Zach Currier

Last updated

Zach Currier
Born (1994-05-30) 30 May 1994 (age 30)
NationalityCanadian
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight180 pounds (82 kg)
ShootsLeft
PositionMidfield (field), Transition (box)
NCAA team Princeton (2017)
NLL draft3rd overall, 2017
Calgary Roughnecks
NLL team
Former teams
San Diego Seals
Calgary Roughnecks
MLL draft6th overall, 2017
Denver Outlaws
MLL teamsDenver Outlaws
PLL team Waterdogs LC
Pro career2017–
Career highlights

NCAA:

  • 2x First Team All-Ivy (2016-17)
  • 1x First Team All-America (2017)
  • 1x Honorable Mention All-America (2016)

NLL:

  • 1x Champion (2019)
  • 2x Transition Player of the Year (2022-23)
  • Single season record for caused turnovers (62, 2022)
  • 2x All-League First Team (2022-23)
  • 2x All-League Second Team (2018,2019)
  • All Rookie Team (2018)

MLL

  • 1x Champion (2018)
  • 3x All-Star (2017-19)

PLL

  • 1x Champion (2022)
  • Gait Brothers Midfielder of the Year (2021)
  • 3x All-Star (2021-23)
  • 3x First Team All-Pro (2021-23)
Medal record
Representing Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Men's field lacrosse
World Lacrosse Championship
Runner-up 2018 Netanya
Runner-up 2023 San Diego
Box lacrosse
World Indoor Lacrosse Championship
Winner 2019 Langley
Winner 2024 Utica

Zach Currier is a Canadian professional lacrosse player who currently plays as a midfielder for Waterdogs Lacrosse Club of the Premier Lacrosse League and as a transition player for the San Diego Seals of the National Lacrosse League. He previously played for the Calgary Roughnecks of the National Lacrosse League

Contents

Early life and career

A native of Peterborough, Ontario, Currier has two older brothers, Josh, who is also a professional lacrosse player, and Andrei, and a younger sister, Grace. He is the son of Roger Currier and Michelle Dunn. [1] [2] He initially began playing lacrosse at the age of eight as a way to toughen him up for hockey. He attended Culver Military Academy for high school. [3]

College career

Currier attended Princeton University where he played four years of lacrosse, playing in all situations. As a senior, he led the nation in assists (34) and points (58) among midfielders, earning first team All-American honors. Additionally, he led the Tigers in caused turnovers in both of his last two seasons. Currier graduated second all-time in ground balls at Princeton with 302. [1]

Professional career

NLL

Currier was drafted 3rd overall by the Calgary Roughnecks in 2017, winning a championship in his second season. During the 2022 season, Currier broke the NLL record for caused turnovers in a season with 62, while also collecting 237 loose balls, the most in a single season for any player who was not a primary faceoff taker, with Inside Lacrosse considering this potentially the best season ever for a transition player. [4] He was named the NLL Transition Player of the Year [5]

Heading into the 2023 NLL season, Inside Lacrosse named Currier the #1 best defender in the NLL. [6]

Currier was named the 2023 NLL Transition Player of the Year, becoming the fourth player to win the award in consecutive years, and fifth to win the award twice, also being named first team All-NLL. [7] [8]

Currier has been the president of the NLL Players' Association since 2020. [9] [10]

On 11 July 2024 Currier was traded to the Seals in exchange for former teammate Curtis Dickson also included in the deal to San Diego was Calgary's 14th overall selection in the 2024 Entry Draft, and Calgary’s second-round selection in the 2026 Entry Draft. Calgary also received San Diego's fourth round selection in the 2024 Entry Draft. [11]

MLL

Currier was selected 6th overall by the Denver Outlaws in the 2017 MLL Draft, winning the championship in his second year.

PLL

Currier elected to defect from MLL to the Premier Lacrosse League ahead of the 2020 season, being taken first overall in the PLL Entry Draft by Waterdogs Lacrosse Club. [12] He won the Gait Brothers Midfielder of the Year Award in the 2021 season, as well as being a finalist for the Jim Brown MVP Award, having led the Waterdogs in scoring from midfield with 11 goals and 11 assists, as well as leading all non-faceoff specialists in the PLL in ground balls with 51. [13] [14] In the 2022 season, Currier once again led all non-faceoff specialists in ground balls with 53, with his closest competitor having only 38, as Waterdogs won their first PLL Championship. [15]

Off the field

Currier graduated with an engineering degree from Princeton and works for Warrior, helping design lacrosse equipment. [16]

Style of play

Currier is regarded as a "throwback" player, as he is a two-way midfielder equally capable of playing offense, defense, and taking faceoffs, a rarity in modern lacrosse. [3] The Premier lacrosse League considers Currier as the best two-way player in the world, noting his ability to pick up ground balls and be an effective faceoff wing, while being able to push transition play and beat defenders. [15]

Statistics

NCAA

SeasonTeamGPGSGAPtsGBCTFOWFOA
2014 Princeton 1316410162310
2017Princeton1513111425811755123
2017Princeton129141731751543101
2017Princeton151524345813021114202
Total5538556912430255215436

NLL

Zach CurrierRegular SeasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamGPGAPtsLBPIMPts/GPLB/GPPIM/GPGPGAPtsLBPIMPts/GPLB/GPPIM/GP

2018 Calgary Roughnecks 1891322200101.2211.110.5620001400.007.000.00
2019 Calgary Roughnecks 1861622199161.2211.060.8941234060.7510.001.50
2020 Calgary Roughnecks 1032510880.5010.800.80
2022 Calgary Roughnecks 1810919237141.0613.170.7810001300.0013.000.00
2023 Calgary Roughnecks 18151833228141.8312.670.7845385422.0013.500.50
2024 Calgary Roughnecks 1811617184180.9410.221.00
10044741181,156801.1811.560.8011651112181.0011.000.73
Career Total:11150791291,277881.1611.500.79

GPGames played; GGoals; AAssists; PtsPoints; LBLoose balls; PIMPenalty minutes; Pts/GPPoints per games played; LB/GPLoose balls per games played; PIM/GPPenalty minutes per games played.

MLL

Zach CurrierRegular SeasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamGPG2PGAPtsShGBPenPIMFOWFOAGPG2PGAPtsShGBPenPIMFOWFOA
2017 Denver Outlaws 9 110152638320114 2 2057340000
2018 Denver Outlaws 7 120102227300400
2019 Denver Outlaws 13 181173672475800
2941142841371095131422057340000
Career Total:31431479114011351314

GPGames played; GGoals; 2PG2-point goals; AAssists; PtsPoints; ShShots; GBGround balls; PenPenalties; PIMPenalty minutes; FOWFaceoffs won; FOAFaceoffs attempted

PLL

Zach CurrierRegular SeasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamGPG2PGAPtsShGBPenPIMFOWFOAGPG2PGAPtsShGBPenPIMFOWFOA
2020 Waterdogs 7 40378200000
2021 Waterdogs 9 110112240510017 1 1001410000
2022 Waterdogs 10 110819285332.5331 3 302510161200
2023 Waterdogs 10 509142850003458 3 50271324003048
2024 Philadelphia Waterdogs 10 111719253410.5846
46421388112920843461427904132741123048
Career Total:5351142941562495576190

GPGames played; GGoals; 2PG2-point goals; AAssists; PtsPoints; ShShots; GBGround balls; PenPenalties; PIMPenalty minutes; FOWFaceoffs won; FOAFaceoffs attempted

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References

  1. 1 2 "Zach Currier - Men's Lacrosse". Princeton University Athletics. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  2. "Alumni Josh Currier continues lacrosse at national level – The Marlin Chronicle". 28 April 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  3. 1 2 "After Winning 5 Titles in 407 Days, Zach Currier Seeks New Challenge in PLL". www.usalaxmagazine.com. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  4. "2022 IL Indoor Awards: Zach Currier is Transition Player of the Year". www.insidelacrosse.com. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  5. ryanireland (29 June 2022). "Currier, de Snoo, Vinc Win National Lacrosse League Transition, Defensive Player, Goaltender of the Year Awards". NLL. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  6. "NLL Top 50 Players: Top 30 Defenders & Transition Players". Inside Lacrosse . 30 November 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  7. "Calgary's Christian Del Bianco Named National Lacrosse League MVP". www.usalaxmagazine.com. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  8. "@CachZurrier is now the fourth player to win back-to-back Transition Player of the Year awards". Twitter. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  9. "Leadership". National Lacrosse League Players' Association (NLLPA). Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  10. Feil, Justin (3 August 2022). "Utilizing his Versatility to Earn Another Lax Title, PU Alum Currier Helps Canada to World Sixes Gold | Town Topics". Town Topics . Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  11. Levi, Adam (12 July 2024). "Dickson Returns to Calgary, Currier to Seals in Significant Deal". nll.com. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  12. "Premier Lacrosse League Announces Results of 2020 Entry Draft". Premier Lacrosse League. 16 March 2020. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  13. "2021 PLL End of Year Awards". Premier Lacrosse League. 18 September 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  14. "Currier Named Finalist For PLL Most Valuable Player Award As Playoffs Begin". Princeton University Athletics. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  15. 1 2 Griffin, Sarah (14 December 2022). "2022 Players Top 50: #7 Zach Currier". Premier Lacrosse League. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  16. Zach Currier My Lacrosse Life, 26 August 2019, retrieved 18 June 2022