Alec Stathakis’ transition to box lacrosse has been seamless in his rookie season with the Vancouver Warriors, making an immediate impact as both a faceoff specialist and transition player.
Stathakis is tied for fifth in NLL faceoff standings, going 211 of 346 attempts with a 61% success rate from the circle. In 14 games, he leads the Warriors in loose balls (111) and has put up five points (1G, 4A).
Stath is two faceoff wins away from setting a rookie franchise record set by Chris Cercy that dates back to 2004 with the San Jose Stealth.
Vancouver Warriors General Manager and Head Coach Curt Malawsky is impressed with how quickly Stathakis has adapted to box lacrosse, fueled by a high lacrosse IQ. He also pointed to Stathakis’ will to win and the way he battles for his teammates that has helped the Michigan native have the success this season.
“Every loose ball is like it’s a game seven overtime play and it’s huge – that’s super contagious,” Malawsky said. “He’s picked it up really quickly because he’s got a lot of intelligence. He’s willing to learn, and he’s been around a lot of good veteran guys. Once you tell him once he absorbs it and he puts it into play.”
Stathakis says he got a warm welcome from the players and coaching staff coming to Vancouver. His teammates have taken him aside to show him defensive schemes and some nuances that are different from the field game, which has helped his development.
His preparation gives him confidence going into games and the results have been there. His process-driven approach to game prep mirrors Malawsky’s philosophy. In the week leading up to the game Stathakis has a tried-and-true process with his workouts, reps on the turf, and studying film, and visualization techniques.
The face-off man has flash ⚡ Alec Stathakis wins the draw and scores the 1st goal of his career 👏@VanWarriors pic.twitter.com/FjTKSDMC0b
— NLL (@NLL) March 8, 2025
When it comes to games, Stathakis has learned a lot from Mouse.
“I think one thing he’s really helped me with is his philosophy of, ‘Play five at a time’. When you just play five [minutes] at a time, you don’t get as many nerves going into games because you’re just thinking of winning the game in five minutes spurts. You can’t really get ahead of yourself and start making bad decisions, you just play presently.”
“It’s been an amazing experience to play for Coach Malawsky, and really for him to take the time to teach somebody like me who’s never played box, I’m really grateful for that.”
Stathakis has loved matching up against some familiar faces like the Toronto Rock’s T.D. Ierlan, who he played with at Denver University, Calgary Roughneck’s Justin Inacio, who he played against in college, and Jake Naso who was his teammate on the USA U21 team.
He enjoys the challenge of every matchup and getting to go toe-to-toe with players he has looked up to has been a highlight this season.
“I go against guys liken [Jake] Withers now, who’s a guy that I’ve always looked up to, and I really liked his game in college and the pros, because I always thought he was really scrappy – that’s how I like to think of myself too,” Stathakis said.
Stathakis has always played with vengeance. The 5-foot-11, 220-pound transition player plays his position with no fear, and he feels even more confident knowing that the Warriors play a team game from the circle.
“That’s just the way I’ve always played. I’ve always wanted to be more than just a faceoff guy, and I think once you get to the level like the National Lacrosse League, and everybody’s pretty good mechanically, I think you really make up your wins in how scrappy you are, and whether you want to throw yourself in the fire,” Stathakis said.
“We have a great supporting cast around me, and guys that are in there with me. But I want to get my nose over the ball, because at the end of the day, picking up that ground ball is like life or death for me. I want to give our goal scorers the ball so we can get a few on the board and win the game.”
It was similar to his days at DU where they approached the faceoff as 10-on-10 and not just one-on-one, helping win the ground balls battles.
Stathakis had an illustrious career at Denver University, captaining the team in 2023 and 2024, earning BIG EAST Specialist of the Year and BIG EAST First Team in 2024 as well as a Tewaaraton Award nomination.
He’s an upper echelon player and Malawsky underscored just how important his play has been this season.
“I think momentum is directly related to the faceoff circle. If you can get the next possession after you score, you can continue your run. If you can get the possession after they score, you could nullify their run. Maintaining momentum via possession is huge, and I think Stath has done an excellent job with that so far this year,” Malawsky shared.
He’s played in big games where the stakes are high, in front of 35,000 fans in the final four at Lincoln Financial Field, and he’s looking forward to playing against the reigning NLL champs in Buffalo.
“It’ll be a sweet atmosphere. The guys are telling me the first time you play there is pretty insane because of how loud it is,” he said.
Stathakis will have a large cheering section as the Warriors take on the Buffalo Bandits on Saturday. His family and friends are making the five-hour drive from Michigan to Buffalo for their first in-person box lacrosse game.
The 24-year-old laughed saying he thinks his family was a little burnt out as they watched most of his games as a fifth-year player at Denver and a few of his games over the summer in the PLL.
“They love watching the box stuff. They still like field lacrosse, but they’re like, ‘I don’t know if we can go back to watching the field because box is much faster paced, there’s more action, and guys are hitting each other – they love it.”
With each game, Stathakis continues to grow more comfortable in the box and his contributions have been a key factor in the Warriors’ competitiveness this season. His relentless work ethic and adaptability have earned him the respect of teammates and coaches alike, setting the foundation for a promising future in the NLL.
“Now that I have their trust and the coaches trust, the possibilities are endless, and it just gives me that much more confidence going into every game and when those guys all have my back,” Stathakis said.
