MSL 
Chris Boushy
Chris Boushy
Bet on Yourself — The Long Road From Johannesburg to the NLL
Position: Forward
Shoots: Right
Born: Johannesburg, South Africa
Raised: Ontario
MSL Team: Brooklin Lacrosse Club
NLL Team: Toronto Rock
Nothing Was Handed to Him
Some players seem destined for professional lacrosse from the moment they enter junior.
Chris Boushy's journey wasn't like that.
He played Junior B.
He was called up to Junior A and realized he wasn't ready.
So he went back down.
He worked. He developed.
He returned to Junior A and became one of Burlington's most dangerous offensive players.
Then Saskatchewan drafted him.
And released him.
Buffalo gave him another opportunity.
And released him too.
Less than two hours later, another phone call came. Calgary wanted him.
Three days later, Chris Boushy was playing in the National Lacrosse League.
That's the Chris Boushy story.
Not the easiest road.
Just the willingness to keep travelling it
From South Africa to Canada
Boushy was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1997.
His father was Canadian and had moved to South Africa for work, where he met Chris' mother. Chris and his brother Michael were both born there before the family moved to Canada when Chris was five.
His first sport wasn't lacrosse.
It was golf.
Then came hockey.
Eventually, after watching friends pick up lacrosse sticks during the summer, Boushy decided he wanted to try that too.
He was seven years old.
There was no way of knowing where that decision would eventually take him.
Finding Lacrosse
Boushy didn't immediately emerge as a future professional star.
In fact, his own description of his early career might be the best one.
Scrappy.
His junior rights were traded before he had even played a junior game.
Boushy began with the Mississauga Jr. B Tomahawks in 2014, leading the team with 29 goals and 50 points.
He was later moved to the Halton Hills Bulldogs, while also receiving an opportunity with the Junior A Burlington Chiefs.
But Boushy didn't believe he was ready for Junior A.
Instead of forcing the issue, he returned to Junior B.
That decision became important.
Sometimes development isn't about getting to the highest level as quickly as possible.
Sometimes it's about recognizing when you're not ready—and doing something about it.
The Breakout
By Grade 11, Boushy had decided how seriously he wanted to pursue lacrosse.
Very seriously.
He began training before school.
He'd go to the gym afterward.
During the winter, he'd find somewhere to shoot.
Boushy knew other players were ahead of him.
His response wasn't to complain about it.
It was to work.
The results arrived in 2016.
Playing for Halton Hills, Boushy exploded for:
46 goals
48 assists
94 points
in only 20 games.
Now he was ready for Junior A.
Burlington Chiefs
Boushy made the full-time jump to the Burlington Chiefs in 2017.
Over his final two seasons of junior lacrosse, he produced:
63 goals
92 assists
155 points
The player who hadn't initially found his place at the Junior A level had returned as one of its most productive offensive players.
That progression says a lot about Boushy. He wasn't suddenly given more talent. He developed it.
And people were beginning to notice.
Queen's University
Boushy continued his education at Queen's University, where he played midfield for the Gaels in the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association.
His production was immediate.
In 2017, he recorded:
18 goals
25 assists
The following season he became even more dangerous, scoring:
31 goals and adding 20 assists.
Queen's coaches described him as one of the program's leaders and top players.
But by then, another opportunity had already arrived.
Professional lacrosse.
Or so he thought.
Drafted — Then Released
The Saskatchewan Rush selected Boushy 31st overall in the third round of the 2017 NLL Draft.
For someone who had dreamed of playing professional lacrosse, hearing his name called should have been the beginning.
Instead, Saskatchewan released him from training camp.
A year later, Boushy tried again.
This time it was the Buffalo Bandits.
Once again, he was released.
The Call From Calgary
Boushy hadn't even finished the trip back to Queen's.
He was still on the train.
Less than two hours after Buffalo released him, the Calgary Roughnecks called.
They had an open roster spot.
Was he interested?
Boushy signed that night.
He hadn't met the coaches.
He hadn't met his teammates.
Three days later, he was playing his first National Lacrosse League game.
And he scored.
Boushy finished his NLL debut against Vancouver with one goal and one assist.
The player who had twice been told there wasn't a place for him in the league was suddenly a professional lacrosse player.
Finding Opportunity
Calgary provided Boushy with something invaluable.
Experience.
Playing behind established offensive stars, he learned how professional players prepared and how they carried themselves.
But opportunities to become a primary scorer were limited.
Then came another change.
In March 2019, Calgary traded Boushy to the Rochester Knighthawks.
Rochester was struggling.
Several veteran offensive players had departed.
Suddenly, Boushy had opportunity.
He responded with 10 goals and seven assists in only four games.
Sometimes a player doesn't need to change.
Sometimes he simply needs the opportunity to show what he can do.
Halifax
When the Rochester franchise moved to Halifax and became the Thunderbirds, Boushy eventually developed into one of the club's most dangerous offensive players.
After the pandemic interrupted his early professional development, Boushy returned with 26 goals and 47 points in 2021-22.
Then came another jump.
In 2022-23, he scored:
38 goals
21 assists
59 points
He had established himself.
The player who once struggled to find a permanent NLL roster spot had become a legitimate professional goal scorer.
And then Toronto came calling.
Toronto Rock
In September 2023, the Toronto Rock acquired Boushy from Halifax in exchange for a first-round selection in the 2026 NLL Draft.
That's a significant price.
It also demonstrated how much Boushy's reputation had changed.
He responded with 31 goals and 59 points during his first season with Toronto.
Then, in 2024-25, Boushy reached another level:
40 goals
32 assists
72 points
All career highs.
Through the conclusion of the 2025-26 regular season, Boushy had accumulated:
186 goals
140 assists
326 points
in 106 NLL games.
Not bad for someone who had once been cut twice before playing his first professional game.
Major Series Lacrosse
During the summer, Boushy brings that shooting ability to the Brooklin Lacrosse Club.
His game translates naturally to Major Series Lacrosse.
He doesn't need much room.
Give him enough space to get his hands free and the ball can be behind the goaltender before the defense has an opportunity to recover.
But there's more maturity in his game today than simply shooting.
Years of professional lacrosse have taught him how to find space, work without the ball and recognize when the better opportunity belongs to someone else.
On a Brooklin offense filled with weapons, that matters.
Opposing defenses can't focus exclusively on one player.
Leave Boushy unattended and he'll make you pay.
Growing the Game in South Africa
There's another part of Boushy's story that makes him unique.
He hasn't forgotten where he was born.
Boushy became the first South African-born player in the National Lacrosse League, and he has worked to help grow lacrosse in his birth country.
He has spoken publicly about helping spearhead efforts to develop the South African Lacrosse Association, with the long-term dream of seeing South Africa compete on the international stage.
For someone whose family left Johannesburg when he was five, lacrosse has provided an unexpected way to reconnect with where his story began.
By the Numbers
Born: Johannesburg, South Africa
Position: Forward
Shoots: Right
Junior B: Mississauga Tomahawks / Halton Hills Bulldogs
Junior A: Burlington Chiefs
2016 Junior B: 46 goals / 48 assists / 94 points
Final Two Junior Seasons: 155 points
University: Queen's University
NLL Draft: 31st Overall, 2017 — Saskatchewan Rush
NLL Teams: Calgary / Rochester / Halifax / Toronto
MSL Team: Brooklin Lacrosse Club
2022-23 NLL: 38 goals / 59 points
2024-25 NLL: Career-high 40 goals / 72 points
NLL through 2025-26: 186 goals / 140 assists / 326 points
Distinction: First South African-born player in NLL history
Gary Groob's Take
Chris Boushy's story is one I think young players should read.
Not because he became a professional lacrosse player.
Because of everything that happened before he became one.
He went to Junior A and realized he wasn't ready.
So he went back to Junior B.
That's not failure.
That's maturity.
Then he worked.
And worked some more.
Eventually, he returned to Junior A and became an elite offensive player.
Saskatchewan drafted him.
Then they released him.
Buffalo gave him another chance.
They released him too.
At that point, plenty of players might begin wondering whether the dream was realistic.
Chris Boushy kept going.
Less than two hours after Buffalo let him go, Calgary called.
Three days later, he was playing in the NLL.
And he scored.
I love stories like that.
Because when we watch Chris today, we see the finished product.
We see the shot.
We see the goals.
We see a player who has scored 40 times in an NLL season.
What we don't necessarily see are the mornings in the gym, the winter shooting sessions, the Junior B games and those train rides home wondering what comes next.
Those are part of the player too.
I've watched Chris with Brooklin, and there's a confidence in his game that I think comes from having travelled that road.
He knows he belongs.
He earned that belief.
And maybe that's what I appreciate most about him.
Chris Boushy wasn't handed a straight path to professional lacrosse.
He built one.
From Johannesburg to Ontario.
From Junior B to Junior A.
From being released to becoming a 40-goal professional scorer.
Sometimes the best response to somebody telling you no is simply to keep working until somebody else says yes.
Chris Boushy did.
And that's exactly why he belongs among the Stars of MSL.
— Gary Groob