The Denver Outlaws traded attackman Brendan Nichtern to the California Redwoods in exchange for the 26th overall pick in the 2025 College Draft. The trade is the second under new Redwoods general manager Joe Spallina.

Nichtern was a core piece of the Chrome roster that finished second in the league in 2022, but he spent most of the last two seasons away from the team due to military commitments.

Heading into this offseason, though, Nichtern was expected to be available to play more this upcoming year. The Outlaws were excited to welcome back the one-time All-Star attackman, but with the acquisition of Pat Kavanagh and re-signing of Eric Law, Denver lacked playing time for Nichtern.

Nichtern was one of the best pure playmakers behind the cage in his rookie season two years ago. He finished third in the league in scoring with 38 points and second in the league in assists with 22.

He built a lethal tandem with fellow 2022 draftee Logan Wisnauskas, who also finished top-10 in scoring that season. In California, Nichtern will partner with another lefty scorer in Ryder Garnsey.

Spallina’s Redwoods, needing a quarterback at X after Rob Pannell signed with the Maryland Whipsnakes, will have plenty of competition at attack moving forward. After signing 2016 Tewaaraton Award winner Dylan Molloy earlier in the week, California added Nichtern to its new-look attack unit. 

The retooled Redwoods also signed Jackson Morrill, whom Nichtern unseated as the Chrome’s starting X attackman in 2022, as another potential starter at attack. 

California also acquired the third overall pick in this year’s draft in a separate trade with the Boston Cannons. In an interview on the Mitchell Pehlke Lacrosse Show, Spallina noted the need for the Redwoods to add impact players in the draft.

In Zach Carey’s most recent PLL mock draft, he projected Harvard’s Sam King to the Redwoods, yet another potential successor to Pannell behind the goal.