The Buffalo Jr. Bandits participated in the Jr. NLL Tournament in Oakville, Ontario, achieving notable results across three age groups. The U15 team won the Jr. NLL Championship, marking Buffalo’s second title at this level after the U13 team’s win in 2023.
This year was the 11th edition of the tournament and featured U13, U15, and U17 divisions. All three teams representing Buffalo earned top-three finishes while being coached by current Bandits players.
The U13 Jr. Bandits finished third under coaches Chase Fraser and Zack Belter. Morris John scored an overtime goal against the Jr. Roughnecks to secure their placement. Redmond Wolk led all U13 players with 16 goals and totaled 20 points during the tournament. Goalie Weston Stewart made 70 saves with a .814 save percentage. All-star selections from this team included Redmond Wolk, Weston Stewart, Hunter Rotella, Snyder Pragle, and Chris Schurr.
The U15 Jr. Bandits secured first place after defeating the Jr. Rock 9-5 in the championship game. Goalie Bentley Cuthbertson was named Championship MVP and remained undefeated throughout the event with a 3-0 record. The team was also unique as they were the only undefeated squad (6-0) in their division and allowed just 18 goals—the lowest among their peers. Caleb Boyle led scoring for his division with 20 goals and 26 points overall; Jackson Lowe went unbeaten as goalie with a .946 save percentage and a goals-against average of 2.00 per game. All-star picks from this group included Jackson Lowe, Braxton Sanchez, Rex Campbell, River Hallett, and Alastair Clark.
The U17 Jr. Bandits reached second place—marking their best finish at this tournament—after losing to the Jr. Rock in the final match-up. In semifinals action against the Jr. Black Bears, Hiram Watt delivered an overtime-winning goal for a narrow victory of 7-6. Hihte Printup led his team offensively with 13 goals and 19 points; those numbers placed him second among all scorers in his age group for goals scored during competition play. Rhys Reynolds contributed defensively by posting a .811 save percentage—the third highest within that bracket—and all-stars named from this roster were Hihte Printup, Ben Mendes, Randon Greene, Kaysen John, Ryan Rizzo, and Bryan Lansing.
All three teams benefited from guidance provided by active members of the Buffalo Bandits organization during competition.
