Class of 2028 Stock Risers at the NLF Summer Championships

Photo: Matt Chandik (@mattchandikmedia) | Serving as the penultimate or final club tournament of the summer for every team in attendance, the National Lacrosse Federation Summer Championships has long been an important measuring stick—and a chance to make one last impression—for the top players in the rising junior class. This year was no different. These five players, all of whom we had yet to cover this summer, stood out on Stony Brook's campus and significantly boosted their stock heading into the Sept. 9 contact period.    Christenberry does what all of the best off-ball players do: cutting as soon as he sees the back of a defender's helmet. He was superb in a dominant win over Laxachusetts, posting four goals and an assist in one of the biggest statements I saw over the course of the weekend. As hard as he works without the ball, he rides just as hard, running around like his hair's on fire and hunting down defenders with purpose to win back possessions. He has a nasty handle — his ridiculous one-handed finish was one of the highlights of the weekend — and he catches everything thrown his way, even less-than-ideal passes. He's an impressive mid-range shooter and a high-percentage finisher inside, throwing fakes to move goalies. Against LXC, he scored a pretty BTB and showed his dodging ability by winning a matchup or two behind the cage, putting together a stellar outing to boost his team. There's no doubt in my mind that he made himself some money with his campaign on Long Island, and I'm intrigued to see who lands him.     His 6'4 frame jumps out at first glance, but it's not as if Hojnacki is merely good because he's tall and rangy. On pace to be a four-year starter for the Rams, Hojnacki's stock ascended in a major way, earning All-American and First Team All-League honors for the state finalists. He took his stock even higher on Sunday in particular while tasked with guarding one of the top lefties in a class full of them. When describing Hojnacki's skill set, it all starts with his high-level footwork, angle play, and defensive principles. He's incredibly disruptive yet isn't overly reliant on checks, and his stick is always in the right place. His ability to be a space-eater away from the ball severely hampered a West Coast Starz attack that consisted entirely of surefire Top 25 recruits from getting much of anything done in settled offense.     I've been a Pensy fan for quite some time now, and he's worth highlighting again, given how impenetrable he was on one of the biggest stages that the summer circuit has to offer. Without his lights-out play between the pipes against Leading Edge — viewed as a top-five team in the '28 class — I'm not sure Madlax would have been able to keep it close. And although his squad fell in OT, Pensy stood on his head, making a bevy of miraculous, point-blank stops and then quickly getting the ball upfield in the clearing game. It doesn't take very long at all to get a sense of how confident his defenders play in front of him, which speaks volumes about his leadership capabilities. In between the pipes, he's fundamentally sound and fluid, never guessing or cheating, and showing off his explosive top hand. At the very least, Pensy is every bit of a Top 10 goalie in the class, and he's continued to raise his stock all summer.     This was somehow the first time I'd seen Shaughnessy live, and it would be fair to say that his skill set and physicality pop more from a sideline vantage point than on film. Always operating with his head up, he dodges with poise and precision, utilizing his sturdy frame to his shoulder down and soaking contact before getting his hands free. Shaughnessy had some beautiful feeds and racked up a pair of assists in the span of minutes, tossing dimes from below GLE and from the wings while making his teammates look even better. What I love about his game is that he's far more than a feeder, as he can beat defenders off the dodge, finish appropriately inside, or bury shots from mid-range.     Perhaps overshadowed in the past by his more physically imposing midfield mates on his squad (two of whom we've written up in the past), Struble was another breakthrough performer at NLF, posting a hat trick in the aforementioned win over Laxachusetts. He did it in a variety of ways, too, nailing a low-to-high blast, an inside roll on an invert while finishing with his stick held high above his head, and a stepdown with his off-hand. I really liked what I saw and felt like he brought a ton of pop to the offense. Coming from an area that produces a plethora of Division I recruits every year, he racked up 26 goals and 19 assists for Charlotte Christian this year, then carried over that momentum to the summer. Thriving for 91 CLT and 91 South, he has really nice shake and two-handedness, and a confident dodging style with which he plays.

Photo: Matt Chandik (@mattchandikmedia) | Serving as the penultimate or final club tournament of the summer for every team in attendance, the National Lacrosse Federation Summer Championships has long been an important measuring stick—and a chance to make one last impression—for the top players in the rising junior class. This year was no different. These five players, all of whom we had yet to cover this summer, stood out on Stony Brook's campus and significantly boosted their stock heading into the Sept. 9 contact period.