Mammoth Bring Back Veteran Forward Chris Wardle

DENVER – The Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League (NLL) today announced the organization has signed forward Chris Wardle to a one-year contract agreement, set to begin during the 2023-24 NLL campaign.

“Chris has grown into a leadership role not only within our offense, but on our team,” Mammoth General Manager Brad Self said. “He’s a complete lacrosse player with a high IQ that does all the little things really well. The more important the game, the better Chris plays.”

Most recently posting 30 points (7g, 23a), 25 loose balls, seven caused turnovers and six penalty minutes in 13 regular season appearances, Wardle was forced to miss portions of his eighth NLL campaign, but still managed to finish the season with the fifth-best scoring total among Mammoth contributors.

Adding 11 points (8g, 3a), 13 loose balls, one caused turnover and zero penalty minutes during the team’s second-consecutive seven-game playoff run, Wardle continued to create space for his teammates while ranking fifth in both goals and overall scoring.

Originally drafted by the Vancouver Stealth in the 2013 NLL Entry Draft (sixth round, 54th overall), the B.C. native logged four points (1g, 3a), 13 loose balls and zero penalty minutes in four regular season games during his rookie season before signing with Colorado ahead of the 2016 campaign.

Eventually recording a career-high 51 points (18g, 33a) in 13 games played during the shortened 2019-20 season, the talented scorer played a huge role during the team’s championship run the next year, pitching in 46 points (17g, 29a), 57 loose balls, seven caused turnovers and eight penalty minutes in 18 appearances.

Throughout his seven seasons competing inside the Loud House, Wardle has amassed 254 points (98g, 156a), 289 loose balls, 42 loose balls and 38 penalty minutes in 114 regular season sessions. Helping the Mammoth qualify for the postseason in each of his seasons donning burgundy and black, Wardle has totaled 50 points (15g, 35a), 45 loose balls, two caused turnovers and four penalty minutes in 21 contests.

Mammoth fans can stay tuned to coloradomammoth.com and Colorado Mammoth social media channels for the latest transactions, offseason announcements and beyond!