Thunderbirds select five players in 2026 NLL Dispersal Draft
Sep 15, 2026
HALIFAX, NS (September 15, 2026) – The Halifax Thunderbirds welcomed five new players to the team on Tuesday night as part of the 2026 National Lacrosse League Dispersal Draft.
Matt Mariner was the first off the board for the Thunderbirds in the first round at sixth overall. He will join his younger brother, Alex, whom the Thunderbirds drafted in the first round of the NLL Entry Draft last year.
The 6-foot-6, 225-pound defender brings a physical presence to the Thunderbirds' defensive core.
Marinier enters his sixth season in the NLL, and over the last five seasons, he has amassed 31 points, 352 loose balls, and 16 caused turnovers. He has also spent this past summer with the Six Nations Chiefs alongside many current Thunderbird teammates.
The Thunderbirds selected Dustin Birkhof 18th overall from the Philadelphia Wings. Birkhof saw action in six games last season, posting five points, 21 loose balls, and a pair of caused turnovers,
In the third round, the Thunderbirds selected Liam Patten, a defenceman hailing from Guelph, Ontario. Patten has spent eight seasons in the NLL, split between Buffalo, Philadelphia, and Panther City.
The Guelph, Ontario product played in all 18 games with the Wings last season, finishing with two goals, eight points, 115 loose balls, and 12 caused turnovers. In 120 career games, Patten has 23 goals and 59 points, along with 538 loose balls and 38 caused turnovers.
With their fourth-round selection, the Thunderbirds got their first forward in lefty Landen Sinfield. A Long Sault, Ontario native, Sinfield appeared in eight contests for the Wings, scoring five goals and adding eight assists for 13 points over that span. The 23-year-old also won a President’s Cup last summer as a member of the Snake Island Muskies.
The final selection for Halifax was a familiar face, as Eric Fannell was taken with the 54th overall pick.
Fannell, 32, is an inaugural member of the Thunderbirds, having spent time with the organization from 2019 to 2023.
The forward appeared in 43 games with Halifax during his tenure, scoring 52 goals and adding 51 assists for 103 points. In 87 career games, the St. Catharines, Ontario product has registered 90 goals and 206 points.