Umph. Firepower. Explosiveness.

Those were the words that came to mind when California Redwoods head coach and general manager Nat St. Laurent was presented with the possibility of adding Ryan Aughavin to the roster. He viewed Aughavin as an impact player, but he wasn’t sure Aughavin – or anyone – would want to leave the two-time defending champion Utah Archers.

St. Laurent sent him a text anyway, expressing his interest in signing him, and Aughavin wrote back right away expressing a mutual interest. St. Laurent called what followed one of his most fun phone calls. 

“I explained to him that we’ve got some good midfielders on our team that do some nice things,” St. Laurent said. “Romar [Dennis] can stretch the field, shoot the two. Nakeie [Montgomery] is one of the quickest, most athletic players I’ve ever coached. Cole Kirst is an incredible teammate and [Charlie] Bertrand is Bertrand, but none of them dodge the way he does. I thought he would be a huge piece of the puzzle for us as we look to strengthen up our midfield production and our threats at the midfield.”

St. Laurent and Aughavin hit it off, and the Redwoods signed the midfielder through the 2025 season.

Aughavin was drafted by the Archers with the fifth pick in the fourth round of the 2022 College Draft. In three seasons with the team, the former Brown player never played more than six games in a season and never amassed more than four points. 

That doesn’t mean he hasn’t made an impact, however. He had arguably the best stretch of his career in the Archers’ playoff run in 2023. First, he scored a goal against the Redwoods in the semifinals. His biggest moment, though, was scoring a two-pointer in the first quarter of the championship game against the Philadelphia Waterdogs that gave the team a 3-2 lead.

St. Laurent said he wanted to bring in players who have won championships and know what it takes, even if they weren’t “the guys” with their teams. 

Aughavin said he spoke with a few different coaches, and running it back with the Archers was an option. He also spoke with a few of his PLL friends who play for the Redwoods, including another Brown alumni, goalie Jack Kelly, who explained the culture of the team locker room, which aligned with what Aughavin was looking for. 

Ultimately, being a consistent part of the 19-man roster was too tempting of an opportunity to pass on.

“You only have so many years playing professional lacrosse. I wanted to maximize my ability to be an everyday player,” he said. “I thought, with the way the Redwoods roster is built out, it presented a little bit better of an opportunity, and who doesn’t want to play with guys like Romar Dennis and Charlie Bertrand? These guys are studs. It will make my life a hell of a lot easier.”

While the other midfielders may make Aughavin’s life easier, St. Laurent said Aughavin will be able to make the lives of the California attackmen a lot easier, as well.

“He plays so hard, so fast, all the time,” St. Laurent said. “That was what I loved about him. He can stretch the field. Not only is he going to be able to play hard and dodge quick, getting his hands free to help others, and shoot the two, he can create his own shot. That will take a lot of pressure off the attack.”

Aughavin will get his first opportunity to play with a few of his new teammates prior to training camp. He was one of 18 players selected to represent the PLL in its upcoming exhibition game against Sekai Crosse in Japan. 

He is now one of four Redwoods players on the team, joining Dennis, Montgomery and Jared Conners. While he said the experience will help build a little chemistry on the field, it’s the off-field chemistry that Aughavin believes will really develop thanks to the trip.

He said growing those relationships now will help him in May not feel like “the new guy,” so he can just focus on being ready to compete. 

While he looks back fondly on his time with the Archers, he’s excited for the new opportunity with the Redwoods.

“It felt like it was the right time to move on,” he said. “I feel like I’m in a great spot here. … I’m pumped to get to know the Redwoods guys and pumped to get going for California all together.”