Austin Staats Bio
Austin Staats is a Canadian professional lacrosse player who has competed at the highest levels of the sport in North America. He played for the San Diego Seals of the National Lacrosse League (NLL) and for the Chaos Lacrosse Club of the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL). Staats built a reputation as a physical, aggressive attacker known for his scoring touch and competitive edge. Selected first overall in the 2018 NLL Entry Draft, he became one of the most talked-about young players of his generation.
Over the course of his career, Staats also represented the Haudenosaunee National Lacrosse team at multiple international events, earning individual recognition on the global stage. His path to the professional ranks was shaped by strong junior and collegiate success, while his professional years included standout statistical seasons, suspensions, and off-field challenges that have shaped his public story.
Early Life and Background
Austin Staats was born on April 23, 1998, in Six Nations, Ontario, Canada, a community with a deep and storied lacrosse tradition. He grew up learning the game from his older brother, Randy Staats, who became an important early influence on his development as a player. The Six Nations region has long produced elite lacrosse talent, and Staats was immersed in that culture from a young age.
He attended Assumption College High School, where he continued to develop his skills on the floor. By the time he graduated in 2016, Staats understood that his academic standing would not allow him to play NCAA Division I lacrosse, so he chose to follow his brother’s path and enroll at Onondaga Community College (OCC). He also spent time playing junior lacrosse for the Six Nations Arrows in the OLA Junior A Lacrosse League, gaining valuable experience against high-level competition before turning his focus toward a professional career.
Path to Professional Lacrosse
Staats’ rise through the lacrosse ranks was swift. In July 2016, he was named to the Haudenosaunee National Lacrosse team and competed in the 2016 Men’s U-19 World Lacrosse Championship in Coquitlam, British Columbia, where the team captured a bronze medal and Staats was named to the All-World Team. The following year, playing for the Six Nations Arrows under coach Patrick Merrill, he won the Minto Cup and was named Most Valuable Player of the championship game.
At Onondaga Community College, Staats posted back-to-back breakout seasons in 2017 and 2018, totaling 156 points and helping the Lazers go undefeated while winning the NJCAA national championship in both years. He earned All-America honors in each of those seasons, cementing his status as a top professional prospect. Rather than transferring to an NCAA program, Staats declared for the 2018 NLL Entry Draft and was selected first overall by the expansion San Diego Seals, reuniting him with his former junior coach Patrick Merrill.
Austin Staats Career
Early Career (2019)
Staats made his NLL debut with the San Diego Seals in 2019 and immediately made an impact, scoring 61 points in his rookie campaign and helping guide the expansion franchise to the playoffs. His season was cut short late in the year, however, when he tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) with only two regular-season games remaining, forcing him to miss the postseason. Despite the injury, his strong play was recognized with NLL Rookie of the Week honors four times during the year.
At the conclusion of the 2019 season, Staats was named NLL Rookie of the Year and selected to the All-Rookie Team, becoming the centerpiece of the Seals’ young core. That same year, the World Games also named him Athlete of the Month in January 2019, highlighting his rising international profile.
NLL Breakthrough (2022)
After his ACL injury and a COVID-19-shortened 2020 season limited his opportunities, Staats played his first full NLL season in 2022. He responded with 79 points, leading the Seals to their second playoff appearance. San Diego pushed into the Western Conference Final but fell to the Colorado Mammoth two games to one. In the final minutes of that deciding game, Staats was issued a gross misconduct penalty, and he was later handed a two-game suspension to begin the 2023 season.
NLL Continued Success (2024)
In 2024, Staats posted a career-high 102 points, powering the Seals to their fourth playoff run. San Diego was eliminated in the semi-finals by the Albany FireWolves, losing the series two games to none. In the closing moments of the final game, Staats delivered two unprovoked cross-checks to the back of FireWolves player Anthony Joaquim’s head, resulting in a major penalty and a seven-game suspension to open the 2025 NLL season. The NLL later extended that suspension through the remainder of 2025 after Staats was arrested on multiple counts of assault. On November 13, 2025, the NLL reinstated him, but the Seals released him on December 2, 2025, and the league subsequently placed him on investigative leave as his legal matters continued.
PLL Tenure (2020-2022)
Staats missed the PLL’s inaugural 2019 season because of his ACL injury, but he made his Premier Lacrosse League debut in 2020 with the Chaos Lacrosse Club, recording 6 points across 7 appearances. In 2021, however, his contract was abruptly terminated by the league after an off-field altercation with Chrome Lacrosse Club player Matt Gaudet, an incident in which Staats bit off part of Gaudet’s middle finger.
After completing a program organized by the PLL’s Discipline and Conduct Committee, Staats’ contract with the Chaos was reinstated in June 2022. He appeared in only two games that season before being released by the club, bringing his PLL career to a close.
Driving Style and Strengths
Staats plays the attack position and shoots left-handed, using a physical, aggressive style to create scoring opportunities. He combines a heavy shot with a willingness to engage physically along the boards and in front of the net, which has made him a difficult matchup for opposing defenders. His instincts as a finisher, paired with strong loose-ball work, helped him post 100-plus point seasons and consistently drive his team’s offense.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among his signature accomplishments, Staats was selected first overall in the 2018 NLL Entry Draft by the San Diego Seals and was named 2019 NLL Rookie of the Year. He earned All-World honors at the 2016 U-19 World Lacrosse Championship, the 2018 World Lacrosse Championship, and the 2023 World Lacrosse Championship, where he was also named Best Attacker before his individual awards were later revoked by World Lacrosse following a positive recreational drug test. He posted a career-high 102 points in 2024 and was recognized as a World Games Athlete of the Month in January 2019.
Austin Staats Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Austin Staats comes from a lacrosse family rooted in the Six Nations community in Ontario. His older brother, Randy Staats, is a notable lacrosse player in his own right and served as one of Austin’s earliest mentors, teaching him the game and later following a similar path through the junior and collegiate ranks. The brothers’ shared journey through Six Nations Arrows and Onondaga Community College reflects a deep family connection to the sport.
Personal Life
Because professional lacrosse salaries are relatively modest, Staats has supplemented his income by working as a part-time firefighter. His career has also included off-field legal challenges, including charges of aggravated assault in October 2023 following a bar altercation, an arrest in Brantford, Ontario, in August 2024 on three counts of assault, and a charge of mischief in June 2025. These issues have intersected with league discipline and have shaped the later chapters of his professional career.
2025 Season Performance
Austin Staats’ 2025 NLL season was defined less by on-field play and more by league discipline and off-field developments. After his seven-game suspension for cross-checking incidents in the 2024 playoffs was extended through the remainder of the year following his arrest on multiple counts of assault, Staats did not appear for the San Diego Seals during the campaign. The NLL reinstated him on November 13, 2025, signaling a potential return to play.
That possibility was short-lived. On December 2, 2025, the Seals released Staats, ending his long association with the franchise that drafted him first overall in 2018. Shortly afterward, the NLL placed him on investigative leave as his legal matters continued to unfold, leaving his competitive future in the league uncertain heading into 2026.