Since arriving in Rochester three years ago, Connor Fields has been among the top players across the National Lacrosse League. After three consecutive 110-point seasons, the league finally took notice by giving the Knighthawks forward the bouquet he so very much deserved.
In May, the NLL named Fields the league’s Most Valuable Player after the sixth-year pro finished tied for third in league scoring with 46 goals and 122 points. He has been elite for this league and one-of-a-kind for his country, becoming the only American in history to post three straight 100-point seasons.
Fields has single-handedly dominated this league, but if you ask the three-time All-NLL selection, he doesn’t see it that way.
“For me, personally, I always look at those as team awards,” said Fields when asked about being named MVP. “Even though they’re positional, team success has a lot to do with it. Anyone’s individual success is a correlation with team success and the contributions of their teammates. That’s what I really credit it to. The guys around me make it really fun to be around them. They make it easy to play with. Having the confidence I do from our coaching staff has meant the world to me. It’s elevated me a lot. We have a lot of confidence in each other as teammates. It’s nice to be recognized, so I really do appreciate it and all those who voted for me, but it’s a total team effort.”
Fields cites the coaching staff, spearheaded by head coach Mike Hasen, as a reason for his success, but becoming a Knighthawk was largely due to the efforts of general manager Dan Carey, who acquired the soon-to-be superstar back in 2022.
“Congratulations to Connor for receiving the NLL MVP award,” said Carey. “He contributes so much to this team through his talents and work ethic, both on and off the floor, and we are extremely happy for him. It is a well-deserved honor for a player that has given so much to not only our organization, but the league and game of lacrosse as well.”
Colorado Mammoth@ Rochester Knighthawks 01/24/25 (Photos for NLL by Jonathan Tenca)
“The amount of people who have reached out has been overwhelming,” said Fields. “I was taken back by it. Everyone on the team reached out, which says a lot about the group. Having ‘Haser’ (Hasen) and Dan (Carey) reach out meant a lot. The things they said to me about this award were really humbling. Ever since I got here, I became the player that they saw in me. This is the player they saw me becoming. For me to hear that from them really meant the world. We really are a family on this team.”
Fields is a forward (naturally), but to him, the offense begins on the other side of the floor.
“We have two great goalies (Rylan Hartley and Riley Hutchcraft) who allowed us to produce because of the production they limited by making saves. On the backend, defensively, we were setting picks and getting a lot of stops on the other team to give us the confidence to move up the floor. Having ‘Siss’ (Mike Sisselberger) taking face-offs allows you to play looser and confident because you know you’re going to keep getting the ball in your hands and being able to play offense. Then on offense, we play as one unit. ‘Lanch’ (Ryan Lanchbury) had a great season. ‘T-Mac’ (Thomas McConvey) took a giant leap forward this year. One thing I think we do in Rochester is we help everyone around us get better. Each year, you build. We didn’t have much turnover up front this year, so you get more and more used to playing together.”
Fields averaged nearly seven points per game across his 18 times on the floor during the 2024-25 regular season. Fans, media, and players alike would watch in awe as he put up points quarter-by-quarter, helping guide the ‘Hawks to a 10-8 record and a fifth-place finish. Consistent with his selfless thoughts on individual accolades, Fields doesn’t catch himself looking at the stat sheet during halftime or after games. For the First-Team All-NLL sniper, it’s an out-of-sight, out-of-mind approach.
“Honestly, I think in game you can definitely feel it when you’re playing well. You can feel it the other way, too, but I’ve never been one to pull up the stat sheet when I’m home. There were points during the season where ‘Lanch’ and I would be next to each other during warmups, and he would start telling me about some of my statistics. I would just be like ‘you lost me there.’ It’s kind of funny hearing those stats because I don’t really see them too often.”
The reason for not looking? Simple. To Fields, who will turn 30 ahead of next season, the focus isn’t on individual success. Yes, he finished tied for third in league scoring, fifth in goals, sixth in assists, and first in shots on goal, but there is a zero in a column that means everything to Fields as a Knighthawk: championships.
America’s best to ever do it has been with the Knighthawks for three years and three playoff appearances. Each time, Rochester was unable to get out of the first round.
“At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter where you rank. I just want a championship. You can score 200 points, and your team could be in last. It doesn’t matter then. We had a good season, but we fell short, so it was disappointing.”
Team success at the highest level is not a foreign concept to Fields. The veteran captured a PLL Championship with the Utah Archers in each of the last two Septembers. He has only been eluded by a championship in May.
It is undeniable Fields is one of the greatest players still running across NLL floors. The MVP award has elevated his resume, but an NLL Cup next spring would cement it.
