Buchanan Wins NLL Sportsmanship Award

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NLL Buffalo Bandits

Buchanan Wins NLL Sportsmanship Award

May 13, 2025 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Buffalo Bandits News Release


For 12 seasons, Kyle Buchanan has played the game with respect and integrity.

In all but one of his seasons, he's had single-digit penalty minutes and has found a way to be one of the most productive players on the floor despite possessing a 5-foot-8, 165-pound frame.

He's been recognized along the way as a five-time nominee the NLL's Sportsmanship Award, which he won for the second time on Tuesday.

Buchanan was one of three finalists for the award along with Vancouver's Keegan Bal and Georgia's Lyle Thompson. Buchanan previously won the Sportsmanship Award in 2015.

"Bucky, I thought had a great season this year," head coach John Tavares said. "He's just very savvy out there. He knows every situation, he knows spacing and he's very deceptive. He's the smallest guy on the floor and he seems to get open more often than anybody right in front of the opponent's net, where you'd think that's where the big boys would be."

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Buchanan has become known for his swiftness on the field and from behind X this season, which helped him score a career-high 34 goals. Despite being one of the smallest players on the floor, he's consistently the first to volunteer to create chaos and put his body on the line for his team.

Setting picks has become a trademark for Buchanan, putting his body in the way, and then splitting off them, getting open for a pass from a player that had become double-teamed after Buchanan stealthily dropped off.

"Bucky is the first one to volunteer and say, 'Hey, I'll go pick for you,'" Tavares said. "You take a power play and he always wants to set the pick regardless of how physical the teams are."

He credits his continued success in part to being a father. Buchanan is a dad to two girls, 7 and 4 years old, neither of whom were born when he last won the Sportsmanship Award. Speaking to Bandits.com earlier this season, he emphasized what it's meant to share his career with his daughters.

"I always wanted to have a daughter, and now I'm lucky enough to have two of them," Buchanan said. "I'm so fortunate to be able to share the experience of playing with them and then have them understand; it's not like they're one year old. They're four and seven, and they really understand what it means to me to be on the floor and living my dream."

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