MSL 
Jackson Webster
Jackson Webster
From Versatile Prospect to Major Series Lacrosse MVP
Position: Forward
Shoots: Left
Hometown: Georgetown, Ontario
MSL Team: Owen Sound North Stars
NLL Team: Las Vegas Desert Dogs
Finding His Own Way
Sometimes a player's greatest strength is obvious from the beginning.
For Jackson Webster, it took a little longer to define.
Was he a forward? A transition player? Someone who could help out the back door? Or an offensive player capable of carrying a team's attack?
For much of his young career, the answer seemed to be: whatever his team needed.
Then came the summer of 2025.
Playing for the Owen Sound North Stars, Webster went from being one of Major Series Lacrosse's promising young players to one of its biggest stars, capturing the league scoring championship and Most Valuable Player honours.
Almost overnight, the question changed.
It was no longer where Jackson Webster belonged on the floor.
It was how opposing teams were going to stop him.
Early Years
Born in Georgetown, Ontario, Webster developed his game in a community with a strong lacrosse tradition.
He attended Everest Academy, continuing his development as both a box and field lacrosse player before taking his game to the NCAA level.
At six feet tall, Webster wasn't going to overwhelm opponents simply with size. Instead, his game developed around skill, intelligence and versatility.
Those qualities would become increasingly important as his career progressed.
Climbing the Ladder
Webster's junior box lacrosse journey included time with the Halton Hills Bulldogs, St. Catharines Athletics and eventually the Toronto Beaches.
His breakout offensive season came with St. Catharines in 2022.
In 18 regular-season games, Webster produced 30 goals and 46 assists for 76 points, establishing himself as one of the most productive offensive players in Ontario Junior A lacrosse.
But the following season showed another side of his game.
St. Catharines asked Webster to spend time going out the back door and contributing defensively. After being traded to Toronto, he continued in that role while still being given opportunities to stay on the floor and contribute offensively.
For a player accustomed to producing points, it required an adjustment.
It also made him more complete.
Instead of simply becoming a better scorer, Webster learned how to become a better lacrosse player.
Canisius University
Webster continued his education and lacrosse career at Canisius University in Buffalo.
Over four seasons with the Golden Griffins, he appeared in 48 games, recording 25 goals and 19 assists for 44 points.
His senior season in 2024 was his best.
Named a team captain, Webster started all 15 games and finished with career highs of 19 goals, 13 assists and 32 points.
His senior season in 2024 was his best.
Named a team captain, Webster started all 15 games and finished with career highs of 19 goals, 13 assists and 32 points.
He scored three or more points six times during the season and recorded three hat tricks, including a career-high four-goal performance against nationally ranked Michigan.
Webster also earned MAAC All-Academic Team honours in both 2023 and 2024.
The numbers were good.
But perhaps more importantly, his time at Canisius continued developing the versatility and maturity that would soon become so important in the box game.
Major Series Lacrosse
The Owen Sound North Stars selected Webster 14th overall in the 2024 MSL Draft.
His rookie season provided an indication of what was coming.
In 11 games, Webster scored 11 goals and added 13 assists for 24 points, tying for Owen Sound's team lead in goals and points.
He played on the offense.
He contributed on the power play.
At times he even helped on the penalty kill.
Once again, versatility was becoming his calling card.
Then came 2025.
And everything changed.
Webster erupted offensively for the North Stars, becoming the most productive player in Major Series Lacrosse.
He led the league in scoring and captured the Bucko MacDonald Award as MSL's Leading Scorer, while also receiving the Jim Murphy Award as the league's Most Valuable Player.
Suddenly, the versatile young player who could seemingly fill any role had established himself as one of the most dangerous offensive players in senior lacrosse.
For a young Owen Sound team, Webster had become its offensive centerpiece.
National Lacrosse League
Webster's versatility attracted plenty of attention heading into the 2024 NLL Entry Draft.
The Las Vegas Desert Dogs selected him in the third round, 30th overall.
It didn't take long for Webster to demonstrate that he belonged.
During his rookie season, he worked his way into the Las Vegas lineup and made his first start in Week 6.
What happened next couldn't have been scripted much better.
Webster scored three goals and added three assists, helping the Desert Dogs earn their first victory of the season.
By the end of his rookie campaign, he had accumulated:
16 goals
21 assists
37 points in 13 games
Las Vegas named him the Pack's Player of the Year.
Webster followed that performance with another productive season in 2025-26, recording 13 goals and 18 assists for 31 points in 16 games.
Through his first two NLL seasons, he had already produced 68 points in 29 games.
The third-round draft choice had become a legitimate professional offensive player.
The Summer That Changed Everything
Every player's career has moments when perception changes.
For Webster, the 2025 MSL season was one of those moments.
Before that summer, he was intriguing because of his versatility.
He could play offense.
He could help defensively.
He could run in transition.
He could contribute on special teams.
But when Owen Sound gave him the opportunity to become a focal point offensively, Webster demonstrated that he could do much more than simply fill different roles.
He could lead an offense.
And he could do it against some of the best lacrosse players in the world.
In a league featuring established stars such as Josh Byrne, Dhane Smith and Ryan Smith, Jackson Webster finished above all of them in the scoring race.
That's when a promising career became something much more interesting.
By the Numbers
Hometown: Georgetown, Ontario
Position: Forward
Shoots: Left
High School: Everest Academy
Junior: Halton Hills Bulldogs / St. Catharines Athletics / Toronto Beaches
College: Canisius University
NCAA Career: 48 games, 25 goals, 19 assists, 44 points
MSL Draft: 14th Overall, 2024 – Owen Sound North Stars
MSL Team: Owen Sound North Stars
NLL Draft: 30th Overall, 2024 – Las Vegas Desert Dogs
NLL Team: Las Vegas Desert Dogs
2025: Bucko MacDonald Award – MSL Leading Scorer
2025: Jim Murphy Award – MSL Most Valuable Player
NLL Rookie Season: 37 points in 13
First Two NLL Seasons:
68 points in 29 games
Gary Groob's Take
Jackson Webster is one of the players who reminds me why development isn't always a straight line.
There was a point in his junior career when coaches were asking him to go out the back door.
Think about that for a moment.
Here's a player who had just put up huge offensive numbers, and suddenly he's being asked to contribute defensively.
He did it.
Instead of worrying about where he was playing, he learned another part of the game.
Now look at where that journey has taken him.
What impressed me most about Jackson's breakout in Owen Sound wasn't simply that he scored points. It was who he was producing those numbers against.
Major Series Lacrosse is filled with some of the best box lacrosse players in the world. Every night you're looking across the floor at NLL stars, international players and Mann Cup champions.
And Jackson Webster led them all.
That's a statement.
I also think we're seeing a player who is still discovering just how good he can become.
His rookie season in Las Vegas showed that his game translates to the professional level. His 2025 summer in Owen Sound showed that when he's given the opportunity to carry an offense, he's capable of doing something special.
Maybe the versatility that once made it difficult to define Jackson Webster is actually what helped create the player we're watching today.
He understands offense because he's played defense.
He understands offense because he's played defense.
He understands transition because he's played both ends.
And now that he's developed the confidence to combine all those pieces, we're seeing the result.
Jackson Webster went from being a player who could seemingly do a little bit of everything to proving he could be the very best player in Major Series Lacrosse.
And at only 24 years old, I don't think we've come close to seeing his ceiling yet.
— Gary Groob