The Premier Lacrosse League is back with the 2026 PLL Championship Series. A handful of books are offering game lines and future odds and I have several picks to make before the series starts. Let’s take a look at my best bets for the 2026 PLL Championship Series.
2026 PLL Championship Series overview
There aren’t many changes to this year’s PLL Championship Series besides the expanded schedule. (Teams will play over two weekends with four days of rest between their second and third games.) However, it’s a good idea to review some key updates made to the format last year:
- Instead of all four teams advancing to the playoff round, only the top three teams will, with the team with the best record automatically advancing to the final.
This is a key thing to keep in mind when betting championship future odds and the Golden Stick winner odds. Since the Golden Stick is awarded to the player with the most scoring points, a player on the team with the top seed will end up playing one fewer game than the players on the second and third-seeded teams.) - Instead of a sudden victory period, if teams are tied at the end of regulation, there will be a four-minute overtime period similar to basketball. If after those four minutes the teams are still tied, then it will be next goal wins.
This rule has big implications on betting totals. I personally want to see how the first few games play out before betting any totals. I’m hesitant to bet any unders right away, considering that if these games are close and go into overtime, under bets could easily die during those extra four minutes of overtime. Once we can gauge how competitive these teams are, we’ll be able to know if overtime is something we should actually be concerned about with each particular matchup.
2026 PLL Championship Series Futures
This year’s PLL Championship Series feels as wide open as ever. The New York Atlas is making its third appearance in the series, so technically they’re the team with the “most experience” from that standpoint.
Yet, this team is without goaltender Liam Entenmann and several other key players from last year’s series. While Will Mark and Brian Phipps both have championship series experience, that’s a key loss to consider. Arguably, an even bigger absence is on the coaching staff, with Steven Brooks taking over as the Carolina Chaos head coach. Brooks was the acting head coach for New York’s past two appearances and has proven to be one of the better coaches of this format.
The California Redwoods and Denver Outlaws are two teams I think have stronger rosters, albeit not without a few holes. The Redwoods arguably have the most top-end talent with Romar Dennis and Dylan Molloy both bringing experience and a skill set valuable to this format. Likewise, Andrew McAdorey’s playing style makes him perfect for this format. His speed and two-handedness should allow him to have plenty of individual success. California does still lack some depth offensively, and while both of their goaltenders (Matt Knote and Zach Vigue) had great college careers, they lack experience playing in not just this format, but the pros.
The Outlaws are the other side of the coin, with the best goaltending duo in my opinion. Logan McNaney is the only regular season starting goalie playing in the series and his ability to create transition of saves (or quick restarts) is extremely valuable. Owen McElroy has also been a starter and has championship series experience. Denver’s coaching staff also has experience winning the championship series (as Chrome LC in 2023), but none of the big four of Brennan O’Neill, Jared Bernhardt, Logan Wisnauskas or Pat Kavanagh is playing in the series, and they lack star power on the offensive end.
This brings us to my pick to win the 2026 PLL Championship Series: Carolina Chaos at +350 on BetRivers.
I already mentioned Steven Brooks being a key addition to this team, but their roster is arguably the most balanced of the four teams. Austin Kaut is a former starter in Major League Lacrosse and one of the better backups in the league. He’ll enter the series as Carolina’s starter and is arguably the second or third-best goalie in the tournament.
Yet, Carolina’s forwards are why I like their chances the most. Brooks may not have Bryan Costabile or Romar Dennis on his roster, but he has a group of diverse skill sets. Players like Ross Scott and Shane Knobloch can beat teams with their quickness, while Charlie Bertrand, Chris Aslanian, Cole Williams, Jackson Eicher and Sergio Perkovic all provide two-point range.
Carolina also has some defensive-minded players that aren’t liabilities on offense in the form of Christian Scarpello, Ray Dearth and Mark Glicini. These guys’ ability to score can be the difference-maker in back-and-forth games.
And I can’t forget Brendan Nichtern, who’s making his return to the PLL. The 2022 PLL Rookie of the Year can make a massive impact as both a goal-scorer and distributor and is a valuable addition to a roster with the most pro experience of any team in the series.
Bet the Carolina Chaos to win the 2026 PLL Championship Series at +350 on BetRivers or +300 on Caesars and DraftKings.
If you choose to bet one of the other three teams, make sure to shop around for the best odds.
Now let’s take a look at some picks for the Golden Stick award…
