Max Adler Invests in Winning Opportunity with Warriors
NLL Vancouver Warriors

Max Adler Invests in Winning Opportunity with Warriors

Published on January 6, 2026 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Vancouver Warriors News Release


Max Alder has built a career on preparation, discipline, and finding small edges that add up to big returns - whether it's in the faceoff circle or the finance world.

The Vancouver Warriors acquired Adler last week from the Buffalo Bandits in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NLL Entry Draft, adding a proven specialist with championship experience and mindset rooted in maximizing possession.

"This is an incredible team," Adler said. "They're 2-1 and I'm just trying to add value where I can and be the best teammate possible."

The value starts at the faceoff dot, where Adler has been a reliable player, posting a 50.7 win-rate in the 2023 NLL regular season, and 54.6% in the postseason. In a sport where possession often dictates outcomes, his ability to win draws is viewed as a high-impact acquisition with immediate upside.

As soon as the trade was official, Adler received text messages from several Warriors, including captain Brett Mydske and Ryan Dilks - messages that confirmed the move was the right one.

Adler has a long list of professional accolades, winning an NLL Cup with the Buffalo Bandits in 2023, a PLL championship with the Carolina Chaos in 2021, and an MLL championship with the Denver Outlaws in 2018. Each stop added experience, perspective, and a better understanding of what it takes to win.

When Adler was drafted by the Carolina Chaos in the 2021 PLL Entry Draft, he played with Buffalo Bandits forwards Dhane Smith and Josh Byrne, who asked him if he'd like to try his hand at box lacrosse. Adler took the leap in 2022, quickly adapting to the indoor game and helping Buffalo win the NLL Cup in 2023.

From one provident and fierce competitor to another, Head Coach and GM Curt Malawsky sees Adler as a natural fit for Vancouver's team-first approach.

"He does a ton of prep - watching the referees even - understanding his opponents, knowing where the teams line up their players on the lines. He's always thinking, always trying to better himself," Malawsky said.

"Anytime you can bring in a former NLL champion, PLL champion, and MLL champion, it only helps add that experience to our dressing room and put us in the right direction. Faceoffs are so important. Possession is obviously nine tenths of the game; you need the ball to go on a run and you need the ball to stop a run."

Adler got his first reps in with the Warriors during Vancouver's bye week at Langley Events Centre Fieldhouse and is expected to make his debut Friday night in Calgary.

His path to professional lacrosse was anything but conventional, but it's a nod to his tenacity and drive.

Adler picked up the sport at 18, as a walk-on at Bentley University, a small NCAA Division II school outside of Boston. A wrestler in high school, he was drawn to lacrosse because of its strategy and competitive demands. In high school, Adler earned three All New England honours and qualified for the Prep Nationals three times, and his background paid dividends in lacrosse.

He didn't play his freshman season at Bentley, but by his senior year, the correlation between wrestling and faceoffs was undeniable. Adler finishing third in the nation with a .728 faceoff percentage, and fourth in ground balls per game (9.15), earning United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Nike Third All-America selection honours.

At face value, there are a number of similarities between wrestling and the faceoff position. They both require a low center of gravity, being low to the ground, and incredible strength in awkward positions. Alder says the thing that's most important in both sports is the work ethic and discipline required to have success.

Over the last two years, the 31-year-old has been focusing on his off-floor career, working as a manager in the finance department at ESPN. Even while stepping away from professional lacrosse, he continued to train, working with his strength and conditioning coach and recently completed a half marathon.

"I actually feel like I'm in the best shape, cardio-wise and health-wise I've ever been in because before, I was playing all year round and working full time, so your body takes a beating. You don't really have an offseason to get stronger and to get healthy. So physically, I feel incredible," Adler said.

When the opportunity with Vancouver surfaced, Adler felt like it was the right fit to jump back in - the right timing, the right leadership, and the right investment.

"I know a lot of players in the league, everyone couldn't speak more highly of coach Malawsky. When I actually got to talk to him, we were very aligned that I'm not coming just to play - I really want to win a championship, and I think this is a team, and it's a group that can definitely do it," Adler said. "That was really intriguing to me, the ownership is really behind the team, which is awesome. Vancouver just seems like a really great city with a great fan base."

Adler is a high-reward addition. He's a veteran who understands that possession is currency, preparation is capital, and championships are earned through consistent, disciplined execution.

Adler's expectations for himself are to take one faceoff at a time and do whatever he can to help the team win.

It's a calculated reinvestment in a game he still loves.

Check out the Vancouver Warriors Statistics

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