When you think about the Vancouver Warriors, you probably think about head coach and general manager Curt Malawsky. I don’t blame you, he’s a Hall of Famer for a reason. Some players that might come to mind may be Keegan Bal, Adam Charlambides, or maybe newly acquired goaltender Christian Del Bianco, and rightfully so. All of these players have contributed a ton to the Warriors’ recent success, but a large part of the Warriors’ success this season has been because of the defense. The defense has some studs, Matt Beers, Reid Bowering, Jeff Cornwall, just to name a few. But the anchor is Ryan Dilks.
Dilks is a two-time National Lacrosse League Defensive Player of the Year. The first in 2015-16 as a member of the Saskatchewan Rush, and the second one coming last year in Vancouver. Defensive Player of the Year is the highest honour a defender can receive. Even though Dilks is 34, he is still playing at an elite level. He explains how getting up in age makes the accolade mean more.
“It was pretty important, I’d rather obviously (have) won the championship with the boys but it was important for me just getting older and near the end of my career, I was not losing confidence but it was nice to have and show the ability that I can still play at the highest level and still be one of the best players out there, so it really helped my like I said the confidence level and showed I still got some gas in the tank.”
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Obviously, the goal every player has at the start of the season is to win the championship. But it’s great to be acknowledged with an individual award. Dilks added that in the pursuit of a championship, being recognized with an individual award is still special.
“The goal is to always win the last game of the year and win the cup, but in doing so that kind of results (winning an award) in when you’re trying so hard to win every game that like if you get an independent award out of it and it’s kind of a bonus, but more importantly I wish we could have done better in the regular season.”
Dilks has played in the NLL for 13 years, he spent the first four years in Edmonton and seven in Saskatchewan. He won three NLL championships in Saskatchewan, but decided to come to Vancouver during the 2023-2024 season. Dilks explained how the Warriors hiring Curt Malawsky made his decision to come to the West Coast an easy one.
“I was always interested in Vancouver, one, it’s an amazing city another they have great fan support here and then when the team made the move to pick up Malawsky and that was really the icing on the cake for me and it made the decision really easy was once you have the right people in the right place and then it’s just altered things after that and you can see the result of it so far already.”
Curt Malawsky’s resume speaks for itself, he’s won championships as a player and as a coach. He’s in the Hall of Fame and knows what it takes to have success in the NLL. Dilks also touched on how Malawsky has helped him grow as a player.
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“He’s been awesome, his communication is incredible. He tells you how it is and he gives me confidence and the most important thing is he supports me and my family. Which allows me to come and do what I do here the best so he’s really helped me along the way. I’m happy to be able to play under him so far.”
The NLL is a unique league where all players have jobs outside of playing professional lacrosse. Dilks explains how he is able to balance his family and work life, while playing lacrosse at an elite level.
“It’s a unique league where I wish this was a full time league but it is what it is, so it’s all about balance. Especially since I’ve had two amazing children that it’s become a little more complex. but like I said you (got to) find the balance and as long as they’re happy and I said before Curt does an amazing job to make sure that everything’s good at home and supports me there (at home) so that I’m comfortable, in a good mood and happy to perform well at my highest level.”
Dilks is highly regarded in the locker room among his teammates and coaches. Everyone around the organization speaks very highly of him, and rightfully so. He is a true professional in every way and has earned that respect. But how does he describe himself as a leader?
“I’m a good mix of lead by example on the floor and also vocally off the floor. I’ve been so fortunate to play with some great leaders all the way from Colin Doyle, Dan Dawson…Jimmy Quinlan and even guys like Curt Malawsky. All I can do is learn from those guys what they’ve taught me and then do my best to teach the young guys and let them learn from my experience as well.”
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One of the things that separates Dilks from the rest of the players is his work ethic. You can’t have a lengthy career without working hard. Dilks dove deep on his pre-game preparation and he gets ready to perform his best each game.
“Every week is a little different, but I usually watch a lot of game film during the week and then take care of the family, that’s the most important part. Then when I fly out here it’s all business. I start physically preparing, hydrating, eating right and then we go through a lot of practice and a lot of prep work for each team and then I cross my fingers hope (for) the best that I have another good game.”
When a team has a lot of good players, practices are usually pretty intense. The Warriors are no different. Dilks explains how practicing with great players helps him get better. Just like what they say, iron sharpens iron.
“That’s what good teams do. They push each other, they push each other (on) both sides of the ball in practice,- it’s hard it’s if you’re not at the top of your game in practice then sometimes I still get burned all the time by those guys so it’s good to be against the best and it’s even better when we’re on the same team.”
The Warriors are in the thick of the playoff race, but when you have a great player and leader like the Warriors do in Ryan Dilks, someone who knows what it takes to win at the highest level, you have a great chance of doing something special.