2026 PLL Championship Series Golden Stick Picks
Both bet365 and FanDuel is also offering future odds on which player will win the Golden Stick—the award given to the player who scores the most points during the series. As mentioned earlier, only the top three teams will make the playoffs this year and as a result, players on the second and third-seeded teams will have the best shot at claiming the award since the top-seeded team will play one less game than their opponent. While it’s tough to predict which team will claim the top seed and bye and it doesn’t guarantee a player from the top seed can’t win, it’s important to consider this when betting this market.
Let’s start with my favorite candidate for each team.
While I also like McAdorey, at the current odds, Dylan Molloy is my pick from the California Redwoods. I’d be surprised if the Redwoods don’t make it past the round robin stage and Molloy should rank near the top in scoring points as a result. He ranked fourth in scoring points back in the 2023 PLL Championship Series and had double-digit scoring points last year, despite not being one of New York’s go-to guys. His experience in this format and ability to create his own shot make me love a half unit on Dylan Molloy at +1100 on bet365 or FanDuel.
For New York Atlas, I’m betting a guy whose odds are already on the move. Matt Traynor opened at +3500 on FanDuel and has since moved to +1100 (likely due to Ron Ginsberg giving him out on his PLL Report show). He’s still +3300 on bet365 though, and those are good enough odds for me to bet him Traynor is one of the more versatile players in the tournament and if New York does end up surprising me and making a run, it will likely be in large part due to Traynor. Bet 0.2 unit on Matt Traynor at +3300 on bet365.
As for the Denver Outlaws, Graham Bundy Jr. was +3000 when odds were posted and is still an intriguing pick at +1000, but I’m looking further down the board at Justin Anderson. Anderson is one of the few players on Denver’s roster with championship series experience. While he only ranked 15th in scoring points during the 2023 PLL Championship Series, he generated plenty of looks on cage, putting the third-most shots on goal and having the fourth-highest SOG percentage at 82.4%. If he can find the back of the net more, he could be a leading candidate for the Golden Stick. Bet 0.1 unit on Justin Anderson at +5000 on bet365 or FanDuel.
As for Carolina, I like Jackson Eicher’s chances, but think there are other options with better odds down the board. Shane Knobloch is my top choice from the Chaos to win the Golden Stick. His ability to create his own shot, two-handedness and speed should give him a great chance at leading the tournament in scoring. I recommend betting 0.25 unit on Shane Knobloch at +2000 on bet365 or FanDuel.
I also like the aforementioned Brendan Nichtern. Nichtern is likely to lead the team in touches and while there’s a possibility he operates more as a feeder than a goal-scorer, I think the odds are good enough to take a flyer on him to win the Golden Stick. He could end up being Carolina’s best player at the end of the series, so it’s worth betting 0.1 unit on Brendan Nichtern at +5000 on bet365 or FanDuel.
I also have a couple of 100-1 longshots. Chris Aslanian and Cole Williams are participating in their third and fourth championship series, respectively. Williams specifically ranked sixth in scoring points during last year’s championship series and I think both players’ size and range make them mismatches for opposing defenses. They’re both worth a tiny bet at such long odds. Bet 0.05 unit each on Chris Aslanian and Cole Williams at +10000 on bet365 or FanDuel.
If you bet these seven players at these odds and unit amounts, you’d risk 1.3 units total and be looking at these potential outcomes:
- Dylan Molloy: 0.5 unit at +1100 would net +4.7 units
- Shane Knobloch: 0.3 unit at +2000 would net +5 units
- Matt Traynor: 0.2 unit at +3300 would net +5.5 units
- Justin Anderson: 0.1 unit at +5000 would net +3.8 units
- Brendan Nichtern: 0.1 unit at +5000 would net +3.8 units
- Chris Aslanian: 0.05 unit at +10000 would net +3.75 units
- Cole Williams: 0.05 unit at +10000 would net +3.75 units
- If none of the above win, you’d lose -1.3 units
Now, let’s look at a couple of the games to start the PLL Championship Series…
