Up Next: Thunderbirds Ready for Next Chapter in Draft History
NLL Halifax Thunderbirds

Up Next: Thunderbirds Ready for Next Chapter in Draft History

Published on September 5, 2025 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Halifax Thunderbirds News Release


Looking at any team in the National Lacrosse League, you can see within their roster construction and DNA that the foundation is built through the draft. With the 2025 NLL Draft just days away, the Halifax Thunderbirds are set to add more top talent in the first round.

This year will mark the first time since 2022 that Halifax will make a selection in the first round. It will also be the first time since the team's inaugural draft in 2019 that they will hold two first-round picks.

Sitting at sixth overall, it's the highest pick they have held since 2019, when the Thunderbirds picked fifth overall. With their inaugural pick, Halifax added Clarke Petterson, who has turned into a consistent 100-point player in the NLL.

With their next pick, the team added defender Trevor Smyth. The Orangeville, Ontario product is coming off setting career highs in points, loose balls, and caused turnovers. He's also one of the team's most relied on defenders, logging big minutes out the back gate every game.

With their third-round selection, the Thunderbirds also added a young defender in Nonkon Thompson, who put his name in the draft after starring for his hometown team in Akwesasne. Thompson has grown into a physical and emotional presence on the back end.

The best teams in the NLL have been able to not only hit on their top selections but also find diamonds outside of the first round that can blossom into future everyday pro players. The Thunderbirds have managed to do just that.

Ryan Terefenko was selected in the second round back in 2020, and since then, he's developed into a Transition Player of the Year candidate. Drew Hutchison started in the playoffs for the team this past season, Max Wilson and Cole Kirst have been trusted players in the lineup when called on, and Mike Robinson was a massive bright spot for the Thunderbirds out of the front gate this past season as a rookie.

Robinson was the team's highest pick back in 2023, and despite being taken 28th overall, the team knew they were getting a future impact forward. He earned high praise from Petterson, who called Robinson the "Steal of the Draft."

Being a part of the most recent in-person draft, Robinson was able to put the jersey on, meet the Thunderbirds coaches and brass, and take in the moment with his parents.

"As cliché as it is, it was a dream come true. A lot of guys the last few years haven't been able to be at the draft in person and hear their name called live," Robinson said. "Just having that experience of putting on the jersey and getting your picture taken on stage and meeting the coaches and management, it's incredibly cool and something that I'll never forget,"

In last year's draft, Halifax didn't see its first pick come around until the third round. They did the best with the picks they had, adding 2024 First-Team All-American Ajax Zappitello, Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia native Ashton Brown, and bruising defender Louis Alfred Jr. in the third, fourth, and fifth rounds, respectively.

While Zappitello and Alfred should feature full-time in camp this year, Brown spent the entirety of last year with the Thunderbirds, serving as the team's third-string goaltender. Joining the Thunderbirds was a full-circle moment for Brown, who had been attending games at The Nest with his family since the Birds' first-ever game in Halifax back in 2019.

"I knew it was around that pick that the Thunderbirds might take me. But I was so nervous that when I answered the phone, I double-clicked and hit the end call button and hung up on them right away. So I called back, and Mike (Accursi) answered. I was just so nervous, but he said, 'Do you know why we're calling?' And I just said, 'I hope so.' And then, they just congratulated me, and I was just so out of it.

"I couldn't believe it was real. I still don't think it started to set in until I was on the plane heading to training camp. This is what most kids dream of: not only being drafted by an NLL team, but by your hometown team that you grew up watching. It was really just a dream come true."

While the 2025 NLL Draft is the first step in an off-season where the Thunderbirds will look to improve their roster, it's the biggest date when it comes to teams adding long-term impact players.

Look at Halifax's roster and you will see a core built through over a decade of drafting. Captain Cody Jamieson and assistants Jake Withers and Graeme Hossack were all selected with top-three picks.

With another pair of first-rounders set to join the team for this season, the team will be poised to make a splash for the present and the future through this draft.

Check out the Halifax Thunderbirds Statistics

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National Lacrosse League Stories from September 5, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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