MSL 
Dyson Williams
Dyson Williams
The Finisher — Finding Space Where There Isn't Any
Position: Forward
Shoots: Left
Hometown: Oshawa, Ontario
MSL Team: Brooklin Lacrosse Club
NLL Team: Oshawa FireWolves
Finding the Back of the Net
Some goal scorers overpower you.
Some beat you from the outside.
Others possess an almost instinctive understanding of where to be when the ball arrives.
Dyson Williams belongs in that last category.
Watch him closely when he doesn't have the ball.
That's often when the play begins.
A step toward the crease.
A subtle move behind a defender.
Finding a soft spot in the defense.
Then the pass arrives.
Catch.
Finish.
Goal.
It sounds simple.
It isn't.
Williams has turned that ability into an art form, from his days in Whitby through an extraordinary NCAA career at Duke and now into professional and Major Series Lacrosse.
Growing Up in Durham Region
Williams grew up in Oshawa, Ontario, right in the middle of one of Canada's richest lacrosse regions.
The Williams name was already familiar in lacrosse circles.
His father, Shawn Williams, put together a legendary playing career that included more than two decades in professional lacrosse, championships and induction into the National Lacrosse League Hall of Fame.
That meant Dyson grew up around the game.
But having a famous lacrosse name doesn't score goals for you.
Eventually, you have to create your own identity.
Dyson did.
Whitby Warriors
Williams developed his box game with the Whitby Warriors, one of Ontario Junior A lacrosse's most storied organizations.
The Canadian box environment helped shape the player we'd eventually see at Duke.
Playing around the crease requires toughness.
You get cross-checked.
You get pushed.
You rarely have much room.
And yet somehow, elite finishers continually find a way to get their hands free.
Those lessons travelled with Williams when he headed south to play NCAA lacrosse.
Duke University
Williams arrived at Duke University and began doing what he'd always done.
Scoring goals.
Except he did it at an extraordinary rate.
Williams became a fixture in the Blue Devils' offense and eventually one of the most accomplished goal scorers in the history of NCAA Division I lacrosse.
Year after year, the goals accumulated
Defenses knew what he wanted to do.
They knew where he was dangerous.
And Williams continued scoring anyway.
That's the mark of a true finisher.
An Extraordinary College Career
Williams' Duke career stretched across five seasons, including the unusual circumstances created by the COVID-affected college years.
By the time it was finished, his name was throughout the Duke record book.
He became the program's all-time leading goal scorer, surpassing a standard that had stood for years.
Williams wasn't simply accumulating goals against lesser competition either.
Duke plays at the highest level of NCAA lacrosse.
ACC defenses knew exactly who he was.
They prepared for him.
And still he found the back of the net.
His career included multiple All-American honours and appearances on the Tewaaraton Award watch list as one of the premier players in college lacrosse.
He became the program's all-time leading goal scorer, surpassing a standard that had stood for years.
Williams wasn't simply accumulating goals against lesser competition either.
Duke plays at the highest level of NCAA lacrosse.
ACC defenses knew exactly who he was.
They prepared for him.
And still he found the back of the net.
His career included multiple All-American honours and appearances on the Tewaaraton Award watch list as one of the premier players in college lacrosse.
More Than a Crease Player
It's easy to look at Williams' goals and describe him as simply an inside finisher.
That misses something.
Yes, he's exceptional around the crease.
But what makes him dangerous is the intelligence required to continually get there.
Williams reads defenders.
He understands when they're watching the ball.
He knows when to cut.
He recognizes when to hold his position rather than crowd the middle.
Those little decisions create the half-second needed to finish.
It's lacrosse IQ disguised as goal scoring.
National Lacrosse League
Williams' box lacrosse pedigree made him an intriguing professional prospect.
His combination of size, hands and finishing ability was tailor-made for the indoor game.
And once he reached the National Lacrosse League, he began establishing himself as an offensive threat.
The same characteristics that made him so dangerous at Duke remained evident.
Get him the ball in the right place and he'll finish.
Give him an opening around the crease and he'll attack it.
And as professional defenses have adjusted, Williams has continued developing the other parts of his offensive game.
Coming Home
There is also something particularly fitting about the current chapter of Williams' professional career.
The FireWolves franchise relocated to Oshawa.
For Williams, that meant playing professional lacrosse in his hometown area.
After travelling to Duke and establishing himself on the NCAA stage, professional lacrosse ultimately brought him back to Durham Region.
That's a pretty special circle.
The kid who grew up around the game now gets to play it professionally in front of the community that helped develop him.
Brooklin Lacrosse Club
Summer brings Williams to another familiar Durham Region lacrosse home with the Brooklin Lacrosse Club.
And during the 2026 season, we've seen exactly why he's so difficult to defend.
Against undefeated Six Nations, Williams scored a hat trick as Brooklin pushed the Chiefs throughout a hard-fought 9-7 game. One came on the penalty kill, finishing from the top of the crease.
Against Oakville, Williams contributed at both ends of Brooklin's offensive attack.
He scored twice, but he also created for others, setting up Connor Kearnan, Dan Lintner and Reilly O'Connor as Brooklin erased an early deficit and rolled to a 14-8 victory.
That's an important development.
The finisher can pass too.
Playing With Playmakers
Brooklin has assembled an interesting collection of offensive talent.
Reilly O'Connor sees the floor exceptionally well.
Chris Boushy can shoot.
Connor Kearnan can create.
Dan Lintner understands how to find openings.
Then there's Dyson Williams.
That combination gives Brooklin options.
And for Williams, playing alongside experienced playmakers can be particularly dangerous.
Because sometimes the most difficult player to defend isn't the one carrying the ball.
It's the player quietly moving behind you.
Carrying the Williams Name
There is no avoiding the family connection.
Shawn Williams had an extraordinary lacrosse career.
For a young player, carrying that surname could easily become a burden.
But I think Dyson has reached the point where the comparison isn't necessary.
Shawn had his career.
Dyson is building his.
They're different players from different generations.
And Dyson's remarkable Duke career alone ensured that when people talk about the Williams family in lacrosse, there are now multiple stories worth telling.
That's quite a family legacy.
By the Numbers
Hometown: Oshawa, Ontario
Position: Forward
Shoots: Left
Junior: Whitby Warriors
College: Duke University
College Position: Attack
College Accomplishment: Duke's all-time leading goal scorer
Honours: Multiple All-American selections
NLL: FireWolves franchise
Current NLL Home: Oshawa
MSL Team: Brooklin Lacrosse Club
Family: Son of NLL Hall of Famer Shawn Williams
Gary Groob's Take
When I watch Dyson Williams, I don't always watch the ball.
I watch Dyson.
And there's a reason for that.
Some of the most important work he does happens before the pass ever reaches him.
He's moving.
Finding a seam.
Getting inside a defender.
Waiting for the defender to turn his head.
Then suddenly the ball arrives and it's in the net.
People sometimes describe those as easy goals.
I don't.
There's nothing easy about repeatedly getting open against elite defenders who know exactly what you're trying to do.
That's a skill.
And Dyson has it.
I've seen it this summer with Brooklin.
Against Six Nations, he found the back of the net three times while Brooklin pushed an undefeated Chiefs team right to the end.
But I've also noticed something else.
He's not simply waiting to finish anymore.
Against Oakville, he was creating too. He scored, but he also distributed the ball and helped Brooklin completely take over the game after falling behind early.
That's evolution.
And then there's the Williams name.
I've watched Shawn Williams for years. Everyone who has followed box lacrosse knows what he accomplished.
But I don't think Dyson needs to be introduced as Shawn Williams' son anymore.
He's earned his own introduction.
Five years at Duke.
One of the greatest goal scorers in that program's history.
Professional lacrosse.
And now he's back home, playing NLL lacrosse in Oshawa and summer lacrosse with Brooklin.
I think that's a terrific story.
Father and son may share a name and a remarkable feel for the game, but Dyson is creating his own path.
And when the ball finds him around the crease, there's a pretty good chance he's going to create another goal along the way.
That's why Dyson Williams belongs among the Stars of MSL.
— Gary Groob