A new season brings new questions. Can the Utah Archers three-peat? Will the New York Atlas finally break through? Or could a revamped Boston Cannons or Denver Outlaws squad crash the title race?

Here are the official power rankings heading into Opening Weekend in Albany:

1. Utah Archers

The Archers are back-to-back champions. And they won last year without their best player in midfielder Tom Schreiber.

They have depth all over the board and improved in the draft with defenseman Brendan Lavelle and attackman Sam King, who both should see minutes in an already loaded squad.

Three teams had won back-to-back titles before the Archers (2006-07 Philadelphia Barrage, 2012-13 Chesapeake Bayhawks, 2019-20 Maryland Whipsnakes). None completed the three-peat. Utah will seek to be the first team in league history to win three consecutive titles.

Next game: Saturday, May 31 vs. Maryland Whipsnakes (1 p.m. ET; ABC/ESPN+)

2. New York Atlas

It feels like a make-or-break year for the Atlas. They suffered a heartbreaking overtime loss to Maryland in last season’s semifinals after being the No. 1 seed, a game I’m sure they’d want back. 

Jeff Teat, Connor Shellenberger and Xander Dickson were the only attack line in 2024 to each have 25-plus points, and it’s possible all of them could see that number go up in 2025.

Their roster is as complete as the Archers', and they have all the pieces to win it all. The biggest question is: Can they put it all together in the postseason? 

Next game: Friday, May 30 vs. Carolina Chaos (6 p.m. ET; ESPN+)

3. Boston Cannons

The Cannons’ third attackman shot 22.2% on feeds from Asher Nolting last season. The rest of the lineup? 43.3%.

Their spacing was off with a third righty or out-of-position midfielder playing in the lefty attack spot alongside Nolting and Marcus Holman. As a result, the 2024 Cannons’ efficiency dipped from their all-time great ‘23 season.

So adding lefty Coulter Mackesy via the draft was a no-brainer. He’s a smooth operator who can sit on the lefty wing and let it fly with his feet set, and can be a dodging option.

Will Manny is in the mix to be the starter, as well. The eight-time All-Star is a proven goal-scorer despite not seeing game action last season and could be the answer on that left side.

On top of that, head coach and general manager Brian Holman traded for Owen Grant from the California Redwoods. Grant can play down low or at long-stick midfield, and while he hasn’t been fully healthy in two seasons in the PLL, his talent is undeniable. He could elevate an already strong defense.

Next game: Saturday, May 31 vs. New York Atlas (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+)

4. Maryland Whipsnakes

After starting last season 2-4, the Whipsnakes rattled off six straight wins to make their fourth championship appearance. Though they fell to the Archers 12-8, it was an encouraging season for a young Whipsnakes roster that looked drastically different from the rosters of 2019 and 2020.

TJ Malone won the 2024 Rookie of the Year and is the leader of this offense, while fellow rookies Adam Poitras and Levi Anderson stepped up at the midfield.

Now, they’re adding Rob Pannell to that group.

We know what Pannell can do on the field, but his biggest impact will be his leadership.

“Winning a championship is at the front of my mind,” Pannell said after signing with the Whipsnakes. “I wanted to put myself in what I think is the best position to win one.”

Maryland was oh-so-close to winning one last season with a lot of younger offensive pieces leading the way. With the addition of Pannell, he can help elevate this unit and try to make that happen.

We already know how organized and consistent the Whips’ close defense is with Matt Dunn, Tim Muller and Ajax Zappitello, and they addressed their biggest need in the draft by adding short-stick defensive midfielder Christian Mazur. I also like the two rookie poles they added in Scott Smith and John DeFazio.

The biggest question mark for the Whipsnakes is who will start between the pipes. Brendan Krebs nearly backstopped them to a championship, but rookie Emmet Carroll has the talent to succeed in the PLL.

Next game: Saturday, May 31 vs. Maryland Whipsnakes (1 p.m. ET; ABC/ESPN+)

5. Denver Outlaws

Denver upgraded its roster in a massive way this offseason.

The Outlaws made a splash when they traded for Pat Kavanagh from Boston in November.

Kavanagh fills the prototypical X attack role as a two-handed dodger and feeder, something they needed with Brennan O’Neill attacking on the lefty side and Eric Law roaming the crease. It also allows Logan Wisnauskas to move to midfield to pair with guys like Sam Handley and Graham Bundy Jr., and if they get consistent play from this group, this offense could be the best in the league.

Another big move was adding a top SSDM in Zach Geddes. Geddes is a blazer of a midfielder who had six points in 2024 (5G, 1A) and makes a scary duo with Ryan Terefenko, especially when attacking in transition.

Rookies Kevin Parnham and AJ Pilate provide young depth for an aging close defense, and second-round draft pick Logan McNaney could be a superstar goalie for this team.

Next game: Friday, May 30 vs. California Redwoods (8:30 p.m. ET; ESPN+)

6. Philadelphia Waterdogs

The Waterdogs were way better than their 2-8 record in 2024. They lost five one-goal games and were in nearly every contest.

Adding CJ Kirst with the first overall pick is massive, but he’s starting the season on the physically unable to perform list with a hand injury.

Even then, Philly still has a talented attack unit of Michael Sowers, Kieran McArdle and Jake Taylor, while midfielders Jack Hannah and Thomas McConvey are back and healthier than they were in 2024.

The Waterdogs already had an amazing draft with the additions of Kirst and Taylor, but adding SSDM Dylan Hess, LSM Ben Wayer and defenseman Jimmy Freehill could make it a transcendent class if they become meaningful contributors – and they have every opportunity to.

Next game: Friday, June 6 vs. Maryland Whipsnakes (8:30 p.m. ET; ESPN+)

7. California Redwoods

California had an exceptional 2025 draft.

Andrew McAdorey, Sam English and Chris Kavanagh have All-Star potential as rookies and will immediately help an offense that was one of the league's worst in 2024.

It was a great first step in a tumultuous offseason that saw a coaching change, a new general manager and the loss of several key veterans, most notably Pannell.

Still, the Redwoods roster is not as talented as the others in this league, and they need to gel quickly with a lot of new faces in the building to win games in 2025, but they’re on the right track as a rebuilding squad.

Next game: Friday, May 30 vs. Denver Outlaws (8:30 p.m. ET; ESPN+)

8. Carolina Chaos

I hate to be too critical of an offseason before seeing the product on the field, but this was a pretty confusing and chaotic period for the Chaos.

The last time this offense took the field, it scored one goal in a semifinal game.

One goal.

And instead of focusing a lot of their efforts on upgrading the offense, the Chaos drafted two defensive players at Nos. 13 and 16 overall when King – a Tewaaraton Award finalist at attack – was sitting there.

The defensive players drafted could be good players, but Carolina already had a championship-caliber defense with Jarrod Neumann, Jack Rowlett and Blaze Riorden in net. So why not focus more offensively?

Owen Hiltz and Jackson Eicher are awesome rookie pickups and will need to provide most of the offense in 2025. I also like the addition of midfielder Garrett Degnon, whom I think could have a breakout season.

But will they provide enough firepower to carry the Chaos to victories? It doesn’t look like it on paper, and there just doesn’t seem to be a clear vision for this team.

Next game: Friday, May 30 vs. New York Atlas (6 p.m. ET; ESPN+)