Ruff Chosen 20th Overall in 2025 Major Series Lacrosse Entry Draft

By Mark Stehlin

In a series of articles, we take a closer look at the Brooklin Lacrosse Club (BLC) “Class of 2025” Major Series Lacrosse (MSL) draft picks. In this piece we feature Nate Ruff, chosen 20th overall in the third round.

Brooklin Lacrosse Club, General Manager Gavin Prout, said, “Nate is a transition type defender with great speed.” We are happy to welcome him to the BLC family.

Ruff played for the Orangeville Northmen in the Ontario Junior Lacrosse League (OJLL). According to the OJLL website he played 97 games, notched 24 goals, added 19 goals for 43 points. His Northmen finished atop the league in 2024 and traveled to British Columbia for the Minto Cup.  They lost in a best two-of-three series to the Coquitlam Adanacs, who were crowned Minto Cup champions.

In 2023, he was a finalist for the OJLL “Terry Sanderson Memorial Award” as Transition Player of the Year, along with Jake Darlison of the Whitby Warriors (protected by BLC for the 2025 MSL entry draft).

Ruff played collegiately at Lindenwood University in 2023 and 2024. Unfortunately, the men’s lacrosse program at the St. Charles, Missouri based school was discontinued at the end of the 2024 Spring season, the school cited “…. a thorough assessment of our athletic department’s sustainability, aligning with our commitment to upholding the high-quality academic and athletic experiences that define our university”, as the reason for that decision.

This season he is a Junior in the men’s lacrosse program at Robert Morris University, alongside fellow BLC draft pick, Will MacLeod.

He was named as an “Inside Lacrosse” Top 10 most intriguing National Lacrosse League Draft prospect for the 2026 draft year.

With respect to being drafted by Brooklin, Ruff said, “I knew that the draft was on that day and I kept an eye on social media.” He added, “I was super excited to be selected, I always had it as a goal to move up and I see this as a great opportunity.”

In terms of his game, Ruff said, ”I bring speed and the ability to push up in transition. I have a high lacrosse IQ. I am not overly vocal on the floor but like to lead by example and that comes naturally to me."

He added, “my time at Orangeville was great, the organization treated me well and the coaching staff always pushed us to get to the next level.”

Ruff commented, “I had two great years at Lindenwood but to get the news that the program was being discontinued was hard. I remember we all jumped on the transfer portal and I was in touch with coaches at Robert Morris University (RMU). After some discussion and a visit, I knew it was a good fit and it all worked out in the end.”

As for this year with the Colonials, he said, “we have a solid team and a good mix of young and old players and we have a solid team that will do well.”

BLC will start their season at home on Wednesday May 21, 2025 at 8 pm when they host the Peterborough Lakers.