Opportunity Knocks: MacLeod Shines in NLL Debut

Jan 28, 2026

Maki Jenner I Halifax Thunderbirds

Previously featured in our January 16th edition of Inside the Nest

Opportunities in this league don’t always arrive on schedule, but when they do, it’s best to take full advantage of the moment. Thunderbirds rookie Will MacLeod made sure his opportunity was a memorable one. 

After posting four goals and six assists against Ottawa on Jan. 9, MacLeod made his first impression at the professional level.

“The night before the game, Coach Accursi called me to tell me I’d be in the lineup for one of the games during the doubleheader weekend,” MacLeod said. “At shootaround on Friday, he told me I was going and to take in every second. I really tried to overcome the nerves by diving in headfirst and seeing if I truly belonged here. After that first goal, my confidence really started to settle in.”

MacLeod’s lacrosse journey wasn’t a straight path to the NLL. He began playing hockey and baseball as a young kid, while his sisters were figure skaters. During their summer training, he’d wander around the Dan Andreychuk Arena in Hamilton, ON., where he stumbled upon lacrosse being played on the other side of the rink.

Eager to try just about everything growing up, MacLeod convinced his parents to sign him up. His passion for the game took hold immediately, but the road wasn’t always easy. Each year brought new challenges, and despite the talent he brings to the floor, things didn’t click right away.

“I was cut from the A team in Hamilton just about every year growing up,” MacLeod said. “It really hurt, to be honest. Then, in my first year of U17, I broke my wrist and couldn’t play. I kept thinking, ‘What’s the point of all this? I’m not making teams. What am I doing here?’ But I decided to come back, hit a growth spurt, and that’s when it really started to get fun for me.”

The confidence MacLeod gained during his final years of minor lacrosse carried into his junior career, including a standout 2023 season where he helped lead the Burlington Blaze to a Minto Cup championship in Edmonton, AB.

He then began his collegiate career at Robert Morris University in Carnot-Moon, PA. Over three seasons, MacLeod recorded 32 points in 43 games, but despite the production, he found himself struggling with confidence.

“I’ve always felt like I was just an average field player,” MacLeod said. “I love box lacrosse and felt like that’s where I really thrived. At RMU, there were times I dreaded practice because I didn’t feel like I was up to par. I kept coming back to box and knew I had some tough decisions to make after the season.”

After sitting down with his parents to determine the next steps, MacLeod chose to return to Canada and declare early for the NLL Draft. While awaiting draft day, he enrolled at the University of Guelph and returned to field lacrosse, competing in the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association (CUFLA).

When draft day arrived on Sept. 6, MacLeod was at Laurentian University in Sudbury, ON, a few hours away from Guelph, preparing for a CUFLA game. The long bus ride gave him plenty of time to think.

“I didn’t really have anything else to do on the way up except think about it,” MacLeod said. “The anxiety was definitely there. When we arrived, my teammates went to warm up, and I had to go into a private room and wait for my name to be called. When I finally heard it, I was psyched, but I had to jump right back up and go play.”

MacLeod went on to finish the CUFLA season as the league’s leading scorer, recording 81 points in just 13 games, while also adding another trophy to his résumé as the Gryphons captured the Baggataway Cup.

Fast forward to his first training camp with the Thunderbirds, where MacLeod found his stall situated between Cody Jamieson, a player he had watched for years, and Clarke Petterson, a cornerstone of the Halifax offence.

“I probably annoyed them because I had so many questions,” MacLeod said. “I wanted to soak up everything I could, feedback, little details, what they were noticing. Being around guys I’d watched for so long was so cool, and it really brought back my love for the game.”

MacLeod was named to the Thunderbirds’ roster for the 2025–26 season, patiently awaiting that long-anticipated call from Accursi to get his first taste of NLL action. When the opportunity finally came, his debut performance proved that the trials and tribulations along the way were worth it.

“As soon as I stepped onto the floor with those guys beside me, it all hit me,” MacLeod said. “It took a few shifts to adjust, but everyone on the bench had full confidence in me, which allowed me to feel it too. After the game, taking it all in, it showed me this was the best decision I could have made, and I can’t wait to keep going.”