NATS 2026 Montreal sectional Preview
Written by Drew Ryder. NATS is sponsored by Spikeball.
The North American Tour Series heads north to Canada as winter thaws! This event features 29 teams in Open Bronze+ and 10 teams in Women’s Advanced. Before digging in, let’s catch up on key storylines you may have missed:
Early Season Recap
1) Athletes are pushing the ceiling for roundnet higher
While the new rules have brought more exciting points and allowed for defensive capability to increase, the level of rally-ending skills like hitting and serving have seemingly caught up to some degree. The parameters in place are a help to defensive specialists, but traditional elements of competitive roundnet are still alive and well.
2) Anyone can beat anyone in the open division… some notable upsets/cinderella runs so far:
Robert/Woolley finishing 2nd in Dallas, featuring wins over Paradox and Seazonal
*The complete opposite has been the pattern in Women’s, where only one lower seeded team has emerged victorious in bracket!
3) Are we done with rule testing?
It would be a disservice to not mention simul hitting as a storyline for early 2026. The rate of hits that show up illegal on film but result in outcomes other than a loss of point is alarming. There are a variety of paths forward for the issue, but we as a community seem yet to determine the best solution. A very positive takeaway not mentioned enough is the improved culture it has brought to self officiating at tournaments. Players appear more aware of their self officiating duties as discussions continue surrounding how to navigate this rule. It would be surprising if the hitting rules and/or equipment affecting hits are exactly the same next year, but only time will tell.
Zooming in for Montreal
The biggest storyline going into Montreal is the location of the event itself. It means there are some athletes entering the fray. Traditionally, the Québec community has been a prime producer of top talent amongst the biggest names in all of roundnet. Some household names to come out of Quebec are Vincent Mathieu, Maxime Prince, and Laurence Vallée to name a few. Montreal is not new to hosting tour level events either, being the first non-American city to do so in 2017. The location makes it a feasible trip for a lot of Northeast players in the U.S., so the level of tournaments here is typically quite high. Furthermore, Canada boasts a particularly strong women’s community. This provides us with a cluster of new names to make for a particularly exciting women’s division this weekend.
Teams to Watch: Open Bronze+
The talent pool for this event is on par or better than previous events on tour this year. Most excitedly, we are in a position once again where there are a few debut teams and mashups to keep an eye on. First, the Canadians in this category include:
Gimme Boys: Maxime Prince and Guillaume Bilodeau is the definition of a scary team. The reigning Canadian Champsions area threat from 7ft, yet they still offer an archetype balance that has all facets of the game covered. Max is a supreme athlete who’s excellent out of system. Guillaume has incredible touch and feel for the ball that supports his in system setting, hitting, and serve receive.
TLMG: Thomas Dery and Anthony St. Martin poses a similar type of threat to Max and Guillaume. Serving can get them out of trouble, but expect their athleticism to be a factor in matches. For players like these, hold ability is naturally a little higher.
Jé/Dan: While Dan Abrams has been well-traveled this season, Jé Gagnon is a top Canadian back on tour for the first time in 2026. An underappreciated metric overall, Jé’s tempo of fakes and trigger time from 7ft is punishing. A spinny server, yes, but it's his ability to throw fast yet still realistic fakes and capitalize on them that’s particularly strong. The key for this team will be Jé getting those breaks, and Dan playing close to his ceiling. We know the floor is high here, but the question mark is how much damage they can do to the top teams, especially if those other guys are feeling good.
There is a handful of U.S. talent mashing up in Montreal, and it looks like there’s some potential for newer teams to the pro scene to possibly secure a big result also. These teams include:
Kyle & Will: Kyle Fowler and Will Picone are a team of two household names many would predict to make a deep run, but find themselves more in need of that big result than normal. Will is yet to appear in a semifinal this season, and Kyle is yet to match the level he and Paq produced in Atlanta in March. Expect these two to compete hard and show up extra locked in.
The Biggest Sun: Sunny Gu and Jackson Biggs are not a team anyone will have an easy time beating on Saturday. Sunny offers experience vs international competition. Let’s not forget his resume now features two Team USA appearances. Jackson Biggs is a 2025 pro player whose improvement in recent months is showing no signs of slowing down. Clean and low hitting, with good shot selection specifically, is a skill Jackson does well, not straying afar from the traditional Northeastern mold of strong fundamentals.
Flow State: Jake Wooley and Garrett Carver come into this event with lots of confidence. Woolley finds himself in red hot form after a very impressive 2nd place in Dallas with Nathan Robertt. While friends of Woolley may have known what was coming, this tournament put him on the map big time. This team has an interesting mix of all the skills, which in turn means there are many ways they can win games this Saturday. It wouldn’t be a surprise if they find themselves in a battle with one of the established season teams in the field late into bracket.
Dinomite: Auriel Wish and Charlie Camarena are my dark horse pick to make a run in this tournament. Although their competition volume is lower than most of the other top talents, this is another situation where athleticism can be the driving force of their ability to do well. Just weeks ago, Charlie has entered the winner’s circle in 2026 following his first place finish at ERS Connecticut last month. While the local level is not a complete litmus test for a NATS event, Auriel and Charlie’s best game is a threat to the top teams in attendance.
Teams to Watch: Women’s Advanced
The women’s division in Montreal is stacked, thanks especially to a loaded local presence. . The Canadian women’s contingent bring serious talent and have their eyes on taking down their visiting neighbors. Some teams of interest for this Saturday are:
Vallée/Lapointe-Ray: Adele Lapointe-Roy and Laurence Vallée are established talent in Canada, with rankings of 4 and 44 respectively. The interesting question will be how much their lack of tournament reps in 2026 will matter. They have competed in squad competition already this year, but a one day tournament with just one counterpart presents unique challenges that can require some acclimation.
the way life should be: Tess Dolan and Abigale Lamontagne stand out as favorites for their high level and overall activity this season. With both players being defensive minded, this is a team to keep your eye on for entertainment value beyond how well they are likely to end up doing. Tess is a walking highlight reel, and Abby is one of the most consistent on tour, making them due to play some good roundnet.
Baby Gurlz: Soph Yu and Daphnée Dorval, rankings wise, are the other team of note for this division. Ranked 14 and 15 respectfully, this team should get solid seeding to be set up for a successful day. With more to prove on the NATS tour, this duo will be an exciting watch as the bracket progresses.
After reuniting through the 2025 USA vs Canada event, it’s great to be partnering with Roundnet Canada for this year’s series. Kudos to the Federation of Quebec Roundnet for hosting, and good luck to players coming together from both sides of the border.To follow the action on Saturday, follow scores on Fwango here!
For more updates, stay tuned to the North American Tour Series on Instagram
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