Zach Currier is a Canadian professional lacrosse player who currently plays as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for the Philadelphia Waterdogs of the

Premier Lacrosse League The Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) is a professional field lacrosse league in the United States. The league comprises eight teams. Its inaugural season debuted on June 1, 2019, and included a 14-week tour-based schedule taking place in 12 major- ...

(PLL) and as a transition player for the

San Diego Seals The San Diego Seals are an American professional box lacrosse team based in San Diego, California, that competes in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The team plays its home games at Pechanga Arena. The Seals began play in the 2018-2019 seaso ...

of the

National Lacrosse League The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is a professional box lacrosse league in North America. The league comprises 14 teams8 in the United States and 6 in Canada. The NLL is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ...

(NLL). He previously played for the

Calgary Roughnecks The Calgary Roughnecks are a Canadian professional box lacrosse team based in Calgary, Alberta, that competes in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The team plays its home games at Scotiabank Saddledome. The team name is derived from the roughne ...

of the NLL.

Early life and career

A native of

Peterborough, Ontario Peterborough ( ) is a city on the Otonabee River in Ontario, Canada, about 125 kilometres (78 miles) northeast of Toronto. According to the 2021 Census, the population of the City of Peterborough was 83,651. The population of the Peterborough ...

, 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. 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.

College career

Currier attended

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

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.

Professional career

NLL

Currier was drafted 3rd overall by the

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. He was named the NLL Transition Player of the Year Heading into the

2023 NLL season The 2023 National Lacrosse League season, formally known as the 2022–2023 season, was the 36th in the history of the NLL. The season began on December 2, 2022, and ended with the NLL final on June 3, 2023. This was the inaugural season for the e ...

, ''

Inside Lacrosse Inside Lacrosse is a lacrosse media entity and ESPN affiliate. It includes many parts including a news website, an 11 times annual magazine, online video streaming, internet forums and an ESPN television show. The company is currently headquar ...

'' named Currier the #1 best defender in the NLL. 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. Currier has been the president of the NLL Players' Association since 2020. On 11 July 2024 Currier was traded to the Seals in exchange for former teammate

Curtis Dickson Curtis Dickson (born July 18, 1988) is a Canadian professional lacrosse player who currently plays for the Calgary Roughnecks of the National Lacrosse League. Dickson previously played for the San Diego Seals and prior to signing with the Seals in ...

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.

MLL

Currier was selected 6th overall by the

Denver Outlaws The Denver Outlaws are a professional field lacrosse team based in Denver, Colorado, that competes in the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL). Founded as the Chrome Lacrosse Club, they began play as one of the league's six inaugural teams in the ...

in the 2017 MLL Draft, winning the championship in his second year.

PLL

Currier elected to defect from MLL to the

ahead of the 2020 season, being taken first overall in the PLL Entry Draft by Waterdogs Lacrosse Club. 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. 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.

Off the field

Currier graduated with an engineering degree from Princeton and works for

Warrior A warrior is a guardian specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal society, tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracy, social class, class, or caste. History ...

, helping design lacrosse equipment.

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. 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.

Statistics

NCAA

NLL

MLL

PLL

References

External links

Zach Currier NLL bioZach Currier PLL bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Currier, Zach 1994 births Living people Calgary Roughnecks players Canadian lacrosse players Denver Outlaws players Lacrosse people from Ontario Princeton Tigers men's lacrosse players Sportspeople from Peterborough, Ontario World Games gold medalists for Canada World Games medalists in lacrosse Medalists at the 2022 World Games San Diego Seals players