GEORGIA SWARM ADD FOUR PLAYERS IN 2026 NLL DISPERSAL DRAFT

The National Lacrosse League held its 2026 Dispersal Draft Tuesday (September 15, 2026) afternoon following the announcement that the Ottawa Black Bears and Philadelphia Wings had discontinued operations and would not participate in the 2026-27 season.

The dispersal draft gave the NLL’s remaining clubs an opportunity to select players from the Ottawa and Philadelphia rosters as the league moves forward with 12 active franchises for the upcoming season. 

The Georgia Swarm made four selections from the Philadelphia Wings roster, adding forward Lukas Nielsen, goaltender Deacan Knott, transition player Bo Columbus and defenseman Isaiah Davis-Allen. 

All four players will report to Georgia’s training camp in November and compete for a position on the Swarm’s active roster for the 2026-27 season. 

Georgia entered the dispersal draft with the fourth overall selection after acquiring the pick from Calgary in exchange for the Swarm’s seventh overall selection in the 2026 NLL Entry Draft. 

GEORGIA SWARM DISPERSAL DRAFT SELECTIONS 

Round 1, Pick 4 – Lukas Nielsen | Forward | No. 18 

Nielsen, 21, gives the Swarm another young offensive option. The right-handed forward was originally selected seventh overall by the Buffalo Bandits in the 2024 NLL Entry Draft before joining Philadelphia.

Nielsen played his junior box lacrosse with the New Westminster Salmonbellies and was named BC Junior A Lacrosse League MVP in 2024. He made his NLL debut with Buffalo before joining Philadelphia, where he wore No. 18.

In his first season with the Wings, Nielsen recorded 25 points in nine games, bringing his NLL experience to two seasons entering the 2026-27 campaign.

• Position: Forward 

• Philadelphia No.: 18 

• Original NLL Draft: 2024, Round 1, No. 7 overall 

• Originally Drafted By: Buffalo Bandits 

• College: N/A 

• Box Lacrosse: New Westminster Salmonbellies 

• NLL Experience: 2 seasons 

Round 1, Pick 8 – Deacan Knott | Goaltender | No. 30 

The Swarm added another option between the pipes with the selection of Deacan Knott.

Knott was originally selected by Philadelphia in the second round, 38th overall, of the 2022 NLL Entry Draft. The Ontario native developed through the Peterborough lacrosse system before beginning his professional career with the Wings.

Knott made his NLL debut during the 2023-24 season and has spent his entire NLL career with Philadelphia. He wore No. 30 with the Wings and enters his fourth professional season competing for a spot in Georgia’s goaltending group.

• Position: Goaltender 

• Philadelphia No.: 30 

• Original NLL Draft: 2022, Round 2, No. 38 overall 

• Originally Drafted By: Philadelphia Wings 

• College: N/A 

• Box Lacrosse: Peterborough Lakers / Burlington Blaze 

• NLL Experience: 3 seasons 

Round 2, Pick 8 – Bo Columbus | Transition/Faceoff | No. 17 

Columbus brings versatility to the Swarm’s transition unit. Originally selected by Philadelphia with the 15th overall pick in the 2025 NLL Entry Draft, Columbus played his collegiate lacrosse at Robert Morris University.

During his time at Robert Morris, Columbus established himself as a faceoff specialist and was named NEC Player of the Year in 2025. He also brings extensive box lacrosse experience from his time with the Brooklin Lacrosse Club.

Columbus wore No. 17 during his rookie season with Philadelphia and enters the 2026-27 season with one year of NLL experience. 

• Position: Transition / Faceoff Specialist 

• Philadelphia No.: 17 

• Original NLL Draft: 2025, Round 1, No. 15 overall 

• Originally Drafted By: Philadelphia Wings 

• College: Robert Morris University 

• Box Lacrosse: Brooklin Lacrosse Club 

• NLL Experience: 1 season 

Round 3, Pick 8 – Isaiah Davis-Allen | Defense | No. 26 

The Swarm brought back a familiar name with their third-round selection.

Davis-Allen was originally drafted by Georgia in the sixth round, 50th overall, of the 2017 NLL Entry Draft after playing collegiately at the University of Maryland. He was part of Maryland’s 2017 NCAA national championship team.

Davis-Allen made his NLL debut in 2018 and spent his professional career with Philadelphia. The veteran defenseman wore No. 26 with the Wings and enters the 2026-27 season with eight seasons of NLL experience.

Through the 2025-26 season, Davis-Allen had appeared in more than 100 regular-season NLL games.

His return to Georgia reunites the Swarm with a player the organization originally selected nearly a decade ago.

• Position: Defense 

• Philadelphia No.: 26 

• Original NLL Draft: 2017, Round 6, No. 50 overall 

• Originally Drafted By: Georgia Swarm 

• College: University of Maryland 

• NLL Debut: 2018 

• NLL Experience: 8 seasons 

FOUR PLAYERS JOIN THE SWARM 

With the four selections, Georgia added a combination of youth, experience and positional versatility to its roster. 

Nielsen and Columbus were both first-round selections in their respective NLL Entry Drafts, while Knott adds another goaltending option and Davis-Allen brings eight seasons of NLL experience and familiarity with the Swarm organization. 

The four players will compete during Georgia’s training camp in November for spots on the Swarm’s 2026-27 active roster. 

LOOKING AHEAD 

The 2026 NLL Entry Draft will take place Thursday, September 24 at 6 p.m. ET. The first round will be produced by the NLL’s broadcast team and distributed live on the league’s YouTube and Facebook channels. 

Following the dispersal draft, the Swarm hold the No. 9 and No. 11 selections in the 2026 NLL Entry Draft. 

The dispersal draft was conducted following the NLL’s announcement that Ottawa and Philadelphia would discontinue operations, with the league moving forward with 12 active member clubs for the 2026-27 season.