Four members of the Saskatchewan Rush have been named finalists for National Lacrosse League awards. Matt Hossack has been nominated as the Defensive Player of the Year. Frank Scigliano is up for the top goaltender award, and Derek Keenan has been nominated as general manager of the year. At the same time, Jimmy Quinlan is a finalist for coach of the year. The Rush are back on the floor at SaskTel Centre on Saturday night, playing game two of their semi-final series with Halifax. The Rush led the best-of-three 1-nothing.
From Port Perry, Ontario, Hossack is up for Defensive Player of the Year for the first time in his National Lacrosse League career. The former 2nd-round pick in the 2016 Entry Draft finished the 24/25 season tied for first in caused turnovers with 34, was third in blocked shots with 26, scooped up 129 loose balls, all while chipping in with four goals and 17 assists in 18 games. Matt’s brother Graeme is a three-time DPOTY winner, from 2018 to 2020. The Rush have had two players win the award, with Kyle Rubisch winning four straight from 2012-2015, followed by Ryan Dilks winning the award in 2016.
Scigliano, the 33-year-old from Coquitlam, BC, is up for Goaltender of the Year for the first time in his NLL career. During his 13th season in the league, the 6’4 netminder posted a league-best 9.40 goals against average, finishing with a .795 save percentage. His career year included a new high in wins with 11, despite missing two games due to the birth of his daughter. Only twice has the Rush had a finalist for GOTY (Aaron Bold 2014 & 2015), but never has the organization had a winner of the award.
Keenan, a three-time winner of the NLL’s General Manager of the Year award, is again back up as a finalist. The nine-time league champion won the GM award in 2014, 2010 and 2006 with Edmonton and Portland, while being named a finalist in 2017 and 2018 with Saskatchewan. In the offseason, Keenan made the biggest splash, signing free agent Austin Shanks who was tied for the team lead in goals with 35 to a two-year deal, acquired 43-point scorer Brock Haley in a trade with the Vancouver Warriors, saw four of his draft picks make their rookie debuts this season, all while extending Matt Hossack and Frank Scigliano to contract extensions in season.
Quinlan, the pride of Edmonton, Alberta, is up for the Les Bartley Award for the first time in his coaching career. Quinlan, whose number 81 is retired from his playing days, led the Rush this season to a record of 13-5 in the regular season, five more wins than the previous year, bringing Saskatchewan back to the playoffs for the first time in six years. The Rush saw significant improvements in multiple categories this season, but mostly in goals against, where the team average dropped by almost two goals per game. At the same time, the offensive output remained relatively similar to the previous season. Quinlan ran the most disciplined bench in the season, averaging a league low 8.2 penalty minutes per game, three full minor penalties less than the league average. Saskatchewan’s penalty kill also rose from 13th in the NLL at 47% in 23/24, to 3rd best in the league at 61% in 24/25. The 43-year-old is looking to follow in the shoes of Derek Keenan, who has won Coach of the Year four times over the last 19 years, including once with Saskatchewan in 2018.
All awards are based on regular-season performances. Voting occurred before the 2025 NLL Playoffs, with media, coaches, and team personnel ranking their top five selections for each award. Finalists represent the top three vote-getters in each award category.
The National Lacrosse League will announce award winners from May 12th to 16th.
