Thunderbirds select five in 2026 NLL Draft
Sep 24, 2026
HALIFAX, NS (September 24, 2026) – The Halifax Thunderbirds welcomed five new players to the team in the 2026 National Lacrosse League Draft on Thursday night.
With their first selection of the night at 12th overall, the Thunderbirds bolstered their back end, taking defender Nick Crowley from Princeton and the Peterborough Lakers.
Crowley is a 2003-born native of Peterborough, Ontario who is coming off winning a National Championship with the Tigers in 2026.
He spent his junior career with his hometown Jr. Lakers, where he appeared in 46 regular-season contests. Over that span, he put up 12 goals and 33 points. In 2022, he had 17 points in as many games in transition.
In six games with the Sr Lakers this year, he has registered a goal and two points.
Crowley will be transferring to Rutgers for his graduate season of NCAA lacrosse, so he will be able to join the Thunderbirds in the spring following his collegiate season.
With their next selection, the Thunderbirds flipped the pick to Rochester in exchange for a first-round selection in the 2028 NLL Draft, which gives them three first-rounders in that year.
With their pick back up in the second round, Halifax added speed out the back gate with transition player David Peterkin from Hobart and Six Nations.
A former OJLL Transition Player of the Year finalist, Peterkin played five years for the Toronto Beaches as a defender who could push the ball up the floor and produce.
This summer, he jumped to senior ball, splitting time with the MSL’s Six Nations Chiefs and the OSL’s Six Nations Rivermen. Playing as a forward, Peterkin finished the summer with 17 points in five outings. With the Rivermen, he added eight goals and 18 points in six games.
In the third round, Halifax landed its first forward of the night in Connor Gorman from Utah and Kahnawake of the OJBLL.
Gorman stands at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds and is coming off a 2025 season with Kahnawake that saw him post 25 goals and 51 points in 12 games while helping the Hunters capture the Founders Cup as Canadian Junior B National Champions.
The lefty had three years of Jr B under his belt, finishing with 86 goals and 158 points. Gorman is slated to return to school as well this year, as he transferred to Utah for a graduate season.
With their fourth pick at 43rd overall, the Thunderbirds were able to snag Aiden Long from Cornell and Orangeville.
Long is a 2005-born defender who was a standout during his junior lacrosse career with Northmen.
In his first year in the OJLL, the Orangeville, Ontario native produced 13 goals and 16 points in 16 outings. He followed that up with an 18-point campaign across 18 games in 2023, and 13 goals and 17 points in 11 games in 2024.
Along with his strong play in lacrosse, Long also plays Division I lacrosse for the Big Red, where he’s a sophomore. He will also be heading back to school.
Finishing up the draft, Halifax added defender Rory Graham at 62nd overall.
A Toronto, Ontario product, Graham won a National Championship with Cornell two years ago before transferring to Denver in 2026 for his final year of college. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder played his junior lacrosse for Mimico before joining Brampton in the MSL, where he’s played four summers of senior lacrosse.
2026 was Graham’s most productive year to date, posting three goals and seven points in eight games for the Excelsiors.