The National Lacrosse League announced today that Rochester Knighthawks forward Connor Fields has been named a Second Team All-League selection for the 2023-24 season.
“For anyone who watches him consistently, Connor should be considered with the best in the world,” said Knighthawks general manager Dan Carey. “It’s hard to improve on the season he had last year, but I think he was even better for us this year. He continues to evolve his game, and the stat that I’m most impressed with is his loose balls, which shows how committed he is considering the majority of those are the difficult ones in the corner. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for next season.”
Connor Fields was an absolute MONSTER leading the @RocKnighthawks to their postseason berth 💪🏼
7️⃣ Goals
1️⃣ Assist
8️⃣ PointsCatch the highlights 🎥 pic.twitter.com/16q8yv8RfB
— NLL (@NLL) April 21, 2024
Fields, who earns the honors for the second straight year, finished the 2023-24 season leading the Knighthawks with career-highs in goals (56) assists (64) and points (120). He ranked second in the NLL in goals behind only New York’s Jeff Teat and fourth in overall scoring while pacing all forwards in shots (267) and loose ball recoveries (158). It marked the second straight season with at least 50 goals and 60 assists for Fields, who went on to set new franchise records in all offensive categories before adding a team-high four points (1+3) in Rochester’s only playoff appearance.
He closed out the campaign as the first player since John Tavares in 2001 to record more than 115 points and 150 loose ball recoveries in the same season. Additionally, Fields, who was twice named the NLL’s Player of the Week, became just the second American-born player in league history, joining Philadelphia’s Joe Resetarits, a former Knighthawk in the previous organization, to reach the 100-point mark in back-to-back seasons.
WATCH: FIELDS 2023-24 HIGHLIGHT REEL
Fields saved his best performance for the final weekend of the season, recording 16 points (11+5) on the strength of back-to-back eight-point efforts while commanding a desperate Knighthawks team to a pair of must-wins, including a dominating 12-3 victory over the Philadelphia Wings in the regular season finale which secured the team a playoff berth for the second straight year despite facing a slim 3.13% chance of qualifying for the postseason.
After an eight-point (4+4) performance in an 11-10 win at Georgia on April 19, he single-handedly led Rochester to its most dominant win in franchise history two days later, scoring a franchise-record seven goals, including all four in the second quarter. Fields, who’s scored two goals or more in 31 of his 35 career games as a Knighthawk, also tied a season-high with 21 shots en route to setting the NLL’s single-season record for shots with 267, surpassing the original mark of 255 set by Toronto’s Tom Schreiber.
In 67 career NLL games with Rochester, Buffalo and San Diego, Fields has amassed 348 points (160+188) and 478 loose ball recoveries in addition to 26 points (10+16) in nine career postseason appearances
The 6-foot-0, 180-pound forward was originally a first-round selection (10th overall) of the San Diego Seals in the 2018 National Lacrosse League Entry Draft.
Fields played his collegiate lacrosse at the University at Albany, where he was a four-time All-American and named a Tewaaraton Award nominee in each of his final three seasons after amassing an astonishing 364 points (199+165) in 69 career games for the Great Danes, becoming one of the top scorers in Division I.
ANOTHER DAY. ANOTHER CONNOR FIELDS HAT TRICK.
(He scored his 4th before we could even finish typing.)
8-2, us | Q2, 3:01 remaining pic.twitter.com/oGi4kbjIBg
— Rochester Knighthawks (@RocKnighthawks) April 21, 2024
As a senior, Fields ranked sixth in the nation in points per game (5.38) and assists per game (3.25) en route to earning America East Offensive Player of the Year and America East All-Conference First Team honors for the second straight year. He also led the Great Danes to their first-ever appearance in the Final Four, ultimately falling to Yale before being named to the All-Tournament Team for the second consecutive season.
Fields became just the fourth player in program history to be named a finalist for the prestigious Tewaaraton Award, presented annually to the most outstanding men’s and women’s American college lacrosse players, following his junior season when he posted career-highs in assists (62) and points (117). He also led all Division I point-getters in points per game (6.5) while leading Albany to its third straight appearance in the NCAA tournament.
His breakout season came as a freshman in 2015 when he scored a single-season Division I record 66 goals in 19 games on his way to earning America East Rookie of the Year honors as well as a selection to the All-Rookie Team. Fields started and scored in every game during his rookie season, finishing first in the conference and second among all Division I players in goals per game (3.47) and eighth nationally in points per game (4.63).
Connor Fields found the net again tonight! Fields puts up 2 goals in a tough loss for Rochester.
Fields Highlights 👀 pic.twitter.com/gY2rBrUzVi
— NLL (@NLL) March 31, 2024
Fields’ 199 goals are most all-time at Albany while his 165 assists and 364 points are second in program history. He’s also second and fourth all-time in Division I history in points and goals, respectively.
Prior to joining Albany, Fields was one of top high school players in the nation and was a two-time High School All-American at Bishop Timon – St. Jude in 2013 and 2014. Fields scored 129 goals as a junior, setting the New York State record, and 108 the following year as a senior. He was also a four-year letterwinner in both lacrosse and hockey, leading the Tigers to back-to-back State championships in 2012 and 2013.
