Wong, President, Sands China Ltd., said: “Winning this prestigious accolade, in an industry which boasts so many exceptional properties, is extremely gratifying for each and every one of our team members who work hard to offer guests unparalleled experiences. We are grateful to Global Gaming Awards Las Vegas for this recognition and intend to continue striving for excellence.” 

One of the world’s most iconic properties, and named as one of ‘One of the Most Instagrammed Luxury Hotels of 2016’ by Bloomberg News, The Venetian Macao was inspired by the beauty and charm of renaissance Venice. Transporting guests to an enchanting world of towers, canals and piazzas, the integrated resort offers a wide range of international restaurants, superb entertainment, peerless retail and the largest casino in Asia, all under one roof.

Now in their sixth year, the Global Gaming Awards Las Vegas are the most prestigious awards within the gaming industry. Produced by Gambling Insider in association with G2E, there are a total of 12 categories spanning the land-based and digital industries, with 10 companies shortlisted in each. Winners are decided by a panel of 100 judges, comprising senior executives from the biggest companies in the industry. The voting process is independently adjudicated by KPMG.