Attackmen to Watch: New Jersey Class of 2026

To finish up my series on the top position players from New Jersey for the Class of 2026, let's dive into a loaded and talented class of attackmen who are either looking to earn more playing time this spring or are looking forward to picking up right where they left off as sophomores.    Peck is a star on an offense for Lawrenceville, a team littered with talent across the roster. As a sophomore, he scored 57 goals and dished out 23 assists while playing against the top competition in the country. Ranked 9th in his class, the Syracuse commit possesses a quick first step when dodging from the lefty wing or X and utilizes the spin move to create space for himself to get a shot off or find an open teammate. One of the reasons defenses have a tough time with him is due to his shooting skills. He has a good shot on the run, whether down the alley or sweeping across the field, and has shown that he doesn't need as much space to affect the game. When he is working off-ball, he can find soft spots in the defense, and with time and room, he is extremely efficient, while mixing up his shooting targets. The 5-star recruit is a natural lefty but has shown that he can produce with either hand and is an all-around playmaker with good footwork, speed, and a lethal shot which is why he is a top 10 recruit in his class.     Duke picked up a top recruit in McAneney, who has shown the ability to impact the game in several ways. He scorched opponents last spring and undoubtedly finished first on his team in all scoring categories with 70 goals, and 38 assists for a total of 108 points as a sophomore. As the 20th-ranked player in the class, he is a dynamic lefty who works well from X, dodging 1-on-1 or playing the two-man game, with a quick change of direction, smooth stick skills, and good vision behind the net. When he's able to get a step on his defender coming upfield, McAneney will increase his angle for a shot, pass it off if a slide comes early, or he'll inside roll, finishing with efficiency in tight while adding in various stick fakes. When working above the net, he has a powerful step-down shot and works hard with his teammates to get open off-ball.     Lydon recorded a great sophomore campaign at Rumson Fair Haven, finishing with 46 goals, and 20 assists, and first on the team in points (66). The Boston University commit is one of the best lefty attackmen in the class and can make plays for his team in a variety of ways. When dodging, he uses solid footwork and quick bursts of speed to create separation from his defender, and from there he can snap off a quick shot on the run or dump it to a teammate when a slide comes. When he can set up on the backside of the defense for a shot, he snipes corners. He has a hard shot, with good placement, and changes planes to make it tough on the goalie. He also sees the field well and dodges with his head up looking for cutters, but doesn't look to force it into tight windows that could lead to turnovers. He also rides hard and came up with 21 ground balls last spring as a result.     Ante has seen some time at varsity in his first two seasons, but with all three starting attackmen having graduated, the 3-star recruit is in prime position to carve out a role for himself in the Pirates offense. At 6'5", he has the size, strength, athleticism, and stick skills to be a matchup nightmare at lefty attack. He usually towers over his defender and likes to use that big frame to bull-dodge his guy to get them off-balance and then will spin off of it into a hard shot. When dodging from the wing, he likes to hitch to be able to get upfield for a high-percentage look at the cage or to find a teammate with a skip pass. When shooting, he shows good power and accuracy, whether on the run or taking a step down. If the defender doesn't step out enough, he can show off his range and will use the defender to screen the goalie on the shot.     LoSauro had a great sophomore season, totaling 38 goals and 19 assists and finishing 2nd on the team in points (57) only behind Maryland-bound senior Jack Schultz. The 3-star Penn State commit is a crafty playmaker at the X attackmen position and can score in a variety of ways when dodging upfield from X. He's someone who can score even when the defense is in great positioning because he can take a quick shot from his hip on the run, he can use a low backhand shot or dive around the crease with almost no angle and score and that frustrates defenders. The Showtime All-Star is a smooth dodger with a quick first step and solid stick skills to ward off the defender's checks and shows how tough and resilient he is by the way he takes some beatings from the defense on the way to the net. He has a whole arsenal of moves that he can throw at a defender which is why he is such a tough challenge for defenses to plan for.     Grainger had a productive sophomore season for the Hilltoppers as he finished with 25 goals, 14 assists, and was 2nd on the team in total points (41). The 3-star righty attackmen has an aggressive style of play and brings an energy that fuels the team. He likes to dodge from X and does so with his head up at all times trying to catch the defense sleeping with a skip pass. He has good footwork and a quick change of direction when dodging and when he is able to get upfield, he doesn't require a lot of space or a great angle at the goal to operate efficiently. He is a deadly shooter when given time and room and with his size and strength, he adds a lot of power behind a well-placed ball. He puts in a lot of effort on the rides and came up with 13 ground balls last spring. He is a dynamic playmaker for Summit and will look to help the Hilltoppers hoist yet another state championship trophy this spring.     Stevens was a solid playmaker at attack for Bernards last spring as they went on to win the state championship against Mountain Lakes. The 3-star recruit tallied 67 goals and 23 assists while scooping 41 ground balls, as a result of riding hard and causing turnovers in the offensive end. When dodging, he is smooth and has quick feet, combined with great stick skills and a quick burst of speed to create separation from his defender to get a shot off. He does a good job of getting upfield on his dodges from X to get a good angle shot and either spin-off to get underneath or propel himself to the middle of the field for a high percentage take. He also keeps his head up when on the wing or at X to create instant offense off a cut or skip pass. He's a tough player and is always someone who is going to bring the energy when he steps onto the field and you can see the joy he plays with when you watch him.     On a Gill St. Bernard team that had a good amount of depth on offense, O'Sullivan stood out with some highly productive numbers as an underclassman. He finished 3rd on the team in points, while recording 36 goals and 9 assists. He isn't the biggest guy on the field, but he has speed, strength, and the stick skills needed to produce at the next level. The Brown commit shows his athleticism when he dodges and is able to beat his man with a shimmy, a smooth spin move, and then his quick first step to get upfield and create offense. He has a hard step-down shot and puts the ball in good spots while changing up his shot location to make it harder on goaltenders. The 4-star recruit also works tirelessly off-ball to get open or set a pick for a teammate on the crease and if he gets the ball in tight, he uses his quick hands to finish and doesn't get flustered with pressure.    You can find the rest of the New Jersey's top position players to watch below:   <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/2024/08/class-of-2026-new-jersey-face-off-specialists-to-watch/">FOGOs</a>   <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/2024/08/goalies-to-know-new-jersey-2026/">Goalies</a>   <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/2024/09/defenders-to-watch-new-jersey-class-of-2026/">Defenders</a>   <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/2024/09/midfielders-to-watch-new-jersey-class-of-2026/">Midfielders</a>

To finish up my series on the top position players from New Jersey for the Class of 2026, let's dive into a loaded and talented class of attackmen who are either looking to earn more playing time this spring or are looking forward to picking up right where they left off as sophomores.