DENVER – It often takes fresh incoming talent a few games, if not seasons, to truly get a feel of what professional competition feels like.
To understand how one will fit in throughout team sets, rotations and most importantly – the locker room.
And after being selected No. 5 overall in 2025 NLL Entry Draft, Mammoth rookie forward Braedon Saris had a reputation, if not set of expectations, to live up to in year one.
The Burlington, Ontario native needed just one game to get his sea legs under him, as he went on to record a pair of assists during his second professional appearance.
When the team’s third contest of the season rolled around, Saris found himself on the scoreboard not once, but twice, which represented the first two conversions of his National Lacrosse League (NLL) career as he began to understand his role and find his spots on the floor.
As the campaign progressed, Saris produced a pair of career-best seven-point outings, each of which included a hat-trick performance.
Between picking up some pointers and becoming comfortable playing alongside an offensive threat like Jack Hannah, the big-bodied scorer began to rack up points and confidence just alike, eventually finding twine in nine of his 17 regular season appearances.
Warming up as the season progressed, he eventually recorded three-plus points in nine of his final 12 games played, later adding four points (1g, 3a) during the squad’s lone postseason appearance.
Ranked fourth in team scoring via his 53 points (16g, 37a), Saris trailed only a trio of well-known finishers in Will Malcom, Jack Hannah and Andrew Kew.
So, while he made some waves throughout his first campaign, it’s clear he’s been added to this offensive grouping to help lead the charge amongst the righties.
When we consider how impactful both Saris and fellow first-round selection (10th overall) defenseman Connor Nock was, it’s clear to see that Mammoth General Manager Brad Self, Head Coach Pat Coyle and company made a pair of fruitful selections last fall.
Add in the likes of first-years like Dylan Hess, Ari Stevens, Matthew Paolatto and friends and it seems the organization has struck gold a few times within the 2025 class.
Mammoth fans can stay tuned to coloradomammoth.com and Colorado Mammoth social media channels for the latest news, transactions and beyond!
