League: Major League Rugby

Founded in 2017 with it’s inaugural season played in 2018, Major League Rugby (MLR) is the highest level of professional rugby in North America.

Isaac Salmon

New Zealand prop Isaac Salmon played in Major League Rugby between 2022-2025. He has represented the Toronto Arrows (2022-2023) and the NOLA Gold (2024-2025).

Salmon initially joined the Arrows from the Tasman Mako in New Zealand’s NPC competition, who he had represented since 2017. In his debut MLR season, he appeared in all 16 Toronto Arrows games, earning 12 starts and carrying for over 500m, as well as completing 133 tackles. Salmon was named as the Arrows’ Forward of the Year for his efforts in 2022. He returned for the Arrows’ injury-plagued 2023 season, still managing to earn an additional 10 MLR caps and completing 72 tackles.

In July 2023, Salmon was named on the roster for Hawke’s Bay ahead of their 2023 NPC season. On 13th November 2023, the NOLA Gold announced the signing of Isaac Salmon for the 2024 MLR season, his first season in the United States. He earned 10 appearances (8 starts) for the Gold in 2024 as they finally qualified for the MLR post-season on their 7th attempt, facing the Chicago Hounds in the quarter-finals. Salmon started their Eastern Conference Semifinal match, a 21-45 defeat to the Hounds.

On 10th July 2024, the Tasman Mako announced that Salmon was returning to the side for their 2024 NPC campaign, where he spent the MLR off-season. On December 17th, 2024, the NOLA Gold announced the return of Isaac Salmon for the 2025 season.

Achievements

MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 17
2022 Forward of the Year: Toronto Arrows
MLR Team of the Week: 2022 – Rd 7

Alexandre Janlin

French born Canada-eligible prop Alexandre Janlin played in Major League Rugby during the 2021 season. He represented the Toronto Arrows for his entire MLR career.

Alex Russell

English-born Capped Canada Sevens player Alex Russell played in Major League Rugby during the 2021 season. He represented the Toronto Arrows for his entire MLR career.

Siaki Vikilani

Capped Canadian back row Siaki Vikilani played in Major League Rugby between 2021-2022. He represented the Toronto Arrows for his entire MLR career.

Luke Schlotman

American prop Luke Schlotman played in Major League Rugby during the 2021 season. He represented Rugby ATL, and the Toronto Arrows on short-term loan.

A native of New Hampshire, Luke Schlotman attended Plymouth State University, playing rugby there before transferring to Life University in 2018 and playing with the Running Eagles as a Grad Student through 2022. In his freshman year of 2018, New England native Schlotman was a part of the New England Free Jacks roster for their exhibition season and featured in the starting front row for their first ever professional game against the Toronto Arrows (finishing up their own exhibition season) in Halifax, NS in October 2018.

Although he did not feature at MLR level between 2019-2020, he was signed by Rugby ATL for the 2021 MLR season. That year, the Toronto Arrows played the entire season based out of Atlanta due to cross-border restrictions as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Because of injuries to the Arrows, Schlotman was asked to suit up for the Arrows against none other than Rugby ATL, and became the first and only American player to ever play for the Toronto Arrows when he came off the bench in the final stages. This was Schlotman’s lone MLR appearance. Quite the Trivia answer.

Kobe Faust

Ontario native Kobe Faust played in Major League Rugby between 2021-2024. He represented the Toronto Arrows for his entire MLR career.

A graduate of the Ontario Blues junior men’s provincial program, Arrow #63 Faust played with the University of Guelph Gryphons as well as the Oshawa Vikings club side. He signed with the Arrows in April 2021 during the season that the Canadian franchise spent in Marietta, GA with Rugby ATL. Faust earned his MLR debut on 26th June 2021 at the age of 19y 1m, 25d, making him the youngest player to feature in a MLR game at the time (this has since been surpassed by Kahanu Koi in Rd 5 of the 2022 season, 18y 8m 15d). He earned 3 MLR caps for the Arrows in his debut season, and earned his first MLR start in 2022 before a serious lower-body injury cut his season short.

Across his first 3 seasons with the Arrows, Faust has earned 16 MLR caps including a high of 12 in 2023 that included 7 of his 8 starts to date as well as his first points, a penalty kick making him the youngest Arrow to score from the tee. On November 15th 2023, the Arrows announced the return of Kobe Faust for the 2024 MLR season.

Ollie Nott

English born Canadian flanker Ollie Nott played in Major League Rugby between 2021-2022. He represented the Toronto Arrows for his entire MLR career.

Ollie Nott earned his test debut for Canada in 2017 while at the University of Victoria, and has 2 caps to date. He started 2 of his 5 MLR games over his 2 seasons for the Toronto Arrows, and following their withdrawal from MLR in late November 2023, he signed with the Vancouver Highlanders for their exhibition season in 2024.

Joe Tomlinson

Welsh hooker Joe Tomlinson played in Major League Rugby during the 2021 season. He represented the Toronto Arrows for his entire MLR career.

Ronan Foley

Canadian-eligible Irishman Ronan Foley played in Major League Rugby between 2021-2025. He represented the Toronto Arrows (2021-2022), the Seattle Seawolves (2023), the Dallas Jackals (2024), and the Miami Sharks (2025).

Born and raised in Ireland to Canadian citizens, Foley attended UCD in Dublin, playing with their rugby club in teh All-Ireland league where he earned Club Player of the Season and Players’ Player of the Season honours in 2017-2018, and captained the side in 2020-2021. Foley also played in the Leinster system, playing with Leinster A and earning 1 senior cap with the province in 2019. He played in Ireland’s U20 side in the 2017-2018 age grade Six Nations, appearing in 3 games.

The Toronto Arrows announced the signing of Ronan Foley late in the 2021 season, where he earned 4 caps (3 starts) towards the end of the 2021 MLR season. He earned a further 15 caps (13 starts) in his first full season in MLR, scoring 3 tries for the Arrows. Following the 2022 season, the Toronto Arrows traded Foley to the Seattle Seawolves on 29th November 2022 in exchange for 2023 Salary Cap Considerations (unknown). Foley suffered an injury with the Seawolves early in the 2023 season which sidelined him for a number of weeks, but proved a valuable player upon his return, stepping into the gap left by an injured Riekert Hattingh and filling it well. Foley started 8 games in 2023 and appeared in 11 in total, scoring 3 tries and completing 128 tackles.

Unfortunately for him, the Seawolves’ back row was overcrowded and on 2nd November 2023, Foley was traded to the Dallas Jackals in exchange for their 2nd Rd Collegiate Draft Pick in 2024, as well as 2024 Salary Cap Considerations (unknown). He earned a career high 15 starts in his 15 games for the Jackals in 2024, running for over 600m gained and completing just shy of 150 tackles to help the Jackals qualify for the playoffs for the first time in team history. He scored one of his 2 tries in 2024 in the Jackals’ stunning Western Conference Semifinal victory over the #1 seeded Houston SaberCats. Following the withdrawal of the Dallas Jackals from MLR shortly after the conclusion of the 2024 season, Foley declared for the Dispersal Draft and was selected 14th by the Miami Sharks, who confirmed his signing for 2025 on November 29th, 2024.