With the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 College Draft, the Philadelphia Waterdogs selected Cornell attackman CJ Kirst.

Long considered the top prospect in his draft class, Kirst has scored 328 career points (233G, 95A) since debuting for Cornell in 2022. In the Big Red’s regular-season finale on April 26, he broke the NCAA's all-time goal-scoring record previously held by Payton Cormier.

Kirst is a versatile player who can score off a dodge, cut or step-down while working as a dangerous ball carrier or off-ball. According to Adam Lamberti, the new Waterdog reminds him of 2024 Rookie of the Year TJ Malone, with shades of 2019 Tewaaraton Award winner Pat Spencer.

The lefty lands on an attacking unit with two of the league’s top five point-scorers from last season in Michael Sowers and Kieran McArdle. All three were first-round draft picks.

Despite that top-end talent, only two teams tallied fewer scoring points than the Waterdogs in 2024, and Philadelphia finished with the league’s worst record after reaching the Cash App Championship Game in each of the previous two seasons.

Head coach and general manager Bill Tierney, who turned down multiple trade offers for the No. 1 pick, views Kirst as a special talent who will make an immediate impact.

“He's clearly the best player in the country, might even be one of the best players in the PLL right now if he was playing,” Tierney said. “He gives us a real boost to our offense”

CJ is the fourth Kirst brother to join the PLL (after Boston Cannons midfielder Connor, Cannons goalie Colin and California Redwoods midfielder Cole) and the first No. 1 overall selection in the Waterdogs history.