Looking Back: Eli McLaughlin Continues to Climb Franchise Rankings via Standout Effort

DENVER – Better known as “Liger” to Mammoth fans for a majority of the past decade, Eli McLaughlin has been a franchise pillar for quite some time now.

And after recording a career-high 93 points (43g, 50a) during the National Lacrosse League’s (NLL) 2023-24 campaign, he continues to carve his name into the organization’s history books.

Surpassing the legendary John Grant Jr. (235) midseason as the franchise’s all-time leading goal-scorer, McLaughlin (269) was a nightmare for opposing defenses once again. Appearing in each of the team’s 18 regular season matchups, he managed to produce at least two points in each of them, eventually averaging 5.17 points per game throughout.

Leading the squad or tying a fellow teammate for the most points scored in 14 of the 18 contests, McLaughlin exploded for an impressive 10 points (5g, 5a) against his hometown Vancouver Warriors Jan. 26 north of the border. Nearly meeting the mark four games later, notching nine points (4g, 5a) Feb. 23 against the New York Riptide, the pair of standout performances represent just two of his 11 five-plus-point performances on the season.

Ending the season with a career-high 50 assists, he continues to improve his franchise rankings in both assists (316 – one short of tying John Grant Jr.’s 317, which is second-most in franchise history) and overall points (585 – 79 short of tying Gavin Prout’s 664, which is the most in franchise history).

Adding in a welcomed 74 loose balls and seven caused turnovers while limiting himself to just two penalty minutes, he served as an assistant captain for the second-consecutive season and will prepare to enter his tenth season with Colorado this fall at training camp.

Receiving the squad’s Team MVP honors for his team-leading efforts, McLaughlin will be back in action this December alongside fellow lefty fan favorite Connor Robinson during the upcoming 2024-25 campaign.

Mammoth fans can stay tuned to coloradomammoth.com and Colorado Mammoth social media throughout the summer stretch as the team continues to craft its roster for the upcoming 2024-25 NLL campaign.

And with the 2024 NLL Entry Draft quickly approaching this fall, there’s plenty of reasons to stay in-tune with the burgundy and black squad!