MSL 
Jason Knox
Jason Knox
Carrying a Lacrosse Legacy While Creating One of His Own
Position: Forward
Shoots: Left
Hometown: Huntsville, Ontario
Current MSL Team: Cobourg Kodiaks
NLL Team: Halifax Thunderbirds
A Name Connected to Lacrosse History
For Jason Knox, lacrosse is more than the game he grew up playing.
It's part of his family history.
Knox is the grandson of the late Jack Bionda, a Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Famer and one of the legendary figures of Canadian lacrosse. Jason never had the opportunity to meet his grandfather, but that connection to Bionda has remained an important part of his journey.
Yet Knox hasn't relied on his family name.
From Huntsville minor lacrosse to Burlington Junior A, Hobart, Ohio State, the National Lacrosse League and Major Series Lacrosse, he has steadily created an identity of his own.
Early Years
Knox grew up in Huntsville, Ontario, developing through the Huntsville Hawks minor lacrosse program.
His father, Kevin, coached Jason and a talented group of Huntsville players from the time they were approximately five or six years old into their teenage years.
Lacrosse was rarely far away.
That Huntsville group eventually produced four players selected in the 2022 Major Series Lacrosse Draft: Knox, Caleb Creasor, Brett Handsor and Cole Hanrahan.
Knox later attended St. Andrew's College in Aurora, where his natural scoring ability immediately stood out. He became an important part of the Saints' 2019 CISAA championship team.
Climbing the Ladder
Knox continued his box lacrosse development with Burlington, where he became one of Ontario Junior A's most productive offensive players.
By the conclusion of his junior career, Knox had accumulated 213 points in only 53 games.
His size certainly made him difficult to defend, but there was much more to his game than being a big body around the crease. Knox developed into a natural goal scorer with the ability to finish from different areas of the floor.
Those abilities eventually took him south of the border.
Hobart
Knox began his NCAA career at Hobart College, and it didn't take long for people to notice.
As a freshman in 2019, he scored 36 goals, setting Hobart's Division I-era freshman record, and was named to the NEC All-Rookie Team.
Then came 2020.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic brought the season to a premature end, Knox scored 18 goals in only five games and was named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic brought the season to a premature end, Knox scored 18 goals in only five games and was named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List.
One performance in particular demonstrated his scoring ability.
Against Siena, Knox scored an incredible 10 goals, breaking the Northeast Conference single-game record and setting a Hobart Division I-era record.
Over three seasons at Hobart, he finished with 62 goals and 73 points in 26 games.
Ohio State University
Knox transferred to Ohio State University in 2021, beginning another chapter in his development.
During the 2022 season, he scored 24 goals and added three assists, starting 13 of 15 games for the Buckeyes. He opened the season by scoring in eight consecutive games and became a dangerous option on Ohio State's extra-man unit.
He completed his Ohio State career in 2023 while studying history and earning Ohio State Scholar-Athlete recognition.
By that point, professional box lacrosse was waiting.
National Lacrosse League
The Panther City Lacrosse Club selected Knox fifth overall in the 2022 NLL Entry Draft.
After completing his NCAA eligibility, Knox made his NLL debut during the 2023-24 season and immediately demonstrated that his scoring ability could translate to the professional box game.
In 17 games as a rookie, he produced:
23 goals
27 assists
50 points
Then his professional journey took an unexpected turn.
Panther City ceased operations following the season, leaving its players to be distributed throughout the league.
The Halifax Thunderbirds selected Knox ninth in the 2024 Panther City Dispersal Draft.
It meant another city, another offense and another role to learn.
Knox adapted again.
Through his first three NLL seasons, he accumulated 54 goals, 72 assists and 126 points in 50 regular-season games.
And during Halifax's 2026 playoff run, Knox elevated his game dramatically, scoring 18 goals and 28 points in six postseason games.
And during Halifax's 2026 playoff run, Knox elevated his game dramatically, scoring 18 goals and 28 points in six postseason games.
Major Series Lacrosse
Knox entered Major Series Lacrosse when the Oakville Rock selected him in the 2022 MSL Draft.
But in June 2026, his MSL career took another turn.
A significant three-team trade involving Oakville, Cobourg and Peterborough sent Jason Knox to the Cobourg Kodiaks, Alex Simmons to Oakville and Ryan Lanchbury to Peterborough.
Knox quickly found chemistry in the Cobourg offense, particularly alongside 2026 scoring champion Alex Marinier.
Against Brampton in July, Knox scored four goals as he and Marinier combined for eight in a 13-11 Kodiaks victory.
In another remarkable Cobourg performance against Owen Sound, Marinier scored 10 goals while Knox repeatedly played the role of facilitator, setting up goal after goal while also finding the net himself.
It's an intriguing combination.
Marinier attracts enormous attention from opposing defenses, while Knox's size, shot and passing ability create another problem entirely.
Returning to the University Game
Knox's lacrosse journey added another interesting chapter in 2025.
After graduating from Ohio State, he enrolled in Teachers College at Nipissing University and joined the Lakers in the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association.
The results were extraordinary.
In only 13 games, Knox scored 40 goals and 34 assists for 74 points, earning CUFLA Outstanding Attackman of the Year honours.
It was another reminder that regardless of the level or style of lacrosse, Knox has always known how to produce offense.
A Family Legacy
Perhaps the most compelling part of Knox's story has nothing to do with statistics.
His grandfather, Jack Bionda, was one of Canada's great lacrosse players and is enshrined in the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
Jason never met him.
But he has spoken about feeling connected to his grandfather through the game they both played.
That's a powerful thought.
Different generations. Different eras. Different styles of lacrosse.
The same game connecting them.
And while Jason Knox carries one of the great names in Canadian lacrosse history, he's steadily making sure the next generation will recognize the Knox name for another reason as well.
By the Numbers
Hometown: Huntsville, Ontario
Position: Forward
Shoots: Left
Minor Lacrosse: Huntsville Hawks
School: St. Andrew's College
Junior: Burlington
NCAA: Hobart / Ohio State
CUFLA: Nipissing University
NLL Draft: 5th Overall, 2022 – Panther City
NLL Teams: Panther City Lacrosse Club / Halifax Thunderbirds
MSL Team: Cobourg Kodiaks
Junior Career: 213 points in 53 games
CUFLA: 2025 Outstanding Attackman of the Year
Family Connection: Grandson of Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Famer Jack Bionda
Gary Groob's Take
The more I look at Jason Knox's career, the more I appreciate the journey.
At first glance, you notice the obvious things. He's 6-foot-4, he's a big left-handed forward, and he can absolutely shoot the lacrosse ball.
But there's more to Jason's game than that.
What I've noticed watching him with Cobourg is his ability to complement other offensive players. With someone like Alex Marinier attracting so much defensive attention, Jason doesn't need the ball in his stick every possession to make an impact. He can finish when the opportunity comes, but he can also move the ball and create opportunities for everyone else.
That makes an offense much more difficult to defend.
His career also says something about adaptability.
Hobart to Ohio State. Panther City to Halifax.
Oakville to Cobourg. Every time the surroundings have changed, Jason has had to prove himself again.
And he has.
But there's one part of his story I particularly enjoy.
Jason Knox is the grandson of Jack Bionda.
That's an incredible lacrosse heritage to carry, but Jason never had the opportunity to meet his grandfather. Instead, the game itself has become a connection between them.
I find something very special about that.
Jack Bionda created his legacy in another era of Canadian lacrosse. Decades later, his grandson is walking into arenas carrying his own stick and creating a completely different chapter of that family story.
Jason doesn't have to become the next Jack Bionda.
He gets to become the first Jason Knox.
And from what we're seeing, that story is still a long way from finished.
— Gary Groob