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Josh Byrne

Josh Byrne
Born (1994-04-15) April 15, 1994 (age 30)
New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
NationalityCanadian
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
ShootsLeft
PositionForward (box), Attack (field)
NCAA teamHofstra (2017)
NLL draft1st overall, 2017
Buffalo Bandits
NLL teamBuffalo Bandits
MLL draft19th overall, 2017
Chesapeake Bayhawks
MLL teamsChesapeake Bayhawks
PLL teamChaos LC
Pro career2017–
Career highlights

MLL:

  • Rookie of the Year (2017)

PLL:

  • 1x Champion (2021)
  • 3x All-Star (2019, 2021, 2023)
  • 1x All-Pro (2020)

NLL:

  • 2x Champion (2023, 2024)
  • 1x MVP (2024)
  • 1x Finals MVP (2024)
  • 1x Offensive Player of the Year (2024)
  • 1x First Team All-NLL (2024)
Medal record
Representing  Canada
Men's field lacrosse
World Lacrosse Championship
Runner-up 2018 Netanya
Runner-up 2023 San Diego
Men's lacrosse sixes
World Games
Winner 2022 Birmingham
Men's box lacrosse
World Lacrosse Box Championships
Winner 2024 Utica

Josh Byrne (born April 15, 1994) is a Canadian professional lacrosse player for the Buffalo Bandits of the National Lacrosse League and Chaos Lacrosse Club of the Premier Lacrosse League. He has won a championship with each team, with the Chaos in 2021, and with the Bandits in 2023 and 2024. He won the 2024 NLL MVP award and was also named the Finals MVP.

Early life

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Born in New Westminster, British Columbia to an Irish father and Trinidadian mother,[1] Byrne attended New Westminster Secondary School[2] and played junior lacrosse for his hometown New Westminster Salmonbellies of the BC Junior A Lacrosse League. Byrne played collegiately at ASA College and Nassau Community College. From 2016 to 2017, he played at Hofstra University, where he scored 71 goals and tallied 111 points in 29 games.[3]

Professional career

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Byrne was taken first overall in the 2016 Western Lacrosse Association draft by the Burnaby Lakers. In 16 career regular season games with Burnaby, he tallied 12 goals and 33 assists.[4]

Byrne was drafted first overall in the 2017 NLL Entry Draft by the Buffalo Bandits.[5] With the Bandits, Byrne reached the NLL Cup Finals in 2019 and 2022, and won the NLL Cup in 2023 and 2024!

In the field game, Byrne was drafted 19th overall by the Chesapeake Bayhawks in the 2017 Major League Lacrosse draft.[6] He played for Chesapeake in 2017 and 2018. Upon the foundation of the Premier Lacrosse League in 2019, Byrne joined Chaos Lacrosse Club, where he helped his team to PLL Championship game appearances in 2020 and 2022, and the league championship in 2021.

Personal life

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Byrne hosts a podcast, The Dhane and Josh Show, with Bandits and Chaos teammate Dhane Smith.[3] Both Byrne and Smith, who are Black Canadians, have supported the Black Lives Matter movement.[7]

Statistics

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NLL

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Josh Byrne Regular Season Playoffs
Season Team GP G A Pts LB PIM Pts/GP LB/GP PIM/GP GP G A Pts LB PIM Pts/GP LB/GP PIM/GP

2018 Buffalo Bandits 18 26 37 63 72 9 3.50 4.00 0.50
2019 Buffalo Bandits 9 13 29 42 33 2 4.67 3.67 0.22 4 3 7 10 15 2 2.50 3.75 0.50
2020 Buffalo Bandits 11 29 26 55 52 7 5.00 4.73 0.64
2022 Buffalo Bandits 18 37 62 99 74 12 5.50 4.11 0.67 6 14 24 38 26 0 6.33 4.33 0.00
2023 Buffalo Bandits 15 43 50 93 66 12 6.20 4.40 0.80 4 15 18 33 18 6 8.25 4.50 1.50
2024 Buffalo Bandits 18 53 82 135 75 14 7.50 4.17 0.78 5 12 22 34 25 0 6.80 5.00 0.00
89 201 286 487 372 56 5.47 4.18 0.63 19 44 71 115 84 8 6.05 4.42 0.42
Career Total: 108 245 357 602 456 64 5.57 4.22 0.59

GP–Games played; G–Goals; A–Assists; Pts–Points; LB–Loose balls; PIM–Penalty minutes; Pts/GP–Points per games played; LB/GP–Loose balls per games played; PIM/GP–Penalty minutes per games played.

MLL

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Josh Byrne Regular Season Playoffs
Season Team GP G 2PG A Pts Sh GB Pen PIM FOW FOA GP G 2PG A Pts Sh GB Pen PIM FOW FOA
2017 Chesapeake Bayhawks 9 39 0 7 46 92 17 0 0 0 0
2018 Chesapeake Bayhawks 9 22 0 8 30 65 11 0 2 0 0 1 2 0 1 3 7 1 0 0.5 0 0
18 61 0 15 76 157 28 0 2 0 0 1 2 0 1 3 7 1 0 0.5 0 0
Career Total: 19 63 0 16 79 164 29 0 2.5 0 0

GP–Games played; G–Goals; 2PG–2-point goals; A–Assists; Pts–Points; Sh–Shots; GB–Ground balls; Pen–Penalties; PIM–Penalty minutes; FOW–Faceoffs won; FOA–Faceoffs attempted

PLL

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Josh Byrne Regular Season Playoffs
Season Team GP G 2PG A Pts Sh GB Pen PIM FOW FOA GP G 2PG A Pts Sh GB Pen PIM FOW FOA
2019 Chaos 8 17 0 8 25 39 11 0 1 0 0 2 2 0 2 4 3 1 0 0 0 0
2020 Chaos 7 13 0 7 20 44 8 2 1 0 0
2021 Chaos 9 17 0 12 29 67 19 1 0.5 0 0 3 7 0 4 11 27 4 0 0 0 0
2022 Chaos 7 15 0 5 20 53 9 2 1.5 0 0 3 6 0 4 10 24 5 1 1 0 0
2023 Chaos 6 15 0 6 21 46 11 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 1 4 11 1 0 0 0 0
37 77 0 38 115 249 58 5 4 0 0 9 18 0 11 29 65 11 1 1 0 0
Career Total: 46 95 0 49 144 314 69 6 5 0 0

GP–Games played; G–Goals; 2PG–2-point goals; A–Assists; Pts–Points; Sh–Shots; GB–Ground balls; Pen–Penalties; PIM–Penalty minutes; FOW–Faceoffs won; FOA–Faceoffs attempted

Awards and achievements

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Preceded by NLL Most Valuable Player
2024
Succeeded by
incumbent

References

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  1. ^ "Sullivan: Josh Byrne, Bandits look to win NLL title for their city". News 4 Buffalo. 2022-06-17. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
  2. ^ "Josh Byrne PLL profile". Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  3. ^ a b Levi, Adam (May 24, 2023). "Beyond the Box - Josh Byrne Lives With a New York State of Mind". Inside Lacrosse. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  4. ^ McNaughton, Ian (February 7, 2022). "WLA Draft Picks 2012-2021". Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  5. ^ Goods, Jack (September 19, 2017). "Bandits pick elite lefty Josh Byrne with No. 1 pick in NLL Draft". The Buffalo News. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  6. ^ "2017 MLL Draft". Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  7. ^ Jenner, Maki (August 6, 2020). "We Belong Here: Smith, Byrne Serving as Role Models for Next Generation". Retrieved June 5, 2023.
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