Brooklin Merchants 2026 Season Preview

By Mark Stehlin

Unfinished Business.

That is the motto that will propel the 2026 Brooklin Merchants this season. The Merchants, with a regular season record of 14-2 in 2025, were awarded the Clare Levack trophy as Ontario Series Lacrosse (OSL) champions. The team featured five players in the top 10 league scorers and defeated Owen Sound two games to none in a first round playoff series, followed by a 3-0 sweep of their rivals, the Six Nations Rivermen, for the Ontario crown.

The Merchants were thrilled to host the 2025 Presidents Cup. After seven days of competition and 22 scheduled games in the Lacrosse Canada sanctioned National Sr B tournament, the Snake Island Muskies took the main prize with an 11-5 win over the Merchants. The bronze medal was awarded to the Edmonton Miners who took out the Six Nations Rivermen by a final score of 12-2.

The field was divided into two groups: Brooklin was joined by the Allegany Arrows, the three-time defending champion Ladner Pioneers, and the Winnipeg Blizzard. The hosts went 3-0 in round-robin play with wins of 12-10 over Allegany, 9-7 over Ladner and 14-9 over Winnipeg. The other group featured Snake Island, Six Nations Rivermen, Edmonton Miners and the Saskatchewan Roadrunners. In a consolation game the Merchants dispatched Saskatchewan by a score of 19-5. They handed the Rivermen a 12-8 defeat in the semi-finals before the loss to the Muskies in the final.

Three members of the team were awarded with all-star recognition:

- Will MacLeod (5 games, 10 goals, 11 assists, 21 points) first team all-star

- Alex Marinier (5 games, 13 goals, 7 assists, 20 points) first team all-star

- Goaltender Deacan Knott (5 games, 8.10 GAA and 0.789 save %) second-team all-star

The focus will now turn to the 2026 OSL season. This year the league will feature a 12-game regular season. The Belleville Kodiaks have been added as the seventh team and the schedule will see each team playing a home and home series. The Merchants start on the road with a game against the Ennismore James Gang on Saturday May 2, 2026 at 7 pm.  The squad will play their home opener on Friday May 8, 2026 at 8 pm when the Kodiaks will travel West on the 401 for a visit to Iroquois Park Sports Centre.

The roster will have a different look this season. Long-time team member, Ed Renaud was dealt to the Hamilton Bengals in a pre-season trade. Other notable players not in the line-up include Devin Pipher who will ply his trade in British Columbia as a member of the Western Lacrosse Association, Langley Thunder. Netminder Deacan Knott will not be back between the pipes for the Merchants.

“We are the defending OSL champs and teams will be gunning for us, a position that I like to be in,” said head coach Ryan Degerdon.

“We will be giving the same message to the guys, a strong work ethic is the key to success. Sure, we have lost important players and some pieces in net and on offense. To me, it isn’t about that as much as it is about the guys in the room and I have confidence in all players. It is a short season and so expectations will be set early and we will demand a total team-first mentality from everyone in the line-up” added Degerdon.

Fans can follow the team via their website www.brooklinmerchants.com and on other social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and X (Twitter). Season passes will be available at the home game, only $ 50 (a $ 72 value, six games at $ 12 per game).