Vancouver Warriors’ forward Dylan McIntosh knows how tough it is to crack an NLL roster.
It’s been a long journey for the Pitt Meadows native, but his fifth NLL game in three seasons was one to remember. McIntosh played an important role in the Warriors’ 13-8 win over the Toronto Rock, notching his first NLL victory and first multi-goal game with a three-point performance (2G, 1A) with his hometown squad.
With only a handful of games left in the season, McIntosh knew there was minimal room for error, and he was happy with the way he executed to help the team win.
“It means a ton to be able to go out for the first time this year. I knew how big of a game this was, and every single one moving forward is going to be, so I just did my best to prepare and mentally get ready for a war out there,” McIntosh said. “To finally have that good game where I was able to show what I’m made of – I’m thrilled. I’m still excited about it, and I can’t wait to carry it on into the next one.”
"Absolutely, yeah. I mean, we've only got a few games left. So we're treating every single game like a must win. If we're going to get into the playoffs, we've got to approach it that way."
🗣️ Dylan McIntosh on tonight's win over Toronto.
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— Vancouver Warriors (@VanWarriors) March 15, 2025
Warriors’ General Manager and Head Coach Curt Malawsky drafted McIntosh 20th overall in the 2021 NLL Entry Draft and has watched him work tirelessly for every opportunity.
McIntosh is striving to be a regular in the NLL and never takes his time with the team for granted. He brings a great attitude to practice and is fully invested in the team’s success.
“Being a good teammate opens up your opportunities, and your skill and your talent and your work ethic will take care of itself,” Malawsky said. “Dylan is such a good teammate which makes it easy for someone to want to cheer for him or to get him in a lineup.”
The Warriors’ offence was clicking against Toronto, scoring their second-highest goal total of the season. McIntosh helped create space for his teammates, including Keegan Bal, who had a nine-point (4G, 5A) night.
“I thought he played a great game,” Bal said. “It was really nice to play with him because we really haven’t got a lot of reps together this year. Obviously in practice a little bit, but he really showed what he can do and he’s a great guy. I’m happy for him.”
Malawsky said the 25-year-old is a great athlete and does a good job of getting his teammates open and getting himself open for a pass or to create his own shot.
“He’s got zero fear when it comes to going through the middle of the floor. He’s always moving, so he creates multiple possessions for us by getting loose balls in the corner. He’s a sponge; he always wants to learn and get better and will do whatever he needs to do to help the team succeed. We appreciate a guy like that,” Malawsky said.
McIntosh agrees with Malawsky that breaking through the defensive wall and getting to the middle of the floor leads to success. McIntosh credits his collegiate career at Hofstra University in New York for playing a very physical style of game.
Toronto Rock at Vancouver Warriors @ BC Place
A crease attackman for the Hofstra Pride, he spent most of his time battling in the middle of the field, taking hits and finishing in tight spaces. His dedication to strength training – something he began in Grade 10 – became even more intense under Hofstra strength coach Jimmy Prendergast, which helped him handle the physicality of his position.
“I became quite a nerd when it comes to sports science and analyzing different ways of getting faster, stronger, how to have better balance and footwork on the floor. So, it’s something that I’m kind of always learning and developing,” McIntosh said.
“A big part of it that keeps me invested in this journey is being able to experiment and see what works within my own training and I feel I’ve got a pretty good knowledge base to be able to do that.”
He’s an advocate for strength training and it’s a big part of how he stays in shape when he’s on the practice roster. He does interval and sprint training to replicate lacrosse shifts and gets game reps in playing for the Shooting Eagles in the Arena Lacrosse League (ALL) to develop his game keep his stick skills dialed.
“I try and make my training as similar to a lacrosse game as I can, and then when I am doing my strength training, I’m just working on developing qualities that will transfer to the lacrosse floor,” he said.
Malawsky called McIntosh one of the fittest players on the Warriors, a testament to his commitment.
McIntosh works on his game year-round and sharpened his skills playing summer ball in the WLA with the Maple Ridge Burrards. He has more confidence in his shot and footwork and took his lacrosse IQ to the next level last summer.
A big part of the Burrards’ offence, he finished in a four-way tie for seventh in WLA scoring with 65 points (34G, 31A) through 18 games and was among the league’s top 10 in star-of-the-game nominations throughout the regular season.
Warriors’ Defensive Assistant Coach Rob Williams, who served as the Burrards’ head coach, played a role in helping McIntosh build his confidence.
“He just kept pushing me to take my shots, to take chances, not hesitate and just to shoot my shot – believe in the player that I am, and the rest will take care of itself. He was a big confidence booster and is always a great head coach, can really rally a team, and was able to get us to rally behind the Burrards’ logo,” McIntosh said.
Moving forward this season, McIntosh is keeping the same mindset that got him here: focus on the details, take things one day at a time, and be ready when his number is called.
He’ll be in the lineup Saturday against the Georgia Swarm, and he’s working on refining his shot placement and shoring up some technical things this week.
“I’m just going to try and replicate the last game or even be a little bit better. There were some shots where I put them five hole and I should have put them to the post. So, there’s some things to clean up, but for the most part, just look to try and get our whole offence on the same page and play like we did this last weekend,” he said.
From grinding on the practice roster to making an impact when the opportunity arises, McIntosh is determined to make the most of every chance he gets – one game at a time.
