San Diego Seals Make Key Moves Before Trade Deadline to Strengthen Roster for the Second Half of the Season
The San Diego Seals were busy making strategic moves during Monday morning’s trade deadline, bolstering their roster for the remainder of the season. The Seals kicked off their trade activity by acquiring defenseman Marquez White from the Buffalo Bandits. In exchange, the Bandits received a second-round pick in the 2026 NLL Draft, as well as a conditional second-round pick in the 2028 Draft.
The conditions of the 2028 pick stipulate that if Marquez White is unable to play for San Diego during the 2025-2026 season, the second-round pick will be downgraded to a fourth-round pick in 2028.
White was drafted by Buffalo ahead of the 2024-25 season but did not appear in any games this season for the Bandits as he’s been recovering from an ACL injury. Prior to, White played three seasons at Princeton where he appeared in 45 games and earned first-team All-Ivy League and USILA All-America selections as a senior. White helped lead the Tigers to Ivy League Tournament championships in 2023 and ’24.
In addition to playing collegiately at Princeton, White also played for the San Diego Royals, the Seals’ entry in the National Collegiate Box Series (NCBS) that captured three straight championships from 2021-23. In the aforementioned 2023 title game that the Royals won 8-6, White scored a third-quarter go-ahead goal to put his team up 6-5 and at the end of the contest with just 14 seconds left, he blocked a potential game-tying shot before scoring an empty net goal with 1.8 seconds remaining to clinch the victory for the Royals.
In a second trade before the deadline, the Seals also made a move with the Las Vegas Desert Dogs, further strengthening their defense. San Diego acquired defenseman James Barclay from Las Vegas in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2026 Draft (acquired from the Albany Firewolves) and defenseman Justin Sykes.
Barclay played in 13 games for the Desert Dogs this season, tallying one goal and three assists while scooping up 64 loose balls, forcing 12 turnovers and blocking six shots. Currently in his fifth NLL season, the 29-year-old Barclay previously played for Rochester (2019), Halifax (2020, 2022) and the Desert Dogs (2023-present). His career totals include 64 games played, four goals, 15 assists, 302 loose balls secured and 37 blocked shots.
With these trades, the Seals are poised for a stronger push through the latter half of the season, adding experienced players to key positions.
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