Halifax’s John Catalano selected NLL Executive of the Year
Published
Halifax Thunderbirds President and Chief Executive Officer John Catalano was tabbed as the National Lacrosse League Executive of the Year, and NLL.com and Inside Lacrosse writer Adam Levi was selected for the Tom Borrelli Award (Media Person of the Year) as the NLL today announced the first of its annual season-end awards honoring the best players, coaches, and executives for the 2023-24 NLL regular season.
Catalano is the driving force behind the thriving Thunderbirds' franchise that finished at 10-8, drawing large, raucous crowds to Scotiabank Centre that ultimately set Halifax’s new single-season attendance record of 82,484 (9,165 per game). A 25-year NLL front office veteran, Catalano has been leading the Thunderbirds’ organization since 2019, following the team in its relocation from Rochester.
In addition to his prolific work on NLL.com and Inside Lacrosse, Levi is an NLLPA contributing writer and the host of the popular “Lacrosse Matrix” podcast. His work is also often featured on the TSN.ca lacrosse page.
The NLL will continue to announce its award winners throughout the week, in advance of Friday’s Game 1 of the 2024 NLL Finals presented by AXIA Time between the Buffalo Bandits and the Albany FireWolves (7 p.m., TSN, TSN+, ESPN+) from MVP Arena in Albany.
2023-24 NLL Awards announcement schedule:
Tuesday, May 14
- Sportsmanship Award
- Teammate of the Year (via NLLPA)
Wednesday, May 15
- Les Bartley Award (Coach of the Year)
- General Manager of the Year
Thursday, May 16
- Offensive Player of the Year
- Defensive Player of the Year
- Transition Player of the Year
- Goaltender of the Year
Friday, May 17
- Most Valuable Player and the All-NLL first and second teams
- Rookie of the Year and the NLL All-Rookie Team
Finalists for each award, announced last week, as well as selection criteria can be found here.