Nate Woods

Nate Woods
Never Needed the Traditional Route

Position: Defence / Transition
Shoots: Right
Hometown: Ottawa, Ontario
MSL Team: Brooklin Lacrosse Club
College: Saint Michael's College

There Is More Than One Way to Get There

Junior A.
Senior A.
NLL Draft.

That's a pretty familiar progression in Canadian box lacrosse.

Nate Woods didn't follow much of it.

He built his reputation primarily with the Nepean Knights in Junior B.

He went to the Presidents Cup with the Snake Island Muskies in Senior B.

He developed into an All-American short-stick defensive midfielder at Saint Michael's College.

He travelled overseas to play with the Green Gaels at one of the world's most unique box lacrosse tournaments.

And despite having almost no Junior A experience, Woods eventually heard his name called in the National Lacrosse League Draft.

Now he's testing himself every night in Major Series Lacrosse with the Brooklin Lacrosse Club.
The traditional route?

Not exactly.

But Nate Woods has never seemed particularly concerned about that.

Ottawa Roots

Woods grew up in Ottawa, Ontario, and played high school lacrosse at South Carleton before spending time at the Kent School in Connecticut.

At South Carleton, Woods was a two-year captain and earned team MVP honours as a junior.

But his box lacrosse education came primarily through the Nepean Knights.

And that's important to his story.

Woods wasn't a highly publicized Junior A prospect.

Outside of two games with the Orangeville Northmen in 2021, his junior career was spent at the B level.

He was a Junior B player.

A very good one.

Nepean Knights

Woods spent three seasons with the Nepean Knights Junior B program.

His numbers tell part of the story.

But with Nate Woods, the penalty minutes might tell you almost as much as the goals and assists.

In 2018:

16 games — 4 points — 39 penalty minutes

In 2019:

16 games — 8 points — 49 penalty minutes

Then came 2022.

Woods played 17 regular-season games and produced:

10 goals
4 assists
14 points
92 penalty minutes

There was skill.

There was transition ability.

And there was certainly an edge.

But that season would ultimately be remembered for something much bigger.

Founders Cup Champion

The 2022 Nepean Knights were special.

They finished first in their division.

Then they didn't lose again.

Nepean went undefeated through the Ontario playoffs before heading to the Founders Cup and completing an unbeaten run through the national championship.

Woods was right in the middle of it.

During Nepean's provincial playoff run, he contributed:

8 goals
9 assists
17 points

Then at the Founders Cup:

4 goals
2 assists
6 points

Nepean won the 2022 Founders Cup, becoming Canadian Junior B champions.

But Woods' value went beyond offense.

Physical.
Aggressive.
Capable of defending.

And capable of turning a defensive stop into transition going the other way.

The Ottawa kid was now a national champion.

Saint Michael's College

While Woods was developing his box game in Ottawa, his field lacrosse career took him to Saint Michael's College in Vermont.

And something interesting happened there.
The box defender showed he could contribute offensively.

As a freshman in 2021, Woods scored:

16 goals
9 assists
25 points
in 11 games.

He finished second on the Purple Knights in scoring.

That's quite a freshman season for somebody we'd eventually be discussing primarily as a defensive and transition prospect.

But over time, Woods' collegiate role evolved.
And that evolution would make him a more complete player.

Becoming a Two-Way Player

As his college career progressed, Saint Michael's began using Woods increasingly as a short-stick defensive midfielder.

It suited him.

Size.

Athleticism.

Physicality.

Transition ability.

And enough offensive skill that opponents couldn't simply forget about him once possession changed.

By his junior season in 2023, Woods had established himself as one of the top players at his position in the Northeast-10 Conference.

He was named:

Second Team All-NE10
and
Second Team All-New England

Then came his senior year.

An All-American

In 2024, Woods took another significant step.

He recorded:

13 goals
7 assists
20 points
22 ground balls
13 caused turnovers

But again, the statistics only tell part of the story.

Woods became an important part of Saint Michael's transition game and one of the top short-stick defensive midfielders in NCAA Division II.

The honours followed.

First Team All-NE10
USILA All-North Region
USA Lacrosse All-America Honorable Mention
USILA All-America Honorable Mention
The Junior B box player from Ottawa had become an NCAA All-American.

Fifty College Games

By the end of his Saint Michael's career, Woods had appeared in 50 games.

His career totals:

39 goals
25 assists
64 points
77 ground balls
39 caused turnovers

That's an interesting statistical profile.

Enough offense to hurt you.

Enough defensive production to show where his game was headed.

And four years of experience learning how to play both ways.

That versatility was about to become very important.

Snake Island

When Woods' junior box career ended, he didn't immediately jump into Major Series Lacrosse.
Instead, he joined the Snake Island Muskies in Senior B.

And that's where his professional stock really started to rise.

Woods played with Snake Island at the 2023 Presidents Cup.

He returned to the national championship with the Muskies again in 2024.

Those tournaments mattered.

Suddenly, NLL evaluators were seeing Woods against some of the best Senior B players in Canada.

He wasn't coming from a lengthy Junior A career.

He wasn't playing MSL.

He wasn't playing in the WLA.

But he was finding high-level box lacrosse wherever he could.

And he was making people notice.

An Under-the-Radar Prospect

Heading into the 2024 NLL Draft, Woods became one of the more intriguing defensive prospects available.

The NLL itself described him as an under-the-radar prospect.

The attraction was obvious.

Solid defensively.

Able to push the pace.

Physical.

Plays with an edge.

Capable of producing in transition.

But there was also an obvious question.

Could someone who had barely played A-level box lacrosse make the enormous jump to the NLL?

Somebody decided he was worth finding out.

Hometown Call

The Ottawa Black Bears selected Nate Woods 64th overall in the fifth round of the 2024 NLL Entry Draft.

His hometown team.

For an Ottawa kid who developed through Nepean, that's a pretty special moment.

There was another distinction attached to the selection.

Woods became the first Saint Michael's men's lacrosse player selected in a professional draft.

The unconventional route had reached professional lacrosse.

Taking the Game Overseas

But Woods' lacrosse journey wasn't confined to Canada and the United States.

In 2025, he travelled to the Czech Republic as a member of the Green Gaels at the prestigious Aleš Hřebeský Memorial Tournament in Prague.

It's one of the most unique experiences in box lacrosse.

Outdoor box.

Teams from around the world.

Different styles.

Different teammates.

A completely different atmosphere.

For Woods, it was another opportunity to play.

He also spent time playing with a group closer to home, continuing a pattern that has followed him throughout his career.

Find somewhere to play.

Compete.

Learn.

Get better.

Think about the different environments Woods has experienced.

Junior B.
A taste of Junior A.
NCAA field lacrosse.
Senior B.
Presidents Cups.
European box lacrosse.
Professional camps.
Major Series Lacrosse.

There hasn't been one straight road.

There have been a whole bunch of them.

Woods keeps taking whichever one gives him another opportunity to play.

Another Professional Opportunity
Professional sports rarely travel in a straight line either.

Woods' next opportunity came with the Colorado Mammoth.

Colorado signed him to a three-year contract in October 2025.

And interestingly, he wasn't alone.

Former Saint Michael's teammate Sebastian Simonson also earned an opportunity with Colorado.

Two Purple Knights getting professional box lacrosse opportunities.

For an NCAA Division II program in Vermont, that's quite an accomplishment.

Brooklin Lacrosse Club

Now Woods has taken another important step in his development.

Major Series Lacrosse.

In 2026, he joined the Brooklin Lacrosse Club.
And this is a particularly important stage in his career.

Because one of the biggest questions surrounding Woods as an NLL prospect was his lack of experience at the A level.

Major Series Lacrosse provides exactly that test.

NLL forwards.

NLL defenders.

Elite goaltenders.

Experienced offenses.

Possession after possession.

There isn't anywhere to hide.

And for Woods, that's precisely what he needs.

Every MSL game gives him another opportunity to answer the question scouts once had about him.

Defence First

Woods isn't in Brooklin to lead the scoring race.
That's not his game.

His job starts at the other end of the floor.

Defend.
Make life difficult.
Win a loose ball.
Get possession.
Then go.

That's where the transition ability becomes important.

Woods has enough speed and offensive instinct to turn a defensive possession into an opportunity at the other end.

And because he spent part of his field lacrosse career contributing offensively, he's comfortable when the ball ends up in his stick.

He doesn't have to immediately get rid of it.

He can carry.

He can push the pace.

And when the opportunity presents itself, he can finish.

That's a valuable player.

Finally Getting the A-Level Test
Maybe that's what makes this stage of Woods' career so interesting.

Before the NLL Draft, the question was simple:

How will he look against A-level box lacrosse competition?

Now we're finding out.

Major Series Lacrosse gives him that test every night.

And that's exactly how Woods' career has always worked.

Get to the next level.

Prove you belong.

Then find the next one.

By the Numbers

Hometown: Ottawa, Ontario
Born: December 21, 2001
Position: Defence / Transition
Shoots: Right
High School: South Carleton / Kent School
Junior B: Nepean Knights
Junior A: Orangeville Northmen — 2 games
2022 Nepean: 10 goals, 4 assists, 14 points — 17 regular-season games
2022 Nepean Playoffs: 8 goals, 9 assists, 17 points — 11 games
2022 Founders Cup: 4 goals, 2 assists — 6 games
2022: Founders Cup Champion — Nepean Knights
Senior B: Snake Island Muskies
Presidents Cups: 2023 / 2024
College: Saint Michael's College
College Career: 39 goals, 25 assists, 64 points — 50 games
2023: Second Team All-NE10 / Second Team All-New England
2024: First Team All-NE10
2024: USILA All-North Region
2024: USILA All-America Honorable Mention
2024: USA Lacrosse All-America Honorable Mention
2024 NLL Draft: 64th Overall — Ottawa Black Bears
2025: Green Gaels — Aleš Hřebeský Memorial Tournament, Prague
Professional Opportunity: Colorado Mammoth
MSL: Brooklin Lacrosse Club

Gary Groob's Take

There's something I really like about Nate Woods' story.

He wasn't supposed to take this route.

At least not according to the usual roadmap.

Most players we're talking about as NLL prospects have significant Junior A experience.

Nate had two games.

That's it.

He spent his junior career with Nepean in Junior B.

Then instead of jumping directly into Major Series Lacrosse, he went to Snake Island and played Senior B.

Founders Cup.
Presidents Cup.
Another Presidents Cup.

Meanwhile, he's at Saint Michael's becoming one of the best short-stick defensive midfielders in NCAA Division II.

Eventually people had to notice.

But I've also had an opportunity to see another side of Nate's journey.

I watched him play with the Green Gaels at the Aleš Hřebeský Memorial in Prague in 2025.

And that's one of the things I appreciate about players like Nate.

Put a stick in his hands and give him somewhere to play.

He's going.

Different teammates?

Fine.

Different country?

Fine.

Outdoor box in Prague?

Let's play.

There's something to be said for that.

Every one of those experiences adds something to a player's game.

What I find particularly interesting about Nate is the combination of skill and edge.

This isn't simply a stay-at-home defender.

He can move.

He can carry the ball.

He can get up the floor.

And if there's an opportunity to finish, he's capable of doing that too.

But he's also not afraid of the physical side of the game.

Go back to Nepean.

Ninety-two penalty minutes in 17 games during his final Junior B regular season.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say Nate wasn't particularly interested in making friends with opposing forwards.

That's okay.

You need some of that.

Especially at the defensive end.

What you want as a player matures is to keep the edge while learning exactly when to use it.

And I think that's part of what we're watching with Nate.

I've seen him in Prague.

I've seen him in different environments.
And now I've seen him with Brooklin in Major Series Lacrosse.

He's not out there trying to become Reilly O'Connor or Dyson Williams.

That's not his job.

His job begins at the other end.

Stop somebody.

Win the ball.

Then go.

When your back-end players can turn defense into offense, it changes games.

I also think Major Series Lacrosse is exactly where Nate needs to be right now.

Before the NLL Draft, everybody had the same question.

He hasn't really played A lacrosse. How will he handle the jump?

Well, now we can stop wondering.

Put him on the floor against the best players in MSL and find out.

That's what Brooklin is doing.

There's another part of the story I like.

Ottawa drafted him.

His hometown NLL team.

For a Nepean kid, that's pretty special.

Then another opportunity came from Colorado.

That's professional lacrosse.

Nothing is guaranteed.

You keep working and wait for the next door to open.

Nate Woods has been doing that for years.

Junior B didn't stop him.

Senior B didn't stop him.

Division II didn't stop him.

Not having the traditional résumé didn't stop him.

And apparently having to cross an ocean didn't bother him much either.

He just keeps playing.

Maybe that's the best way to describe Nate Woods.

He just keeps finding the next game.

And every time the level gets higher, he gets another chance to show that he belongs.

That's why Nate Woods belongs among the Stars of MSL.

— Gary Groob