Mason Flesch Earns MLR Forward of the Year Honors

CHICAGO, Il.- Major League Rugby announced today flanker Mason Flesch won the league’s Forward of the Year award, presented by CTMS travel.

The 25-year-old capped Canadian international has been a mainstay in the Hounds’ lineup since first signing with the team ahead of the 2024 season. He earned Second-Team All-MLR honors in 2024 and First-Team All MLR honors for his 2026 campaign.

This year, Flesch started all 11 of his appearances and registered 734 minutes of action across those contests. Including playoffs, he scored a career-high 10 tries on just 89 ball carries. He came into the 2026 season with just nine tries over the course of his previous five seasons. He beat 17 defenders and made six clean line breaks on offense. On defense, he registered 100 tackles and won seven turnovers.

Flesch’s career-year, culminating in an undefeated championship run, was capped off with a pair of Hounds’ awards as well. The Canadian took home both the Hounds’ Player of the Year Award and the Player’s Player of the Year Award. After the season, he started three games for Canada in their Nations Cup campaign.

Since signing with the Hounds, Flesch started 41 of his 42 appearances and played just under 3,000 minutes. He’s scored 19 tries and gained 980 meters on 313 ball carries. As a defender, he successfully completed 399 tackles and registered 21 dominant tackles.

Flesch’s 2026 Resume:

• Undefeated champion
• First-Team All-MLR
• MLR Forward of the Year
• Hounds Player of the Year
• Hounds Player’s Player of the Year