Brodie Merrill Bio
Brodie Merrill (born November 5, 1981) is a Canadian former professional lacrosse player widely regarded as one of the greatest defensemen in the history of the sport. He is recognized by the Premier Lacrosse League as having revolutionized the Long Stick Midfielder position, and the league’s top LSM award is named in his honor. Over a professional career that ran from 2005 to 2024, Merrill built a record-setting resume across the National Lacrosse League, Major League Lacrosse, the Premier Lacrosse League, and Canadian senior box lacrosse.
Standing 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighing 205 pounds, Merrill used his size, skill, and lacrosse instincts to influence both the indoor and outdoor games. He also represented Canada in multiple World Lacrosse Championships and World Indoor Lacrosse Championships, helping the national program capture multiple gold medals.
Early Life and Background
Brodie Merrill was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, to Peter and Patricia Merrill. He grew up alongside an older brother, Patrick, and a younger sister, Tory, in a household where multiple sports were part of daily life. Merrill played hockey, soccer, and baseball as a young athlete, and the family relocated to Orangeville, Ontario, when he was eight years old, in part because of the Quebec sovereignty movement.
The move to Orangeville introduced Merrill to the local lacrosse culture, and he began his competitive career with the Orangeville Northmen of the OLA Junior A Lacrosse League. In 2000, he helped lead the Northmen to a league championship, and in 2001, he earned the John McCauley Award as the top junior defensive player. He later shared the B.W. Evans Award for Top Graduating Player with Dan Bowman.
For high school, Merrill attended the Salisbury School in Connecticut, where he emerged as one of the top prep defenders in the region. He was named the New England Defensive Player of the Year, earned a place on the All-New England team, and was selected as a First Team High School All-American.
Path to Lacrosse
Merrill committed to Georgetown University, where he played NCAA lacrosse from 2002 to 2005. Over his final two seasons, he developed into a dominant two-way long stick, earning First-Team All-American honors, First-Team All-ECAC recognition, and Tewaaraton Award nominations in both 2004 and 2005. As a senior in 2005, he won the USILA Schmeisser Award as the national defensive player of the year, claimed the ECAC Defensive Player of the Year award, and took home Georgetown’s William Corcoran Memorial Trophy as team MVP.
He finished his college career with 250 ground balls, a Georgetown record for non-faceoff specialists, showcasing the relentless work rate that would define his professional game. His senior-year résumé convinced the Portland LumberJax to make him the first overall pick in the 2005 National Lacrosse League Draft, launching a professional path that would reshape the long stick midfielder position.
Brodie Merrill Career
Early Career (2005-2006)
Merrill’s rookie professional season arrived in 2005, and he wasted no time establishing himself. With the Baltimore Bayhawks of Major League Lacrosse, he earned MLL Rookie of the Year honors, becoming the standard for young defensive players entering the outdoor league. At the same time, he began his indoor career with the Portland LumberJax in the NLL.
In 2006, Merrill was named both the NLL Rookie of the Year and the NLL Defensive Player of the Year, an unusual sweep that signaled his arrival as a star on both sides of the border. He helped Canada win gold at the 2006 World Lacrosse Championship in London, Ontario, and was named Best Defender while earning All-World honors for his dominant tournament performance.
NLL Career (2005-2024)
Merrill began his indoor career with the Portland LumberJax, where he quickly became one of the league’s most disruptive defenders and a fan favorite in transition. After Portland folded following the 2009 season, he was selected with the first overall pick in the dispersal draft by the Edmonton Rush, continuing his strong two-way play.
On August 9, 2011, Merrill was traded to the Philadelphia Wings in a multi-player deal, and he went on to spend several seasons anchoring the Philadelphia defense. On November 29, 2018, he signed with the San Diego Seals, where he was named captain and played under his brother, head coach Patrick Merrill. On February 22, 2020, he became the NLL’s all-time loose ball leader, a record that underscored his trademark ground ball work. He announced his retirement on September 13, 2023, had his No. 17 jersey retired by the Seals, then returned briefly in March 2024 to play two more games with San Diego before retiring for good.
MLL Career (2005-2019)
After his rookie year in Baltimore, Merrill played for the Rochester Rattlers from 2006 to 2007 before joining the Hamilton Nationals. With the Nationals, he helped the franchise win its first MLL championship in its inaugural season and captured the MLL Defensive Player of the Year award for a record fourth consecutive year. He later suited up for the Boston Cannons and was named to the league’s all-time ground ball leader list, finishing his MLL tenure tied atop the all-time ground balls list.
Across his MLL career, Merrill won the MLL Defensive Player of the Year Award a record six consecutive times, a streak that cemented his place as the standard-bearer for outdoor defensive excellence.
PLL Career (2019-2024)
In 2019, Merrill joined Paul Rabil’s newly formed Premier Lacrosse League as a member of Chaos Lacrosse Club, continuing to demonstrate that his game aged well into his late thirties. On March 11, 2021, he was selected first overall by Cannons Lacrosse Club, the PLL’s revival of the Boston Cannons brand, in the PLL Expansion Draft.
On August 21, 2021, Merrill played in his 200th professional field lacrosse game, the most of any player in history at the time, a fitting milestone for a player who had redefined the long stick midfielder role. He later moved to the Waterdogs as part of the PLL’s player movement system before winding down his playing career.
Canadian Box and Senior Career
Merrill built an equally impressive resume in Canadian senior box lacrosse. He began with the Coquitlam Adanacs of the Western Lacrosse Association before joining the Brampton Excelsiors of Major Series Lacrosse, where he won back-to-back Mann Cup national championships in 2008 and 2009. He has also played for the Kahnawake Mohawks in the Quebec Senior Lacrosse League.
Driving Style and Strengths
Merrill’s game was built on size, conditioning, and a relentless work rate in the loose ball game. He combined shutdown defensive positioning with a rare ability to push the ball in transition, becoming the template for the modern offensive long stick midfielder. His two-way impact forced defenses to account for him whenever he was on the field, and his partnership with coaches and teammates, including his brother Patrick in San Diego, helped him adapt his craft across leagues.
Notable Events and Milestones
Signature milestones include being the first overall pick in the 2005 NLL Draft, sweeping the NLL Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards in 2006, capturing six straight MLL Defensive Player of the Year honors, becoming the NLL’s all-time loose ball leader in 2020, and playing in his record 200th professional field lacrosse game in 2021. He also helped Canada capture multiple world titles on both the field and the indoor stage.
Brodie Merrill Career Wins
Brodie Merrill’s trophy case spans individual awards, league championships, and international titles. His greatest individual distinctions include the NLL Rookie of the Year, the NLL Defensive Player of the Year, the NLL Transition Player of the Year a record three times, and the MLL Defensive Player of the Year a record six consecutive times.
NLL and MLL Highlights
In the NLL, Merrill earned Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2006 and was named a starter to the 2009 NLL All-Star Game. In the MLL, he was Rookie of the Year in 2005, won a championship with the Hamilton Nationals, and added four straight MLL Defensive Player of the Year awards during that run. His most recent professional activity came with the San Diego Seals in 2024, when he came out of retirement to close out the season.
Other Wins and Performances
In Canadian box lacrosse, Merrill won consecutive Mann Cup championships with the Brampton Excelsiors in 2008 and 2009 and won an OLA Junior A championship with the Orangeville Northmen in 2000. Internationally, he won gold with Canada at the 2006 World Lacrosse Championship in London, Ontario, and contributed to additional Canadian medals at later world events in the indoor and outdoor games.
Brodie Merrill Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Brodie Merrill was raised in Montreal by his parents, Peter and Patricia, alongside an older brother, Patrick, and a younger sister, Tory. The family moved to Orangeville, Ontario, when Brodie was eight, a transition that helped shape his athletic development. Patrick Merrill also played in the NLL with the Toronto Rock and the MLL with the Hamilton Nationals, and later served as head coach of the San Diego Seals while his brother was captain.
Personal Life
Outside of lacrosse, Merrill has worked as the Dean of Students and head men’s lacrosse coach at The Hill Academy in Caledon, Ontario, a role that reflects his longstanding commitment to developing young players. He has also served as the main editor for the online lacrosse magazine Brodie Merrill Lacrosse and is a fan of the Montreal Canadiens. He maintains an active presence on social media and remains connected to the game through coaching and media work.
2025 Season Performance
Following his final retirement in 2024, Brodie Merrill is not listed on a 2025 active roster for the San Diego Seals or any Premier Lacrosse League club, and he is not expected to return as a player. His focus has shifted to coaching at The Hill Academy, editing Brodie Merrill Lacrosse, and ambassadorial work for the sport.
From a league perspective, the PLL’s Long Stick Midfielder of the Year Award, which bears his name, will continue to be a focal point of the 2025 season, with the next winner joining a legacy Merrill helped define. The NLL’s all-time loose ball record and the MLL/PLL combined 200-game field record both remain benchmarks that a new generation of defenders will be measured against.
For Canadian box lacrosse, the Kahnawake Mohawks and other senior clubs continue to develop young long sticks in the style Merrill popularized, and his influence on the position is expected to shape 2025 draft boards at every level of the game.